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If you have a startup or are thinking of launching one, you have surely been overwhelmed by all the paperwork you need. Realistically, entrepreneurs cannot afford to spend so much time on legal matters , at least not without sacrificing time on their business. That is what BlackBox Startup Law is for, a law firm specialized in advising startups to remove that burden and that the founders focus on doing business.
BlackBox was born in 2014, at the initiative of partners Víctor Aguirre and Carlos Aguerrebere . Its name is an analogy that refers to the 'black box' of airplanes.
“The Law is like a 'black box' that contains very relevant legal information, which can even mean the success or failure of a company. But to open that box a code is required and that is what this office does: decode the laws and take them to the companies for their benefit, ” said Víctor Aguirre , founding partner and director of BlackBox in an interview with Entrepreneur en Español .
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This law firm provides consulting services to both Mexican startups and international companies that want to operate in Mexico. "We have clients that have operations in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and other countries, because we advise on international planning, mainly on the tax side," says Aguirre.
Currently, BlackBox works with renowned companies such as Cabify , Jüsto , Oyster , RobinFood, Doctoralia and SinDelantal , among others, whom they have guided in legal matters practically since its inception and throughout its growth and internationalization process.
“BlackBox was not born with the intention of being a corporate law firm. What we seek is to share all our experience in legal practices to help and support startups, so that they can develop their businesses in Mexico and other countries, "he said.
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From lawyer to entrepreneur
Before creating his own law firm, Víctor Aguirre worked for more than 9 years in law firms "specialized in providing excellent services to very large companies, one of the largest in the world."
“This is how I learned about the different areas related to advising companies and detected the need to support small companies with high growth potential . There I saw my opportunity to undertake and help at the same time, ” says Aguirre.
“For me, the difference between a startup and a traditional company is the speed of growth. While the latter grows an average of 5% to 10% per year, a startup grows between 10% and 25% per month ” , he explained.
With startups , everything happens so fast that, often, they do not have time to catch up on the legal part.
“Many times they start with a founder who has a great idea and a very innovative, disruptive and attractive business model. Thanks to this, they quickly access investors, venture capital funds or venture capital, and their growth is exponential. In this frenzy, it is common for them to escape legal details that later harm or slow them down, ” Aguirre explained.
So, Victor decided to provide them with differential advice, since they have very different requirements from those of a large corporation. BlackBox has different areas for its clients to forge healthy relationships both with the government and with its partners, employees, collaborators and clients.
“It was clear to me that I wanted to found a firm specialized in startups and that it should have two pillars: a consulting part and a litigation part. The first to prevent legal problems, and the second to solve them if they arise. We also provide human resources and accounting consulting. We are a very complete and balanced firm ” , he said.
They are Víctor Aguirre and Carlos Aguerrebere, founding partners of the law firm specialized in legal advice for startups and entrepreneurs. Image: Courtesy of BlackBox Startup Law.
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The reform of the outsourcing law in Mexico changed the rules of the game
BlackBox 's human resources advisory area has had busy months since the reform of the outsourcing law was passed, as it posed new challenges for entrepreneurs and businessmen alike.
"It is very important for a startup to take care of its employees , have incentive plans that are attractive to talent and that, at the same time, comply with the legal requirements in Mexico and in the countries where they operate ," Aguirre explained.
“Startups behave very differently from traditional companies, because they do seek to comply with legal regulations on labor and social security . They generally don't think about how to save money at the expense of their employees' rights, ”he added.
The lawyer explains that startups, for the most part, are backed by large funds or serious investors , who require them to correctly implement the outsourcing scheme if they have one, for example, when hiring cleaning or private security companies.
In this scenario, many companies had to quickly migrate from outsourcing to direct hiring.
“This change is complex, involves a series of obligations and demands many requirements from entrepreneurs. Plus, it takes away time and resources that they should be investing in your product, your customers, and doing business, and not doing payroll calculations or understanding how these systems work. We also solve that part for them ” , he pointed out.
BlackBox also has an accounting area , to support with taxes related to payroll, such as correctly making withholdings and filing returns. "We give them all the advice on the tax issue that both the founders and individuals are going to face, as well as the companies they are forming," said the lawyer.
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What type of startups does BlackBox advise?
Although his priority is "to support startups from the beginning so that they have a correct start" , the firm headed by Víctor Aguirre and Carlos Aguerrebere now has great success stories.
“Currently we are a more mature firm and we continue to work with practically all the companies with which we started. We have guided them since the idea was conceived, until they became large companies with more than 900 employees, as is the case of Cabify or Jüsto ” , he says.
The lawyer and entrepreneur recommended to startup owners that: “Never stop their operations or their growth because they want to have everything legal in order. I've seen entrepreneurs who don't start because they want to fix all the paperwork first. In Mexico we have laws that provide solutions when there are already conflicts, so it is better to catch up on the fly, than to stop the momentum ” .
Finally, the founder and director of BlackBox Startup Law sent advice to all entrepreneurs and founders:
“If you act well, follow the laws and fulfill your obligations, you will do well. No one should start a business thinking of avoiding responsibilities. If you act legitimately for the benefit of your company and others, you are more likely to grow ” .
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