On our kickoff episode of the ‘Scale by Numbers’ podcast, David discusses common founder issues and the legal complexities of becoming a scaling and successful business founder. He tells the story of how he has grown as a corporate attorney in San Francisco and why he loves going to bat for his clients. VLP Law Group specializes in helping businesses close deals and getting investors to invest in companies. Without a clean back story, “you will make it easier for investors to say no.” He shares tips on a few common founder questions and always recommends that founders gain support from a corporate attorney rather than turning to google for help!
WHO IS OUR GUEST: David Goldenberg is a corporate attorney and founding partner of VLP law group
HOW TO REACH DAVID : Website | LinkedIn
🚀 HOW CAN A CORPROATE ATTORNEY HELP YOU SCALE: David has built a practice at VLP which allows him to represent clients using a team approach where clients receive his direct attention on critical matters while still maintaining an efficient service for more everyday items. VLP Law Group is a founder-friendly group whose main goal “is to parachute in, to learn very quickly what it is that that’s your priority.” David says. He gives clients the personalized insight they need to make crucial decisions, and advocate for them to achieve their goals. David’s twenty-plus years of working with 500 companies have taught him to pinpoint the risks instantly and protect his clients from those risks. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” and Clients don’t see the 20 years of filter that he has when putting together contracts, term sheets, and stock option agreements.
People choose David for his team with billion-dollar deal experience and focus on practical legal solutions.
🔥WHAT’S VLP’s SPECIALITY: VLP law group helps companies of all sizes raise capital and general business matters. They also assist with exit transactions, whether that’s a merger or acquisition. They work on things like setting up a new company, joint ventures, equity investments, website, privacy policy, terms of service, significant customer agreements and selling your company at the end.
🔥SHOULD YOU GO IT ALONE: If you are not good with paperwork and don’t like detail, it’s best to hire an attorney to do it for you. When you are trying to raise money, investors will say no to you if they don’t understand the backstory. It’s easier to start from the back and move forward than the other way around.
🔥ATTORNEYS ARE NOT MIND READERS: David states it’s vital to set clear goals and objectives for your corporate attorney so they can focus on adding value in the right ways. Always remember, as a founder, it’s your company, not the attorney’s company. Your attorney will do what you need based on the priorities. Like any service provider, attorneys are not mind readers–you have to set clear expectations about your main priorities and concerns.
🔥IS GOOGLE A GOOD SOURCE FOR HELP: There’s a lot of information out there, and David understands that people with zero legal background and smaller budgets need help. It’s okay to look for help, but If you don’t know what you are looking for or are running into problems, that is when you need to call for legal backup.
Remember, the sooner you get help for an issue, or new business decision the less money you must spend in the future fixing it. It is best to keep your business free of skeletons.
🔥STAYING UPDATED: It’s essential to stay abreast of new rules and laws to ensure you don’t get sued. It’s worth having a 30 min consultation with me or any lawyer to make sure your company is staying compliant.
Ensure your employment contracts are up to date, that you onboard people correctly every month, and are up to date with the ever-changing employment laws.
Starting with the #1 Key book is the best way to get your feet wet , and get expert strategies to help build a solid financial foundation.