Business Planning
Your legacy is more than what you earn. It includes the work you do, the impact you make, and how that impact continues to support your family for generations to come. You are not in business only for profit but to create something lasting—something that reflects your values and makes a difference in the world. Through our LIFT planning model, which integrates your legal, insurance, financial, and tax foundations, we help ensure that your business is built to last and that your family and company are protected, without you having to do it all yourself.
Our Business Planning Approach
As an entrepreneur, you have likely thought about how to pass down what you have built. How will your business continue to serve your family, your clients, and your community when you are no longer able to? After you are gone or if you become incapacitated, the people who depend on you will feel your absence deeply. Your business needs to be able to carry on—to provide for them, to uphold your mission, and to maintain the legacy you worked so hard to create.
The truth is that every business owner eventually faces an exit, whether voluntary or not. You will either leave behind a business that runs smoothly, is simple to manage or sell, and continues to support your loved ones—or one that creates confusion and stress. Unfortunately, this step is often ignored by business owners and even by many attorneys who serve them.
At Usoro & Associates, P.C., we take a different approach. Whether you are starting a new business or managing an established one, we help you strengthen your LIFT foundation with the right agreements, insurance coverage, intellectual property protections, and financial systems. These elements keep your operations efficient and protect everything you have worked to build.
We continue the conversation beyond your business’s daily needs to plan for its future. Together, we identify what can be done today to ensure your business continues to serve you, your family, and your clients under any circumstance—whether you take a break, face a health challenge, or pass away. You will know exactly what will happen to your business in each situation.
Imagine being able to leave behind more than just a business. Imagine passing down your wisdom, your experiences, and the story of how you built your success—just as if your great-grandfather had left a message about how he lived, worked, and thrived through difficult times. Our Life and Legacy Planning process makes that possible, allowing you to record and preserve the lessons, values, and messages that matter most to your loved ones.
When you do not have a strong legal, insurance, financial, and tax structure in place, uncertainty takes its toll. Our LIFT Planning process helps uncover the weak points in your business foundation so you can make clear, confident decisions that support your goals.
We Help:
- New businesses
- Existing businesses
- Growing businesses
- Sole proprietors, partners, LLCs, and S-corps
- Service businesses, brick-and-mortar businesses, and online businesses
- Consultants and coaches
- Everything in between if you have an idea you are working on, no matter how long you have been at it
Aniefiok I. Usoro
My name is Aniefiok I. Usoro, your local Personal Family Lawyer and founder of Usoro & Associates in Houston, Texas. My journey to estate planning has been anything but traditional, and it’s precisely that unique path that makes me passionate about protecting what matters most to families.
Legacy is about more than just wealth—it’s about people, purpose, and peace of mind. We offer personalized legal guidance once reserved for high-net-worth families, helping individuals from all walks of life make wise, lasting decisions. Our Life & Legacy Planning approach goes beyond traditional estate planning. It protects your assets and ensures your values, priorities, and relationships are preserved as part of your family story.
Our Three-Step System So You Can Get Clear On The LIFT Foundation Your Business Needs
When you do not have a solid foundation of legal, insurance, financial, and tax systems in place for your business, you simply cannot sleep well at night. Our unique LIFT planning process helps reveal gaps in your business foundation so that you can make LIFT decisions for your business with your eyes wide open.
1. Foundation For Enough
Our primary focus at this stage is to establish a clear separation between your personal life and your business. This means putting your personal legal matters in order, creating a strong foundation of insurance to protect both you and your company, and gaining a clear understanding of how much income your business needs to generate to fully support your family. With this clarity, you will know exactly how much is enough for both financial security and peace of mind.
2. Growth For Yield
At this point, we also help you transition from a practice into a true business. Together, we develop a three-year roadmap that takes you from where you are now to where you want to be. We focus on building systems that streamline your services, turning them into scalable offerings, building a reliable team, creating consistent cash flow, and maintaining the clarity and discipline needed to lead with confidence.
3. Scale For Harvest
As your business grows, our focus turns to helping you operate as a company with a long-term vision. We guide you through planning your exit or succession strategy, developing a strong leadership team, hiring effective operations support, and implementing a business management system that works for you. The goal is for you to step fully into your role as a leader and visionary, focusing your time and energy on the areas that only you can manage while ensuring your company continues to grow and create lasting impact.
What We Do
We work with you to design a customized LIFT foundation that incorporates the right mix of legal protections, insurance coverage, financial systems, and tax strategies for your business. Every service we offer is available at a flat-rate fee agreed to in advance, so you always know exactly what to expect and can plan with confidence.
Entity Formation and Maintenance
Small Business General Counsel Services
Intellectual Property Protection
Employee and Contractor Agreements, Handbooks, and Hiring and Firing Strategies
Tax Strategy
Insurance Planning
Business Succession and Exit Planning
Don’t Let Your Business End Up A Statistic
60%
In Lost Sales After A Business Owner Dies
You as the business owner are the glue that holds your business together. Without a solid plan in place for your business to outlive you, you can expect sales to dip by at least 60% after you pass. Your family and your business likely cannot weather such a downward swing.
15%
Of Business Owners Successfully Leave Their Business To Their Family
Sadly, of the two-thirds of small business owners in the U.S. who want to pass their business to their family, only about a quarter of them are actually successful at it. The other 3/4 simply did not do the right planning, or any planning at all.
50%
Of Business Owners Quit After 5 Years
We know that you will exit your business, but what we do not know is how exactly how or when that will happen. When it does happen, it could compromise the whole financial foundation you have built, unless you have done proper planning so you can sleep at night.
Schedule Your Free
15-Min Consult
Schedule Your Free 15-Min Consult With our life and legacy planning model, we help you confidently make legal and financial decisions so you know you have a plan to keep everyone you love out of court and out of conflict after you pass. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more.
Schedule Your Free 15-Min Consult
Schedule Your Free 15-Min Consult With our life and legacy planning model, we help you confidently make legal and financial decisions so you know you have a plan to keep everyone you love out of court and out of conflict after you pass. Schedule a complimentary consult to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Estate Planning
DO I NEED AN LLC?
Yes. If you own a business of any size, you need a legal entity that is separate from yourself. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), limited liability partnership (LLP), or another type of professional entity depending on your field. Establishing a separate entity protects your personal assets—such as your home, savings, and investments—from being used to satisfy business-related debts or lawsuits. Forming an LLC or similar entity is one of the most important steps you can take to protect both your business and your peace of mind.
I RELY ON MY FINANCIAL ADVISOR OR CPA FOR ADVICE. WHY DO I NEED AN ATTORNEY?
Financial advisors and CPAs play vital roles in managing your business finances and taxes, but they cannot provide legal advice or prepare the legal documents your business needs for full protection. A business attorney focuses on creating legal structures, contracts, and strategies that keep your business secure and reduce risk.
At Usoro & Associates, P.C., we believe every business owner benefits from a team approach. Working together with your financial professional, CPA, and attorney ensures that your business is protected from every angle. This collaboration creates a long-term support system that will be there for your family and your company even when you cannot be.
How much does it cost?
We understand that cost is an important factor. That is why we use a flat fee structure so you always know the full cost upfront with no hidden charges or hourly billing.
Each business is unique, which means pricing depends on your specific goals and circumstances. We invite you to attend one of our educational events where we explain our LIFT Planning Model and walk you through each stage of business growth including building a strong foundation, optimizing for growth, and preparing for long-term success.
WHAT IS An s-corp?
S-corp status is a tax election available to certain businesses that can provide meaningful tax advantages. To qualify, your business must first be established as a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation under your state’s laws. Once that step is complete, you can file the appropriate IRS form to elect S-corp tax treatment.
An S-corp is not a separate type of business entity. It is a way your existing business can choose to be taxed. Whether S-corp status is right for your business depends on several factors, and we recommend discussing it with your business attorney and CPA before making a decision.
MY BUSINESS IS ONLY A SIDE HUSTLE. DO I REALLY NEED “LIFT” PLANNING?
Yes. Whether you have a full-time business, a part-time gig, or a growing side hustle, it is important to build the right legal, insurance, financial, and tax foundation from the start. Without these safeguards, small mistakes can become costly and opportunities can be missed.
LIFT Planning helps you organize and protect every part of your business so you can keep more of what you earn, avoid preventable losses, and position yourself for future growth.
can i deduct what i spend on lift planning?
Yes. Legitimate business expenses are deductible, and professional legal, insurance, financial, and tax planning all qualify as legitimate business expenses. You should always confirm the specific details with your CPA, but generally, expenses related to creating and maintaining your business foundation can be deducted and are not subject to personal income tax.
11 Legal Mistakes Business Owners Make and How To Avoid Them
Take the Next Step to Protect Your Business
Avoid costly legal mistakes by being proactive. With a LIFT Start Up Session or LIFT Foundation Audit, you can secure your business structure, agreements, team, intellectual property, and succession plans.