Clinic to Give Legal and Marketing Help for Small Businesses in LA

Small businesses in Los Angeles can get questions answered about setting up legal structures, protecting assets, and marketing needs at a PACE-sponsored workshop on Wednesday, April 21 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

The legal workshop, USC Law School Clinic, starts at 9am and runs until noon. The marketing workshop starts at 1pm and runs until 3pm. Both sessions are held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, 431 West 7th Street.

The legal workshop will touch on:

• common myths and mistakes made in setting up a business
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• differences between a LLC, C-Corporation, and S-Corporation
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• issues that co-owners should address and resolve before starting a business
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• protecting a house and other assets if a business does not succeed
  questions to ask before hiring an attorney
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The legal workshop will be led by Michael Chasalow, professor at USC's Gould School of Law.

The marketing workshop will cover:

• writing a revised marketing plan and making it happen
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• uncovering opportunities
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• developing new terms and conditions for doing business
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• promoting the company's major skills
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• finding "lost customers"

The marketing workshop will be led by John Haskell, aka Dr. Revenue, a professional speaker/seminar leader focused on CEOs and top managers of mid-size and smaller companies.

The cost for both workshops is $25 for pre-registration and only $ 30 at the door.

The event is sponsored by the PACE Business Development Center, an organization partially funded by the Small Business Administration to give affordable assistance to start-up and existing companies.

About 98 percent of businesses in Los Angeles County are small entities with 10 employees or fewer. Many don't know where to get afforable input regarding their business operations. PACE will host workshops featuring USC-level instructors and other quality professionals.

Paying fees to start-up properly and then conducting a marketing campaign entail making strategic investments in a company. Taking time to utilize a quality low-cost service may take a business owner away from the tasks of the day; however, the knowledge gained can pay off over the long term.

The Internal Revenue Service has easy-to-access information on business structures and the tax implications on its IRS.gov website under irs.gov/businesses/small.