Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/Cashflow-tips-How-good-is-your-fuel-gauge.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/Cashflow-tips-How-good-is-your-fuel-gauge.html When was the last time you were driving your car and you ran out of petrol? If you answered yes, then I suspect that the reason had something to do with a faulty fuel gauge or not knowing how long it was until the next petrol station. So why is it that many businesses seem to suddenly run out of cash, splutter and then fail? Well, cash for your business is the equivalent of petrol for your car, and what does every car come equipped with? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-get-your-customers-or-clients-to-pay-up.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-get-your-customers-or-clients-to-pay-up.html When the 20th of the month ticks around and your bank balance isn’t looking as healthy as it should, you know you have a problem. A quick look at your debtor’s ledger reveals that there is a lot of money out there but it is no good to you unless it is sitting in your bank account earning interest. So what do you do to get it in? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-protect-your-IP-being-stolen-by-your-employees.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-protect-your-IP-being-stolen-by-your-employees.html How would you feel if someone broke into your house and stole your TV, stereo, DVD player, furniture, CD collection and some very personal items of jewellery? Initially you would feel shock…then once that had passed, rage and an immense desire to bring the perpetrators to justice... and then regret that you didn’t install a burglar alarm. You get exactly the same feelings when an employee steals your intellectual property and sets up in competition down the road. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-directors-can-prevent-themselves-being-liable-for-their-companys-debts.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-directors-can-prevent-themselves-being-liable-for-their-companys-debts.html The reason most start up business owners decide to form a company is to protect themselves in the event that their business goes belly up. The so called “limited liability” protection offered by the company structure may psychologically persuade us to take more business risks than if we were trading on our own account. However, in times of hardship, limited liability may not be all its cracked up to be and business owners could end up being personally liable for their company’s debts if they fail out to carry their duties as a director properly. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/The-best-way-to-reduce-your-chances-of-facing-a-personal-grievance-when-you-dismiss-an-employee.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/The-best-way-to-reduce-your-chances-of-facing-a-personal-grievance-when-you-dismiss-an-employee.html You know when your partner is upset when your soup lands in your lap and you are left sitting alone with a nearly full bottle of wine, half eaten plate of food and everyone in the restaurant staring at you. You’ve just experienced that lovely emotion we call anger and it is virtually inevitable that you will experience it if you are breaking up with your partner. It is also virtually inevitable when you dismiss an employee. The question is, will that anger turn into a personal grievance? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/Are-your-dreams-of-retiring-on-the-sale-proceeds-of-your-business-pie-in-the-sky.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/Are-your-dreams-of-retiring-on-the-sale-proceeds-of-your-business-pie-in-the-sky.html Whether you went into business with a plan to sell your business in the future or not, at some stage you will need to exit. But have you planned an exit strategy that will fund your retirement? Or, are you just presuming that someone will come along one day and pay you handsomely for all your toil and struggle? If you are in the latter category, think again. Market predictions show that all your hard work building your business could disappear in a puff of smoke. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-get-an-employee-to-resign.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-get-an-employee-to-resign.html When faced with a poor performing employee, the reaction of a number of employers is to think of an ingenious way to encourage that employee to resign. After all, it saves all the hassle of going through a performance management process, and if they resign then there is no comeback, right? Or maybe that is not the case. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/The-Secret-of-Business-Success.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/The-Secret-of-Business-Success.html Either you, or someone you know, will have seen or read “The Secret” – an inspirational work that teaches us that the law of attraction really does work and that positive thinking really can bring us success and riches. So presumably, the law of attraction applies to business as it does to every other field of our lives? Is it really as easy as sitting in our armchairs and visualising our business raking in the money, or is there more to it than that? Are we misinterpreting how the law of attraction applies to business? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/Why-you-shouldnt-copy-someone-elses-terms-of-business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/Why-you-shouldnt-copy-someone-elses-terms-of-business.html Why you shouldn’t copy someone else’s terms of business “Never Re-invent the wheel” was the advice I was given when I started in business. And that’s a great adage which I still use today. But if you are looking for a wheel for your car, you don’t go to the local cycle shop. That’s what some people do when it comes to their terms of business – copy those of another business and then realise (when it is too late) that they are completely unsuitable. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-get-free-credit-without-burning-bridges.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Legal/2120/How-to-get-free-credit-without-burning-bridges.html You lay the wad of envelopes out on the table. A quick scan tells you that there will be more bills than cheques. As you open each one in turn you mentally add up what is owed and what you have received. The big payment you are expecting isn’t there and the deficit is bad news for your ailing bank account. A story familiar to many business owners and a problem which the business owner must grapple with immediately.