Have you ever heard the saying: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts? This old adage is often used nowadays to highlight the advantages and opportunities of teaming up with other people in a business context. Realistically speaking, however, a business partnership rarely comes without its risks. If you are thinking about partnering up with others, you should carefully consider both the potential risks and benefits.

As lawyers practicing in the area of business law, we often get asked by our clients how to limit the risks involved in a business partnership. In a rush to get a new business start-up off the ground, the answer can be easily overlooked.

As a business person, it's challenging to decide what issues are of critical importance now and which can be tackled later.

Intellectual property or IP protection is precisely one of those issues. You may rightly feel that your ideas, designs or products are the lifeblood of your business and that you need to protect them from copycats and unfair competitors. You may be worried that failing to provide legal protection to your brand and products right from the very beginning may have disastrous consequences for your company. But there's the rub...

Wondering how to start a business in Ontario? You're far from alone. Each business has a unique backstory, but many follow this general pattern: The business started by taking on small jobs or selling small quantities of goods or services and gradually ramped up to execute large projects. This is a great way to get going, as it allows you to test an idea before you invest a lot of money and effort. Another method of testing before investing is to buy an existing business, if you can get a good deal.

When you want to form a corporation in Ontario, you will need to prepare and file articles of incorporation. The articles of incorporation is the document that brings your corporation into existence, and sets out certain features of the corporation, for example, any restriction on the business that may be carried on, the classes of shares that can be issued and any share transfer restrictions. As such, proper preparation of your articles of incorporation is vital to your business.

Part 1: Creating a Brand

Thanks to the advances of the digital age, becoming a global brand is no longer the domain of big, multinational corporations with formidable starting capital. Today, with the help of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other popular social media platforms, and a bit of search engine optimization (SEO) know-how, even small brands can quickly go from obscurity to international fame. On the other hand, popularity created and based solely on social media buzz can be a two-edged sword. The attention span of Internet users is short, and Web 2.0 fads fade quickly. So, if you’re trying to create a brand with lasting appeal and an allure that will endure decades rather than months or years, you need to look up to companies that have managed to achieve this extraordinary feat.

Some people dread it. Some obsess about it. Some simply want to be through with it. If you’ve ever done it yourself, you’d probably agree that the process of choosing a name for your company or brand tends to stir extreme emotions. But is a name really that important? After all, your clients and investors will surely appreciate your business for its products and services rather than its name. Right?