We See Your Organization As a Redwood Tree
A business is analogous to a tree in many important ways. If your business goals include long term stability and sustainability, then you want your business to be like the Coastal Redwood, one of the most stable and sustainable trees in the world. Native to California, the coastal redwood grows taller than any other tree species in the world. The oldest is 2,200 years old.
Although the Coastal Redwood is tall, strong and stable, it is still susceptible to certain dangers. Their height makes them more vulnerable to lightning, and because they are so valuable, they are a popular target of the logging industry. However, their strengths often enable the redwood tree to survive and thrive even in the toughest times.
A business or nonprofit entity faces similar dangers to the Redwood: the taller, stronger and more visible an organization is, the more of a lightning rod the organization can be to criticism from all sides. It may be exposed to lawsuits by those that see it only as a deep pocket. However, an organization, strong like the Redwood, will survive and thrive no matter what challenge it faces.
Helping Your Business Grow at Every Stage of Its Life-Cycle
The Law Office of Becki Kammerling can assist your organization to thrive throughout its lifecycle - from sprouting and growing strong roots and in the beginning, to nurturing its growth, to helping it through substantial changes in its lifecycle. As your Southern California business lawyer, I will help you implement a sustainable approach to help your organization grow healthy, strong and formidable enough to survive and thrive even when faced with challenges. .
Stage One: Sprouting and Building Roots
During the formation stage, it is essential to plant firm roots that will sustain your business or nonprofit organization, and to nurture it through the early sprouting stage. I can assist your spouting organization with:
- Entity selection - I can help you choose the right entity (a sole proprietorship, LLC, L3C, C-Corp, Benefit Corporation, S-Corporation, or tax-exempt organization) and assist in all relevant filing requirements.
- Business planning - I can review and provide values counsel regarding internal mission statements, policies and business plans.
- Business agreements - I can draft your partnership agreements, operating agreements, and shareholder agreements.
- Funding - I can assist with securing private financing through drafting private placement agreements and promissory notes, reviewing bank loans and ensuring compliance with all appropriate federal and state securities regulations.
- Protecting your vision - I can advise you on the appropriate non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements to protect your vision.
- Sustainability - I can advise you on sustainability measures such as incorporating green mission statements and measures in contracts with partners, shareholders and third-parties, reviewing and drafting green leases, and ensuring that your Green Marketing campaigns comply with state and federal laws.
Stage Two: Growth
The deepening and strengthening of your organization's roots allow it to grow and thrive, increasing its bottom line and widening its reach to a broader market
I can help your company grow by providing counsel regarding:
- Vendor agreements, employee agreements, independent contractor agreements.
- Marketing your services/products to create awareness of your company while reducing risk of deceptive, false or misleading advertising (or greenwashing) accusations.
- Appropriate and beneficial copyrights, trademarks and patents to protect your brilliant new seedling ideas and creations.
- Stock options, distributions.
- Adding additional shareholders to your organization.
- Business practices that will protect your organization from exposure to litigation.
- Employment issues for employers.
Stage Three: Change
Both Redwoods and businesses must make major changes during their lifecycles. As a Redwood might grow its roots so strong that it joins with neighboring redwoods, an organization may form a joint venture or merge with another organization. As a Redwood may lose a branch that may spur growth, an organization experiences ownership or leadership changes that can lead the organization into positive new directions. When the time comes, a redwood eventually must give way to the next generation. Similarly, all organizations eventually must allow the next generation to thrive by merging with another organization, be acquired, or dissolve.
I can assist your organization throughout its changes by:
- Advise on your organization's and owners secession plans.
- Drafting joint venture agreements, co-venture agreements, and collaboration agreements.
- Advising you on execution of shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements.
- Drafting merger and acquisition agreements, and advise and execute dissolutions.
