A tornado can destroy your business just as easily as your home. What can business owners do to keep their assets and important documents safe?

While authorities are just starting to tally up the damage from Monday's deadly tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, a prior tornado that hit the same city in 1999 caused about $1 billion in damage to homes and businesses, according to The Economist.

By following these tips, you can protect your business before and after a tornado threatens it:

Can you legally fire an employee just for looking for another job?

This commonly occurs when an employee is caught using office equipment to apply for another job, or when an employee walks in late, dressed a bit nicer than usual, raising suspicions that she just came from a job interview.

It is OK to fire a worker over this?

It's no secret that starting a food truck business is all the rage these days. Food trucks have found that sweet spot by tapping into the current popularity of foodie culture, the powers of social media, and, in many cases, cheaper prices.

Unfortunately, serving innovative food at fair prices isn't the only thing food truck owners have to think about. Foodie entrepreneurs must also do their legal research before hitting the road -- or risk getting shut down.

Here are five legal issues that food truck owners commonly face:

Is your business' website geared toward kids? If so, you may not want to link to Twitter or Pinterest, or else you may face the wrath of the Better Business Bureau. Just look at what happened to Build-A-Bear.

The always popular Build-A-Bear Workshop removed links to Twitter and Pinterest after the BBB's Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) came calling. Build-A-Bear's site failed to comply with CARU's self-regulatory guidelines, as well as the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, according to MediaPost.

The Act, perhaps better known as COPPA, broadly prohibits website operators from collecting personal information from children younger than 13 without parental consent. So what was Build-A-Bear doing wrong, and what lessons can other business owners learn?

The sad story of a chef killed over a meal raises an important issue for small business owners: How should you deal with disgruntled customers? Or more to the point, how should you not deal with them?

Japanese chef Miki Nozawa died from injuries that resulted from a fight with two customers in Germany who apparently thought their meal was poorly prepared, UPI reports. No one has yet been arrested.

As a business owner, dealing effectively with unsatisfied customers -- unpleasant as it may be -- is a crucial and necessary part of keeping your business afloat. It can also help fend off potential lawsuits.

Here are some tips you may want to consider:

As self-published e-books top best-seller lists, writer-entrepreneurs may be wondering: Should e-book authors who self-publish submit their books for a legal review?

If an author expects her book to get a decent amount of exposure, and the book contains material that isn't in the public domain, then consulting an attorney who knows a bit about publishing laws isn't a bad idea.

Here are five legal tips for those writing an e-book, self-published or otherwise:

To snoop or not to snoop, that is the question. Employers might feel hesitant about spying on employees. It can give employees the impression that they aren't trusted.

Yet when employers find themselves in the midst of an embarrassing legal nightmare, monitoring employees may seem like a useful preventative measure.

But is it legal to spy on your employees? The answer may depend on how you're spying on them, and where your business is located.

Registering your business with a fictitious name may sound like you're going to open your own magical candy factory or even a furniture company that produces suspiciously deep wardrobes. But it can be vital to your small business' success.

A fictitious business name, or DBA name, is required in many states if your business does not take the legal name of its owner. What are the benefits to registering a DBA name?

Here are three reasons for you to step into the non-fantasy realm of registering your business with a fictitious name:

In the restaurant industry, it's a big, beefy no-no for employers to take an employee's tips. Generally, it's not legal for managers to pocket a worker's tips. Violations can be pricey.

But laws on gratuities can be confusing. With terms like "tip credits" and "tip pools" floating around, managers may also need some tips on how to make sense of it all.

Here are some general rules about tips -- and some insight on what can potentially happen if those rules are violated.

The digital currency Bitcoin has taken the interest of small businesses again, as a New Mexico legal startup, Law 4 Small Business (L4SB), has announced it will start accepting bitcoins in exchange for legal services. Should your business do the same?

L4SB attributes much of its recent success to offering their customers flexible payment methods and options, and adding Bitcoin to this list will appeal to their tech-savvy small business clients, according to a company press release.

Bitcoin is by no means a new option for businesses. But business owners should consider these risks before offering payments in digital cash: