In Silicon Valley and throughout California, employers are required to maintain safe and healthy workplaces and be in compliance with federal OSHA as well as CAL/OSHA safety standards. Current state workplace standards were established by the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 and updated in 1991 to require all employers to implement a…
For Silicon Valley businesses to be successful, it is essential to have a deliberate process in place for hiring and managing employees. Employees are the backbone of any organization; exceptional employees can make your company excel, while just a few bad apples can cost you thousands in hiring and training, not to mention the intangible…
Important Considerations when Starting a Home-Based Business in Silicon Valley Many aspiring entrepreneurs in the Bay Area start small. For example, most of us are familiar with the story of how Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the garage of Jobs’ Los Altos home. Today, and largely due to the contributions made by Apple…
The Bay Area, and particularly Silicon Valley, is home to more startups than virtually any other region in the country. Thousands in this area are working on the “next big thing” that will hopefully change the world (and make them wealthy in the process). To be successful in a startup, however, you need more than just a great idea;…
Silicon Valley is known as the land where a great idea can turn into a multi-million (or even multi-billion) dollar business. To be sure, there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs in the Bay Area that want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs. There are thousands of others, however, who are not creative types,…
Silicon Valley is home to some of the most valuable intellectual property (and thus some of the most contentious intellectual property (IP) disputes) on Earth. But in and amongst all of the patents, logotypes, symbols, copyrights, trademarks, and other valuable IP, there is one asset that is often overlooked: the trade secret. Trade secrets are…
If you have a business in the San Francisco Bay Area or anywhere else in California, you may want to use non-compete agreements to protect yourself against ex-employees or ex-partners competing against you. This sort of thing is common in Silicon Valley, where employees of the latest and greatest tech companies are always looking for…
If you are forming a business in Palo Alto or any other San Francisco Bay Area city and need an influx of capital but you want to retain control over the day-to-day operations of the company, you may consider taking on a silent partner. Silent partners are individuals or investment groups who want to invest…
Businesses in the Bay Area have numerous interactions on a daily basis; not only with customers, but also with partners, associates, employees, suppliers and other types of vendors. Over time, disputes can arise for a number of reasons. Some of the most common include: Contract Disputes Banking and Financial Issues Employer-Employee Disputes Partnership and Shareholder…
Silicon Valley is known for its entrepreneurial spirit. Entrepreneurs put in long hours and do “whatever it takes” to get their businesses off the ground. The downside to being dedicated to your business is it can sometimes put a strain on your marriage. And when this strain leads to “irreconcilable differences”, the business can end…
