A Shareholders Agreement is usually created when the company brings on external investors. A Founders Agreement focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the founders. It also sets out the equity allocation and who can decide what. It typically also addresses vesting and leaver arrangements for the founders.
However, should you write your own agreement? Probably not. A shareholders' agreement is intended to avoid major issues down the line, so it's crucially important that you get this right so that it's bespoke to your company and covers all the scenarios you may encounter further down the road.
What to Think about When You Begin Writing a Shareholder Agreement. Name Your Shareholders. Specify the Responsibilities of Shareholders. The Voting Rights of Your Shareholders. Decisions Your Corporation Might Face. Changing the Original Shareholder Agreement. Determine How Stock can be Sold or Transferred.
We believe that it is quite possible to draw it yourself, provided that you use a good template as a basis (such as our own). The difficulty in drawing an agreement is not the legal wording but in considering the issues that the shareholders will face, and deciding what should happen in each scenario.
How do I create a Shareholder Agreement? Step 1: Provide details about the corporation. Step 2: Include details about the shareholders. Step 3: Provide details about share ownership. Step 4: Outline share information including class and number. Step 5: Determine how the corporation's directors will be appointed.
We have 5 steps. Step 1: Decide on the issues the agreement should cover. Step 2: Identify the interests of shareholders. Step 3: Identify shareholder value. Step 4: Identify who will make decisions - shareholders or directors. Step 5: Decide how voting power of shareholders should add up.
What to Think about When You Begin Writing a Shareholder Agreement. Name Your Shareholders. Specify the Responsibilities of Shareholders. The Voting Rights of Your Shareholders. Decisions Your Corporation Might Face. Changing the Original Shareholder Agreement. Determine How Stock can be Sold or Transferred.
A shareholders agreement is a binding contract between the shareholders of a company, which governs the relationship between the shareholders and specifies who controls the company, how the company will be owned and managed, how shareholders' rights may be protected and how shareholders can exit the company.