

Ask HN: How do I protect my start-up from law suits? (USA) - xayide

Hello everyone,<p>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.<p>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?<p>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.<p>What steps would you suggest to shield my business and my family from liability?
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newy
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"...

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raquo
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.

