I was delighted by the range of talented entrepreneurs that joined me for last night’s presentation in Tarrytown. It was inspiring to hear them share their nascent business ideas. We found that most of their projects could benefit from the injection of capital made possible by the many
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Tomorrow night, April 18, I’ll be presenting a seminar on using crowdsourcing and crowdfunding to meet your business needs. The discussion will aim to clarify the different uses for these new strategies, including their respective limitations, and to clarify any lingering confusion between these and open source
Read more →While I’m frequently involved in the nuts-to-bolts tasks of organizing non-profits, my exposure to their fundraising activities is often indirect – compliance concerns, attending events, celebrating the award of a grant, or strategic planning when a grant is denied. For a long time, I’ve wanted to gain
Read more →I’ve been invited to lead a discussion on crowdfunding and crowdsourcing on April 18. With the endless stream of record-breaking Kickstarter projects in the media lately, many businesses are wondering how the “crowd” can help them. Are these community-based solutions a viable option for the typical needs
Read more →The Grange of Putnam Valley was hosting an event on backyard chicken-keeping on March 23 and asked me to speak about the state of the law across Putnam County. I surveyed the relevant local codes of every municipality in the county and spoke to a range of
Read more →On March 14, I presented a workshop on the legal issues that are most relevant to freelancers and small businesses. This has been a very popular offering in the past. Yesterday’s audience included event planners, marketing professionals, website developers, and a range of new entrepreneurs. The evening began
Read more →Client featured in an article about telecommuting in The Journal News today. An accompanying video features input from several members of the space discussed why they chose coworking. Telecommuting has received much attention recently as Yahoo’s incoming CEO called for an end to that company’s generous telecommuting policy while
Read more →Many organization find that achieving tax exempt status is the most significant obstacle to overcome in getting established. Beyond the effect on tax filing requirements, the classification makes organizations eligible for a range of funding unavailable to non-exempt organizations, including being eligible for tax-deductible donations. While exemption
Read more →Thanks to all the participants who attended tonight’s workshop on legal issues facing business websites. Having such a diverse group of professionals, including marketing experts and website developers, in the audience really enriched the discussion. We were able to delve into adjacent areas such as options for
Read more →Tomorrow, Feb. 27, I’ll be presenting a seminar on legal issues you’re likely to run into with commercial websites. Topics will include protecting your brand and content, privacy policies and terms of use, and risks related to eCommerce and user-submitted content. You can find more details and
Read more →Congratulations to client and childhood friend Mynette Louie on winning the Piaget Producers Award at the 2013 Spirit Awards on February 23. Mynette has had considerable success in recent years with films such as Children of Invention, an official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, and more recently
Read more →I was delighted to take part in the legal clinic offered today as part of the Dance/NYC Symposium today. Lawyers and industry experts donated their time to advise new and seasoned participants with a range of questions including trademark protection, dance company incorporation, non-profit management and 501c3 status.
Read more →Client Corbin Hill Road Farm‘s head Dennis Derryck was one of the speakers invited to “Not Just Talk: Food in the South Bronx“, a conference focusing on food justice issues affecting communities like those in South Bronx. As has been widely discussed, Not Just Talk was organized when
Read more →Zak Shusterman was quoted in a feature article in the Lewisboro Ledger headlined, Katonah residents raise uproar over backyard chickens by Reece Alvarez. His efforts in support of backyard chicken raising were previously mentioned here. Reece describes Zak’s presentation as “shining a wider light on the issue”. The article
Read more →Client My Pet Chicken will be represented at the upcoming Winter Conference of the Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA) on March 2, 2013. This year’s conference will focus on the challenges of adjusting to climate change for farmers, gardeners and consumers. My Pet Chicken’s Chief Eggsecutive Officer Traci Torres
Read more →Client Dance/NYC will be hosting a symposium on February 24 to explore issues of funding, touring, marketing, and education in New York’s current dance environment. Descriptions on the various symposium sessions and activities, as well as registration details, can be found here. One of the opportunities provided at
Read more →Zak Shusterman had the honor of speaking before the Town of Bedford, NY’s Zoning Board of Appeals in support of expanding residents’ rights to raise small flocks of backyard chickens. Zak provided testimony of his own experience keeping hens in the Village of Sleepy Hollow and rules
Read more →An online presence allows retailers to effectively market products and services nationally and globally. Your website marketing effort is available to consumers down the street as easily as those thousands of miles away. Fortunately, your online efforts don’t need to comply with the varying and sometimes conflicting
Read more →I’ve been invited to do a presentation on the legal issues that are most relevant to freelancers and small businesses. This is a presentation has been very popular in the past. The workshop will cover the forms of business structures appropriate for small businesses, including limited liability
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INSIGHT : New York State Grants for Businesses
Most businesses owners are aware that billions of dollars in grant money flows into local businesses from federal, state and regional sources. These grants support a variety of goals – increasing local employment, encouraging businesses not to relocate, stimulating valued industries, environmental improvements, promoting local tourism. A