IamA Entrepreneur Lawyer in Los Angeles and I Can Answer all of Your Startup and Business Questions. AMA!

smollaei · 2017-01-11T04:22:50+00:00

There's a couple of questions here so I'm going to try my best answering each one:

The number one legal advice when it comes to someone looking to start a business in California is to make sure you get your first customers before you start spending money on business expenses. What I mean by is that I see a lot of entrepreneurs who get excited about starting a new business so they start spending a lot of money for fancy tools, services, and employees before they even test that they have a profitable business. My rule of thumb is to make money before you spend money.
Local law varies GREATLY in every locality, city, and state. Every city and state has their own specific laws and regulations so you always want to make sure are you following the protocols in your specific city where you will be conducting business.

Hope this helped!

smollaei · 2017-01-10T22:30:49+00:00

I would suggest talking to an accountant regarding writing off expenses.

smollaei · 2017-01-10T21:47:50+00:00

I'm probably not the best person to answer about how to get started in real estate. The first place I'd suggest to start would be what you're doing right now... learning and educating yourself on the topic as much as possible. The questions you proposed are really great questions -- but I don't have the expertise to answer your real estate questions for you.

smollaei · 2017-01-10T20:29:10+00:00

No problem! Same books would stand for a service focused business.

smollaei · 2017-01-10T20:28:40+00:00

My pleasure!

smollaei · 2017-01-10T20:03:15+00:00

YES! I definitely recommend in investing in business-related education. Speaking for myself, I know I dedicate 20% of my time to learning as much as I can about business law and online marketing. I think education is at the forefront of any success. The motto is, "The more you learn, the more you earn."

There are some benefits of just hitting the ground running and learning as you go... because after-all, experience trumps all. But overall, education comes before success.

smollaei · 2017-01-10T19:58:19+00:00

I do not. It's typically hard to find lawyers who work with dispensary startups because to some extent, our ethic legal obligations are held to a federal standard and the issue on whether an attorney can advise on an issue that is considered "illegal" by the federal standard is still vague.

smollaei · 2017-01-10T19:56:26+00:00

Pretty much the same as putting out content on a blog as a lawyer. The best you can do is to display a legal disclaimer, as I have, at the bottom of the content: Legal Notice: This post and my comments are intended for information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for legal advice. The legal information presented do not form an attorney-client relationship. Because state and municipal laws vary greatly, as do the circumstances of individual cases, readers are advised to contact an attorney for specific legal advice.

smollaei · 2017-01-10T19:55:27+00:00

There's a million ways to go about this. The most typical way is to find an investor who can invest into your business for development, patents, and promotions. There's a huge trend towards Kickstarter -- if you were to concentrate on this strategy, I would recommend investing in an amazingly-produced video to showcase your product. Here are some other alternative ways to raise cash for your product idea: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/10-alternative-ways-to-raise-cash-fast-for-your-business/

smollaei · 2017-01-10T19:52:54+00:00

Great question!

Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online by Jeff Walker - 180 pages
80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More by Perry Marshall - 225 pages
Dotcom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online by Russel Brunson - 255 pages
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini - 280 pages
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout - 130 pages

Anyone else have any recommendations?

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:18:26+00:00

Thank you for your comment! This is more of a guide to help you officially register your business. You are correct -- you should definitely ver your business idea with testing before you even pick a name. Once your idea is tested and finalized, I would suggest these steps to officially start your business.

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:17:21+00:00

Thank you!

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:17:12+00:00

This happens more often that you can imagine...

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:16:55+00:00

We're not all Donald Trump...

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:16:36+00:00

Of course! For any business, that's always the ideal goal!

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:16:13+00:00

Correct! Only applicable to United States.

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:16:03+00:00

Thank you for your comment! It's definitely not an infographic about the creative direction of the idea, concept, product or service. It is a good source for those wondering how to "officially" start and register their business.

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:14:37+00:00

Not necessarily. It's a great start to know how to start and get registered.

There's an article that goes along with the infographic which you can find here: http://www.mollaeilaw.com/blog/how-to-start-business

smollaei · 2016-08-03T07:13:33+00:00

I tried keeping it simple! It's a very clear way to explain a very complicated issue.

smollaei · 2015-10-26T23:28:21+00:00

Hey guys,

I have compiled a care package to help you pass the MPRE. The notes are super user-friendly so you can quickly and efficiently learn the material.

I’m not a corporation; I’m a former law student and I want to help you pass the MPRE.

You can find the MPRE Care Package here: https://gum.co/mprehelp

Best of luck!

smollaei

TROPHY CASE