Paying legal fees and organizing paperwork are not typically entrepreneurs’ favorite things to do. However, getting things in order now will help you avoid headaches in the future like tracking down a signature from an investor hiking in Peru with a 24-hour deadline for an acquisition offer, fighting a claim on your IP from the employer of the developer you hired on the side for the first month of your company, or paying tens of thousands of dollars in taxes for a misfiling with the IRS. All true stories.
First and foremost, I’d recommend making sure you have the best lawyer for your startup. I’ve shared tips on how to do that in this blog post. Then, I’d suggest using the following step-by-step guide to create one organized home for all of your legal documents. This guide will help you organize the documents required by MergeLane and many other early- and later-stage investors, lenders and acquirers.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Organize Your Documents
General document tips:
eShares Inc.:
I highly recommend signing up for eShares inc to make your and your investors’ lives much, much easier.
A few specific folder suggestions:
“Employee Matters” – Create subfolders for each employee to house all copies of employee agreements.
“Securities Issuances and Agreements":
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