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Should I Worry About Signing A Contract With A Non-Compete Clause?

May 8, 2013

Whether you’re an employee of a company or a business owner finalizing a partnership deal with another company, the non-compete clause is often included in the final contract. Should you be very worried and hesitant in signing a contract with a non-complete clause in it?

The non-compete clause

The textbook definition of a non-compete clause is that it is a form of restrictive covenant that adds limitations to the employment or sale contract. These agreements protect the business by restricting the other party from performing similar work for a specific period of time within a certain geographical area. It’s important to note that the courts do not always uphold them. In fact, the courts evaluate non-compete clause for their reasonableness to determine whether they constitute an unfair restraint on trade. (more…)

How Much Should Business Owners Take As A Salary?

May 8, 2013

Business owners are compensated with equity in the company, but they still need a salary to live on. Setting a salary can be tricky as you’ll want to be compensated for your work, while also not taking away from the future growth of the company. How should you set your salary?

Setting your salary

There are a few different ways to determine the appropriate salary for the business owner. The first and most important method is based on company specific financials. If you’re boot-strapping your business, then you’ll need to determine how much net income is available or cash on the balance sheet. Then, you’ll need to identify the amount of your personal monthly expenses. If the cash flow on your balance sheet and expected monthly cash flow exceed your monthly personal expenses, then you can at least pay yourself some sort of a salary. Still, how much should you be paid in salary? (more…)

PCI Compliance Importance of Staying Compliant

May 8, 2013

The security of cardholder information is important to both your customers and your business. In fact, since 2005, there have more than 1 billion stolen records in over 2,000 separate data breach incidents – with payment card data being the theft target in 48 percent of all breaches in 2011 alone.1 And yet, only 4 percent of all breached organizations were PCI compliant at the time of their data breach.2,3

What Is PCI DSS?

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) was created by the major credit card companies as a guideline to help business owners implement the necessary hardware, software and other procedures to guard sensitive credit card and personal information.

The object of becoming compliant with PCI security standards is to help protect sensitive cardholder data from data thieves who are shifting their sights to small merchants because they think they are easier targets. If your business fails to become PCI compliant,3 you could be putting your business at greater risk from the growing threat of payment card data breaches and theft, which may result in substantial penalties (such as fines from banks, regulatory agencies, and card organizations), fraud and charge backs, as well as legal costs and lost customers. (more…)