Startup & Entrepreneur Consulting
Legal & Business Advisory
Built for Founders
ARH Consulting LLC helps startups and entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin build on solid legal and business foundations — before costly mistakes happen. Expert guidance, without law firm prices.
Los Angeles
New York
Austin
National
Pre-Seed to Series B
The Problem
Most Founders Get the Legal Stuff Wrong — Expensively
The legal and structural mistakes founders make in Year 1 don’t show up immediately. They show up when you’re raising a round, signing a major contract, hiring employees, or trying to exit. By then, fixing them costs 10x what preventing them would have.
Wrong Entity Structure
Choosing the wrong entity type — or failing to properly form one — creates personal liability, tax exposure, and fundraising complications that can derail your company.
Weak Founder Agreements
Vague or missing founder agreements about equity, roles, and vesting lead to the most common — and most devastating — startup disputes.
IP Not Properly Assigned
Investors and acquirers routinely discover that a founder’s IP was never properly transferred to the company — killing deals that should have closed.
Employee vs. Contractor Misclassification
California and New York have some of the strictest worker classification rules in the country. Getting this wrong exposes you to back taxes, penalties, and lawsuits.
Unprepared for Investment
Cap table confusion, missing documentation, and undefined governance structures make due diligence a nightmare — and can cost you the round entirely.
Weak Commercial Contracts
Signing vendor, client, and partnership agreements without proper review locks startups into unfavorable terms that compound as the business grows.
Our Services for Founders
Everything a Founder Needs — Before They Need a Law Firm
01
Entity Structure Advisory
Guidance on choosing the right legal structure for your startup — LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, or other — based on your funding plans, tax situation, state of incorporation, and long-term goals. We explain the tradeoffs so you choose strategically, not randomly.
LLCC-CorpDelawareCA / NY / TX
02
Founder Agreement Review & Advisory
Review of co-founder agreements, operating agreements, and shareholder agreements — identifying risks, recommending protective language, and ensuring your arrangements hold up when it matters most.
Co-Founder AgreementsEquityVesting
03
IP Basics & Assignment Advisory
Advisory on intellectual property basics — what you own, what needs to be assigned to your company, and how to protect your core innovations before investors, partners, or employees create complications.
IP AssignmentTrade SecretsCopyright
04
Employment & Contractor Compliance
Guidance on worker classification, employment agreements, NDAs, offer letters, and compliance requirements for CA, NY, and TX — before a misclassification issue becomes an enforcement problem.
W-2 vs 1099CA AB5NDAs
05
Commercial Contract Advisory
Review of vendor agreements, client contracts, SaaS agreements, partnership terms, and licensing deals — flagging risks and ensuring your contracts protect your business as it scales.
SaaS AgreementsVendor ContractsNDAs
06
Business Development & Online Revenue
Strategic consulting to help founders build their online revenue engine — from digital presence and lead generation to monetization strategy, sales funnel design, and sustainable growth systems.
Revenue StrategyDigital GrowthLead Gen
Startup Markets We Serve
Three of the Nation’s Most Important Founder Markets
Each market has its own regulatory environment, investor culture, and business landscape. We bring market-specific knowledge to every engagement.
Los Angeles, California
The Entertainment & Tech Capital
LA’s startup scene spans entertainment tech, health tech, e-commerce, fintech, and consumer brands. California’s complex employment laws, AB5 worker classification rules, and unique regulatory environment make legal advisory critical from day one.
New York, New York
Finance, Media & B2B Tech
New York’s startup ecosystem is the nation’s second largest, with deep VC networks and particular strength in fintech, enterprise software, media, and professional services. New York’s business laws and co-founder landscapes require careful navigation.
Austin, Texas
The Fastest-Growing Startup Hub
Austin has become a top-tier destination for tech startups, driven by low taxes, a thriving VC community, and a culture of bold entrepreneurship. Texas’s business-friendly environment offers real advantages — if structured correctly from the start.
When Founders Engage Us
The Right Advisory at Every Stage
Pre-Launch
Entity Formation, Founder Agreements & IP
The most critical window for getting the fundamentals right. Entity structure, co-founder terms, IP assignment, and initial operating agreements should be addressed before you launch — not after.
Early Stage
First Employees, Contracts & Compliance
Hiring your first employees or contractors, signing your first major client or vendor agreements, and understanding your compliance obligations as you begin operating at scale.
Growth Stage
Fractional GC, Commercial Agreements & AI
As your business grows, you need ongoing legal oversight without full-time costs. Fractional GC services, AI process integration, and business development advisory help you scale efficiently.
Pre-Raise
Cap Table, Documentation & Due Diligence Prep
Investors conduct thorough due diligence. Preparing your cap table, ensuring IP is properly assigned, and cleaning up your corporate documentation before a fundraise protects your valuation and timeline.
Built to Serve Founders.
Expert guidance — without the big-firm price tag. Let’s talk about where you are and what you need.