Ask HN: How do I protect my start-up from law suits? (USA)
2 comments
Incorporate.
Seriously :) You basically detailed one of the primary reasons why folks incorporate. Not quite following your analysis of how that is "putting the cart ahead of the house"...
Seriously :) You basically detailed one of the primary reasons why folks incorporate. Not quite following your analysis of how that is "putting the cart ahead of the house"...
I think you are to pay lawyers to figure out what disclaimers you must make, etc, if you are in this kind of business, otherwise is just gambling.
I've been tossing around a couple of ideas for side businesses that I could try out while holding on to my day job, and then see where they go from there. I'm turning over the ideas of selling herbal supplements (not a la Tim Ferriss, I swear), and/or selling consulting services as a patient advocate.
I understand that 95% of a start-up is just getting off your butt and doing it, but I find that I stall when I think about possible legal issues. What if someone with a severe ragweed allergy goes into anaphylactic shock over chamomile contamination? What if somebody gets the idea that I should pay their $100,000 chemotherapy debt because the health insurance company won't, despite my best efforts?
Incorporating sounds like putting the cart ahead of the horse, but I don't want to put my personal assets at too much risk unnecessarily.
What steps would you suggest to shield my business and my family from liability?