Hunting for a Shark oh, I mean interviewing lawyers
My adviser who tracked me down, has sent me his comments regarding my business plan. He says it is a very good beginning but that I have to work on my financials. We submit my business plan into the competition and he then asks me when I am going to start my business.
This whole time, I have been working to create a business plan. I focused all my energy to finishing this plan but now I have to shift gears and try to get the company formed. It never crossed my mind that I would be the one creating this company but then who else is going to do it. If I am going to make this into a real company publishing and producing products, I need some advice. What I need is a lawyer. A lawyer will be able to help me. There is a networking group in Munich called GABA which is for people interested in technology. After posting that I am looking for a lawyer, I get two responses and set up an appointment to meet with both lawyers.
The first lawyer is semi-retired and we have our full conversation in Spanish. He lived for six years in Spain and speaks Spanish fluently. His office is located near the English Garden and the University and consists of two rooms with no computer in sight. Instead, in the corner is an old typewriter. We shake hands and I sit down on the other side of his desk. Behind his desk the lawyer has a painting of himself that is really well done and is about thirty years old. We talk about my company idea and he takes notes. After talking for about an hour, the lawyer tells me that I do not need to be a corporation until I have employees, so I should just register myself as a sole proprietor. This isn't exactly the help I wanted, but it is good to know that I don't really need to be a German Corporation or GmBH.
My second lawyer interview is with Dr. Zwissler who is a partner at a large firm near downtown. The law office is on the second floor and I am shown to a conference room with an antique tapestry on the wall. The lawyer is young, in his thirties, and speaks Spanish, German, and English. I jump at the chance to talk about the project in English and summarize my project for the lawyer. He likes my idea and tells me that he has a few people who may be interested in investing once I am a GmBH. I tell him that I am also looking for someone to be the CFO for the company and he arranges for me to meet a man named Thomas who owns www.cdwissen.de. I am not sure if the second lawyer is my lawyer. We have not signed a contract but I do have a meeting set up at the law firm to meet Thomas and it seems that the lawyer is interested in helping me.
On the day that I am supposed to meet Thomas I am nervous. I would really like to get more people involved in my project. I know that if I had funding, it would be easy to attract people, but without funding, how am I supposed to attract people? As I arrive at the law office, I sit down in a chair to wait for the lawyer. There is a guy sitting next to me in a golf outfit who is also waiting for a lawyer. It just happens that we are both waiting for the same lawyer. Thomas and I shake hands and head for the conference room. The meeting is mainly me talking. Thomas asks questions and I answer all his questions. He really likes my idea and can see the potential, but has his own company that he is trying to get off the ground and doesn't know how much time he has to devote to a new venture or whether his partners will let him work on another venture. So I guess I will have to keep searching for a CFO to finish the financials for my company.
This whole time, I have been working to create a business plan. I focused all my energy to finishing this plan but now I have to shift gears and try to get the company formed. It never crossed my mind that I would be the one creating this company but then who else is going to do it. If I am going to make this into a real company publishing and producing products, I need some advice. What I need is a lawyer. A lawyer will be able to help me. There is a networking group in Munich called GABA which is for people interested in technology. After posting that I am looking for a lawyer, I get two responses and set up an appointment to meet with both lawyers.
The first lawyer is semi-retired and we have our full conversation in Spanish. He lived for six years in Spain and speaks Spanish fluently. His office is located near the English Garden and the University and consists of two rooms with no computer in sight. Instead, in the corner is an old typewriter. We shake hands and I sit down on the other side of his desk. Behind his desk the lawyer has a painting of himself that is really well done and is about thirty years old. We talk about my company idea and he takes notes. After talking for about an hour, the lawyer tells me that I do not need to be a corporation until I have employees, so I should just register myself as a sole proprietor. This isn't exactly the help I wanted, but it is good to know that I don't really need to be a German Corporation or GmBH.
My second lawyer interview is with Dr. Zwissler who is a partner at a large firm near downtown. The law office is on the second floor and I am shown to a conference room with an antique tapestry on the wall. The lawyer is young, in his thirties, and speaks Spanish, German, and English. I jump at the chance to talk about the project in English and summarize my project for the lawyer. He likes my idea and tells me that he has a few people who may be interested in investing once I am a GmBH. I tell him that I am also looking for someone to be the CFO for the company and he arranges for me to meet a man named Thomas who owns www.cdwissen.de. I am not sure if the second lawyer is my lawyer. We have not signed a contract but I do have a meeting set up at the law firm to meet Thomas and it seems that the lawyer is interested in helping me.
On the day that I am supposed to meet Thomas I am nervous. I would really like to get more people involved in my project. I know that if I had funding, it would be easy to attract people, but without funding, how am I supposed to attract people? As I arrive at the law office, I sit down in a chair to wait for the lawyer. There is a guy sitting next to me in a golf outfit who is also waiting for a lawyer. It just happens that we are both waiting for the same lawyer. Thomas and I shake hands and head for the conference room. The meeting is mainly me talking. Thomas asks questions and I answer all his questions. He really likes my idea and can see the potential, but has his own company that he is trying to get off the ground and doesn't know how much time he has to devote to a new venture or whether his partners will let him work on another venture. So I guess I will have to keep searching for a CFO to finish the financials for my company.
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