Business Planning

Planning For the Business You Count On

We plan for your business far differently than other lawyers and law firms.

Business guidance begins with either a LIFT Start-Up Session (if you are not quite off the ground yet) or a LIFT Audit to review the legal, insurance, financial and tax systems in your business (if you are already in operation).

We are the holistic business advisors you have been looking for, not just putting in place legal documents or acting reactively, but instead giving you the peace of mind of knowing you have not only set your business up right from the get go, but that your business systems continue to keep up with your growth trajectory.

We focus on the details so you can maintain your high level, creative focus on growing the company and serving the right clients and customers.

Business Entity Formation

Forming your business entity at Peacock Law is not one size fits all and is never handled in a vacuum.  If you wanted once size fits all, you could use a document drafting service or online legal document website.

Before we form your entity, we get to know you, what’s important to you, what your business is going to do in the world and how you plan to exit it.  We ask you questions that will inform us of the tax structure of your entity, how you own the entity and what happens to your business entity when you pass on (or you pass the company on to a new owner).

We ask you the questions so you do not worry that you don’t know the right questions to ask. And then we discuss your options with you in a way that allows you to know you are making informed decisions about:

✔  Where to form your entity (Nevada, Delaware, Wyoming or your own home state are all options);

✔  What type of entity to form (LLC, S-Corporation, LLC taxed as an S-Corporation, Partnership, or C-Corporation are the most likely options we will consider);

✔  How to set up your bank accounts, what type of insurance to get, which agreements you need immediately (and which can wait), which intellectual property to protect (and whether to own it in a separate entity from your operating assets), how much and what type of insurance you need, how to work with your CPA for max tax savings and more.

We see the formation of your business entity as just the beginning of a long-term relationship in which we are able to become the trusted counselor you turn to for help with all of your business decisions.

Think about it this way – Warren Buffett doesn’t just turn to Charlie Munger (his personal business lawyer) for help incorporating his business entities, he turns to Charlie before entering into any business deal that will impact the bottom line.  That’s the type of relationship we have with our clients.

Maintaining Your Business Entity – Compliance & So Much More

We don’t really like the word compliance because it seems to suggest that we are going to restrict you in some way -- but, it’s just the opposite…

Through our regular updating programs, we take care of all the little details,

so you can stay creative and expansive.

At most business planning law firms the relationship ends when you sign your incorporation documents.  At Peacock Law we see the signing your incorporation documents as the beginning of our relationship with your business.

Over time, your business will change and grow; your ownership structure may change; we know for sure that the law will change.   Your business documents must accommodate all of these changes in order to make sure your business is on track for growth and continued success.

General Council

We help business owners design, implement and maintain effective plans to help them reduce their personal liability, preserve all viable income tax deductions, facilitate the owner’s retirement, maintain family harmony, retain key employees and minimize income, gift and estate taxes.

And, most importantly … we ensure your business has the proper foundation to allow for maximum growth with minimal risk to you and your loved ones.

Leaving a Real Legacy – Business Succession Planning 

 How We Guide You to Leave a Legacy That’s About Much More Than Just Your Money

After you are gone (or in the event of your incapacity), your loved ones (family, partner, clients, vendors, and others) will miss you deeply, and your business needs to be able to go on to support them.

You will either leave them with a legacy that is meaningful, easy to manage (or cash out), and keep supporting them or you will leave them with a big mess to deal with.

As an entrepreneur, this may be the most significant issue you can think about when it comes to the well- being of all of what matters most to you – your work and your family.

And yet, time and time again, this issue is overlooked by business owners and business lawyers serving their business owner clients.

Not here.

Once your business entity is incorporated and online with agreements, insurance, intellectual property planned for and protected, and financial systems filling the coffers, we shift the conversation away from set up to the all important exit.

It’s not the first time we will have discussed it, as all of our business set ups are planned for based on your eventual exit plan (sell the business at a certain point or operate it for income until death then pass it on).

It will be an ongoing conversation throughout the life of your business – what can we do today to ensure your business can and will continue to serve up your particular brand of goodness whether you are on vacation, taking a health break, after its sold or when you pass it on to loved ones after you are gone.

In addition, through our unique legacy process, we will ensure you leave your loved ones a tangible expression of your love for them far beyond your money or even your business.

Imagine if you had a music album length message from your great, great grandfather talking about his life during the great depression and how he made his money, ran his business and capturing the most important lessons he learned along the way.  Would that be valuable to you and your family today?

Of course it would.  There’s no more valuable asset that we have than the lessons we have learned.

Most of these lessons are passed down (often in a somewhat twisted form) from one generation to the next via conditioning, not intentionally or consciously at all.  Imagine the wealth your family would have if lessons could be passed down consciously.

As we shift into another time, we are learning that the lessons of the past hold a tremendous amount of value and those who can harness those lessons and build on that foundation are the most well off and have the easiest, most enjoyable lives – and because we want this for your family, we use a proprietary process for ensuring you pass on these most valuable lessons in the most conscious, direct, and clear way we know how.

If this interests you, please ask more about it when you come into meet with us for a LIFT Foundation Audit of your existing business or a LIFT Start-Up Session for a not yet started business. Contact our office for availability.