Past Articles

List of Past Business Articles

Legal
Halagan Law Firm • Robert Halagan
HLF-Feb 2009 – The No-Choice Act–Is there a Union Heading for Your Business?
HLF-May 2009 – Thinking of Adding a Business Partner?  Here’s what you need to know about the “In”, the “Out” and the “In-between”
HLF-July 2009 – Trade Secrets:  How to Protect Yours?  What should you do if a new hire brings secrets with them?
HLF-Sept 2009 – Getting Paid-Your Company Got The Job, Now How Do You Make Sure You Are Going To Get Paid?
HLF-Nov 2009 – Leveraging Attorney’s Fees to Avoid Litigation
HLF-Jan 2010 – The Essentials of a Non-Compete Agreement:  Is It Enforceable?
HLF-Mar 2010 – Is There A Lawsuit In Your Future?  How To Control Costs, Risks, and Your Own Attorney
HLF-May2010- When Does It Make Sense to Sell Stock to an Employee?
HLF-July2010 – Hiring the Right Way Can Avoid the Cost of a Bad Termination
HLF-Sept2010 – Getting Your Business Ready for Sale
HLF-Nov2010- How to Increase Your Odds of Getting Sued When Terminating an Employee
HLF-Jan2011- Defending a Claim for Unemployment Benefits
HLF – March 2011 – Employment Agreements-When do you need one?
HLF-May2011 – Managing Legal Fees in Business Transactions
HLF-July2011 – Designing an Effective Compensation Plan that Rewards Performance
HLF-Sept 2011 – Checklist for Avoiding Lawsuits for Overtime Violations
HLF-Nov 2011 – Trade Secrets:  How to Protect Yours?  What Should You Do If a New Hire Brings Secrets With Them?
HLF-Jan 2012- High Drama at the National Labor Relations Board

Business Coach
ActionCOACH • Kelli Hoskins
AC-Feb 2009 – Ensure Good Returns on Your Investment
AC-May 2009 – People Plus Systems Equals Great Sales…
AC-July 2009 – Excuse Me, May I Buy That Customer Please?
AC-Sept 2009 – Should You Be In Business At All?  Here’s How To Know…
AC-Nov 2009 - 11 Ways to Double Your Customer Base in Four Weeks
AC-Jan 2010 – Share An Evening With The World’s #1 Business Coach!
AC-May2010 - The True Measure of Marketing Success
AC-July2010 - Here’s How You Can Measure Your Value in the Eyes of Your Customers
AC-Sept 2010 – Why you have all the MONEY you can HANDLE…
AC-Nov2010- How to Tell If You Are Driven by FEAR or PASSION
AC-Jan2011- Cost of Materials…There is No Such Thing
AC – March 2011 – Profit Per What?
AC-May2011 – Budget for Profit
AC-July2011 – Grow Your Business and Build Your Wealth…Not Someone Else’s
AC-Nov 2011 – Excuse Me, May I Buy That Customer Please?
AC-Jan 2012- Budget for Profit

Accounting
AW Smith, LLC
AWS-Feb 2009 -  What You Need to Know about Business Taxes in Starting Your New Business

Johnson+Mattson, P.A. • Casey A. Mattson
CM-Nov 2011 – 2011 Year-End Tax Planning Ideas

Banking
BANKWEST • Steve Huston
BW-Feb 2009 – How to Use Remote Deposit Capture to Enhance Your Cash-flow
BW-May 2009 – Community Banks Finally Get “Official” Recognition
BW-July 2009 – Financial Fraud – Identity Theft
BW-Sept 2009 – The Path to Remote Deposit
BW-Jan 2010 – Community Banks Continue Lending to Small Businesses
BW-Jan2011- Ten Tips in Tough Times-What Small Business Owners Should Know During Tough Financial Times
BW-May2011 – Informed Homebuyers Are More Effective Consumers
BW-Nov 2011 – Are Banks Lending?

Business Valuation
Hunter Advisors, PLLC • Roben Hunter
HA-Feb 2009 – Valuing a Business Under Current Economic Conditions
HA-July 2009 – Selling Your Business During These Economic Times
HA-Sept 2009 – Business Succession Planning
HA-Jan 2010 – Deferral or Elimination of Taxable Income for Debt Discharges May Be Available for Tax Years 2009 and 2010
HA-May 2010- Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
HA-July 2010- Limited Partnership Gifting – A Twist
HA-Sept 2010 – Minnesota’s Angel Tax Credit for 2010
HA-Jan2011- Tax Provisions Affecting Individuals for 2010
HA – March 2011 – Recent Changes in Foreign Bank Account Reporting
HA-Sept 2011-   New Exclusions from Minnesota Estate Tax
HA-Nov 2011 – New Increases for Social Security in 2012
HA-Jan 2012 – Taxes…Taxes – What to Know for 2012 Planning

Economic Development
Wright County Economic Development • Noel
WC-Feb 2009 – Around the County
WC-May 2009 – Around the County
WC-July 2009 – Around the County
WC-Sept 2009 – Around the County
WC-Nov 2009 – Around the County
WC-Jan 2010 – Around the County
WC-Mar 2010 – Around the County
WC-May 2010- Around the County
WC-July 2010- State of the Economy
WC-Sept 2010 – Positive News for Wright County
WC-Nov2010- Learning Opportunities in Wright County
WC-Jan2011- A New Year and A Fresh Perspective
WC-May2011 – As they say, “Change is a Coming”
WC-Jan 2012- A Fresh Start:  January 2012

Human Resources
Human Resources Counseling • Cecelia Keenan
HRC-Feb 2009 – ”People Related Expenses”: How to Make Tough Human Resource Decisions in a Bad Economy
HRC-May 2009 – Layoff Do’s and Don’ts
HRC-July 2009- Federal Labor Laws by Number of Employees
HRC-Sept 2009 – Rebuilding Your Staff – Employees or Contractors – Independent Contractor Assessment
HRC-Nov 2009 – New EEOC Poster – Are You Compliant?
HRC-Jan 2010 – Compensation in 2010
HRC-Mar 2010 – Developing a Written Warning
HRC-May 2010- How is Your Employee Engagement?
HRC-July 2010- Technology and Employees

Sicora Consulting, Inc. • Robert Sicora
SC-Mar 2010 – Now Is Not The Time To Worry About Employee Satisfaction and Productivity.  Right?
SC-May 2010- Learning That Sticks
SC-July 2010- Leadership Awareness
SC-Sept 2010 – Change is the only Constant
SC-Nov2010- Is Diagnosis Bias Keeping You From Reading This Article?
SC-Jan2011- ‘Next’working…What are you doing to help your networking career?
SC – March 2011 – The Magic Wand of Recognition
SC-May2011 – If you lead, will they follow?  Become a leader who inspires transformational change in others
SC-Jan 2012 – Preview 2011  > 2012

Insurance
Insurance Brokers of Minnesota • Gary Sorenson
IBM-Feb 2009 - Hot Topics in Insurance: Insuring a New Venture; Managing the Risk of Supply Chain Disruptions; Personal Autos Used for Business
IBM-May 2009 – Laptop Theft is a Growing Business Problem
IBM-July 2009 – Individually Titled Autos on Corporate Business Auto Policy (BAP)
IBM- Sept 2009 – Why Review Your Life Insurance?
IBM-Jan 2010 – Peak Season Inventory Should Be Insured
IBM-Mar 2010 – Know Your Liquor Liability Exposures
IBM-May 2010- 3 Ways to Save $$ on Your Business Auto
IBM-July 2010- Own a Boat?  Make Sure You Have Proper Coverage
IBM-Sept 2010 – Know Your Liquor Liability Exposures
IBM-Nov2010- 5-Minute Solutions for Cold Weather Safety
IBM-Jan2011- Business Auto Simple Right?
IBM – March 2011- Long Term Care Insurance
IBM-May2011 – The Employment-Related Practices Liability
IBM-July2011 – Reducing Your Insurance Costs…Distinguishing Bad Advice from Good Advice
IBM-Sept 2011 -  Additional Insured’s vs. Additional Named Insured’s
IBM-Nov 2011- Health Savings Account Rules for 2012
IBM-Jan 2012 – Why are My Homeowners Insurance Rates Increasing?

IT Consulting
MP Integrated Solutions • Brian Zarzycki
MP-May 2010- iPad – Should I or Shouldn’t I?
MP-Sept 2010 – What’s Your Method?
MP-Nov2010- Have You Ever Been Scammed?
MP-Jan2011- The Ever Changing World of Wireless
MP – March 2011 – Tablet Wars
MP-July2011 – Is Your Credit Information Protected?
MP-Nov 2011- Business Versus Technology

Legal
Carlson Estate Planning • Ken Lanigan
CEP-Feb 2009 – What does the Obama Administration Mean for the Federal Estate Tax?
CEP-May 2009 – Stimulus Bill-Highlights
CEP-July 2009 – Protecting Your Business and Family Wealth
CEP-Sept 2009 – Estate Planning Opportunities in a Politically Uncertain, Economically Turbulent and Low Interest Environment
CEP-Jan 2010 – Congress Fails to Act, Resulting in Federal Estate Tax Repeal for 2010
CEP-March 2010 – President Obama’s Tax Proposals
CEP-May 2010- Upcoming Tax Mess
CEP-July 2010- Avoid Cost-Basis Confusion in Your Estate Plan
CEP-Sept 2010- The Estate Tax:  Where Will It go From Here?
CEP-Nov2010- Business Succession
CEP-Jan2011- Changes in Estate Taxes
CEP – March 2011 – Married with Assets
CEP-May2011- Making the Most of the New Gift Tax
CEP-July2011 – Portability Under the 2010 Tax Relief Act: Does It End the Need for Complicated Estate Planning?
CEP-Sept 2011 -  Minnesota Legislature Creates New Estate Tax Exemptions
CEP-Jan 2012- Estate Planning Basics

Sherrill Law Office • Michael Sherrill
SLO-May 2010- A Primer on Patents
SLO-July 2010- Trademarks – What They Are and Why Would I Need One
SLO-Nov2010- Chapter 2:  What Is Patentable
SLO – March 2011 – Why Patent
SLO-May2011 – Trademarks.  When is a Designation a Trademark?
SLO-July2011 – Trademarks-How to Establish Secondary Meaning for a Descriptive Term
SLO-Nov 2011 – Chapter 4:  When To Patent
SLO-Jan 2012 – Changes to United States Patent Law:  Win, Lose or Draw for Small and Startup Businesses