Kids birthday parties are great. Screaming kids, sugar, more screaming kids and fortunately now those discreet Alco-seltzers are making a debut in more and more party ice boxes for frazzled parents!

But the best part is when you finally get to catch up with that friend you see at just a few kids’ parties every year.

You’d love to see each more, but as you’re both running your own business, that’s just not a luxury either of you can afford right now.

Is the future of your business just a game?

That’s when you find out that your friend is running around in circles trying to get legal advice from her dad (who isn’t a lawyer), her neighbor (who isn’t either) or her mommy friends at kids’ parties like she’s doing with me now!

“Do I really need an LLC?” she goes. “Somebody told me I should just get insurance. I can’t even see the risk in my business model, can you? What do you think? My partner says we can’t afford the franchise tax. What do you think?”

I know we have a limited amount of time before one of our kids has a meltdown, gets hurt, or runs off with a present.

She knows this too, which is why she’s throwing questions at me faster than Capri Suns into the ice bucket (to cover up the Alco-seltzers).

Free advice isn’t always the best advice

I take a deep breath, I hear the sounds of kids voices growing to a heightened pitch and I know I just have time to give her the crunch.

“You really need to speak with an attorney because there are so many factors to consider.” I say. “Stop guessing if you really want to grow your business. Build a strong foundation and talk everything over with an expert.”

She looks at me frantically. The kids are running towards us and I know we’re running out of time.

“Look I’m not a practicing lawyer either,” I say, “but I sure know where to find one.”

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I know it sounds like I’m giving her an elevator pitch, but it’s really the best advice I can offer her.

After all I believe her business, home and livelihood are worth more than a 5-minute conversation at a kids’ birthday party.

Give yourself the gift of true legal support

That’s it, time’s up. Kids descend, new guests arrive, and I wonder if my friend will act on my advice, and where she’ll be by next year’s birthday season.

I hope she takes the advice because with legal support for less than she spent on her kids’ birthday cake, she could get her business to a place where we’d have the time to meet up for coffee, without the kids, occasionally.

Now wouldn’t that be nice?

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