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City/County/State Licensing Requirements

In addition to the Business License, (See separate handout), there are licensing requirements and supplementary regulations, new businesses need to be aware of. The Greater Knoxville SCORE Chapter tried to determine what all the requirements are, but believe it would take a large book to contain all the details. This handout is a condensation/abbreviation of the requirements.

There are many reasons for owners of small businesses to examine the available forms of business organization. The changing tax laws, the limitation of personal liability for business debts and obligations, and fluctuating availability of capital are the three main reasons owners should review what legal structures best meet their needs. Your choice of business form will affect your exposure to personal liability, how you draw profits and pay taxes, your ability to raise capital, and how you run your business. 

With over 35 years of corporate legal experience, I can help you with issues related to business startup and structure, day to day operations, acquisitions, joint ventures, business sales, due diligence and Board of Director structure and support, real estate transactions, environmental compliance and strategic planning.

Steve is an experienced lawyer in all aspects of business law. He has helped large and small clients from deciding on the form of of business organzation (corporation, llc, partnership, etc) to growing existing businesses. He also has extensive experience in real estate development representing developers, buyers, sellers, and lenders. Steve is an experienced litigator in both civil and criminal litigation. He has served as a Mediator and as an Arbitrator on several panels of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) as well as serving as sole arbitrator in non AAA cases.

I can help SCORE clients to: Develop credible BUSINESS Plans. Identify ways to improve CASH FlOW. Secure BUSINESS FINANCING. Develop and launch NEW PRODUCTS. Use PATENTS and TRADEMARKS for competitive advantage. BUY or SELL a business.

I owned and/or was CEO of several businesses that manufactured engineered products and sold them to other businesses nationally and globally. Time spent as a management consultant helped to hone my skills at listening to business owners, and helping them to shape action plans tailored to their company's capabilities and the owner's goals.

Mr. Louchheim has twenty-five years experience starting, growing, and selling IT Professional Services firms, the largest of which employed 150 people.

I can help you with almost all aspects of your small business, from entrepreneurial startup to successfully exiting your business, along with the operational challenges in between over the life of your business. I can help with the legal and operational differences between for-profit and non-profit businesses.

I can help you with your intellectual property issues including patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets. I managed the Patent Office of a large R&D institute. We developed patent portfolios in diverse technologies— biological, physical sciences, chemistry, engineering, biomedical—for many successful start-ups. Our team prepared agreements for commercialization of the technology--e.g., NDAs, license agreements, etc. I also have experience with SBIR/STTR grants.