Being an Engineer · 7 Nov 2025 · 52m · Episode 45
Jeremy Jarrett, a corporate and M&A attorney at Sacks Tierney, advises engineers on the legal strategies for starting and scaling a business, emphasizing the importance of entity structure, funding, and contract negotiation. He highlights that while sole ownership is simple, multi-owner ventures require robust governance documents to prevent costly disputes, and taking outside capital imposes strict fiduciary duties. Jarrett warns against common pitfalls like using insufficient one-pager contracts, ignoring cash flow mismatches, and failing to negotiate with large buyers, urging founders to build profitability before seeking exits or aggressive funding.
founders before launch
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Torie Charvez, owner of Tax Goddess, explains the financial and legal realities for engineers starting consulting businesses or selling physical products. She details the differences between sole proprietorships, LLCs, and S-Corps, emphasizing the necessity of payroll and tax discipline to avoid IRS penalties. The discussion covers specific tax rules for deductions, inventory management for product sellers, and the proper procedures for closing a business.
Adam Marsh and Gabrielle McGonagle of Giannuzzi Lewendon, a CPG-focused law firm, answer legal questions from the Startup CPG Slack community. They advise founders on structuring friends and family rounds to avoid side letters that derail Series A, building data rooms early for institutional diligence, and negotiating term sheets to retain board control. The attorneys also warn against vague co-manufacturer agreements that can lead to IP ransom demands or product failures on shelf, and discuss the risks of using DIY tools like LegalZoom for entity formation.
Brett Colvin, President of Goodlawyer, joins host Kevin Mako to discuss legal strategies for hardware startups, focusing on partnership agreements and financing rather than intellectual property. Colvin advises founders to use Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) as a baseline for protecting information when engaging stakeholders, while emphasizing that they do not confer market exclusivity. The conversation details the importance of leverage and expertise in vendor contracts, warning against long exclusivity terms without minimum order requirements, and outlines financing structures like bootstrapping, equity, debt, and convertible notes.
Lyft co-founder John Zimmer joins Guy Raz to discuss his recent departure from the company he built with Logan Green, his new venture Yes, and the mental health challenges of entrepreneurship. Zimmer provides advice to three early-stage founders: Alan Summerfield of ShowerSpaah on scaling a patented shower device to the US market; Terry Levy of RUKSTR on securing inventory financing for her weighted vests amidst tariff uncertainties; and Kobi of Slowcocoa on maintaining work-life balance and implementing employee ownership in his craft chocolate business.
Gordon Firemark, an entertainment attorney and host of the Entertainment Law Update podcast, advises product startups on navigating legal risks, emphasizing that NDAs have limited enforcement value compared to trusting reputable partners. He explains the distinctions between patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, warning against frivolous patenting and highlighting the importance of proper business entity formation (LLCs/Corporations) and comprehensive insurance to protect personal assets. Firemark also details the legal requirements for online businesses, including DMCA registration for safe harbor, FTC compliance for endorsements, and the critical distinction between employees and independent contractors to avoid liability.
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