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For the last few weeks, I’ve offered legal tips

For the last few weeks, I’ve offered legal tips for those “what if” questions that keep so many business owners up at night. (And can often lead to cautionary tales told to new entrepreneurs…) ⁠
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So - what happens to your business if you have a business partner & you decide to… ⁠
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1️⃣ Sell the business⁠
2️⃣ Close the business ⁠
3️⃣ Separate as business partners ⁠
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💰 First up — what happens to your business if you and your business partner decide to sell? ⁠
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Your partnership/operating agreement (that you should've had drafted and signed before you started the business) should dictate what happens in a sale. To sell the business & not have problems though - you'll also each want to get your own attorney and draft and sign a sale agreement.⁠
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❌ But what happens if you decide to close the business? ⁠
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You'll need to dissolve the business and prepare final taxes for it. Your partnership or operating agreement would dictate how and what to do — another reason to have one done ahead of time!⁠
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🫠 If you decide to close, how do you dissolve it? ⁠
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You dissolve your business through the state you registered in it. It's usually pretty simple and involves a form + fee. But you'd also want to talk with your CPA to make sure you close it out tax-wise.⁠
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🙈 Finally, what can I do to avoid partnership / biz partner nightmares?⁠
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You should each have your own attorney before you go into a biz partnership. You should have a professionally drafted partnership or operating agreement created for you (your own attorney will review it for you from your perspective). Everyone goes into these things getting along — but that's not how they end, unfortunately. ⁠
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Here’s to asking the big questions — and legally protecting your business everyday. ⁠
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xo, ⁠
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Sam ⁠
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PS: Do you have a "what if" question you answered? I'm here to offer legal tips and information (but not legal advice or services). Drop your Q in the comments or send me a DM!

‘Tis the season for planning next year’s promo

‘Tis the season for planning next year’s promotions, content, and goals. But before you get too far, I have one word of advice:

Take the time now to reflect on everything you accomplished in your business this year. In episode 73 of On Your Terms, I share what 2022 really looked like for me... how the business grew, what didn’t happen, and why it’s so important to build space in your business for your personal life.

Tune in to hear...
• what did (and didn’t) happen at Sam Vander Wielen LLC
• why it’s essential to reflect back before planning ahead
• how to do the same for your business
• what questions you need to ask yourself when reflecting
• why we didn’t run a Q4 sale (and what’s coming in January!)

🎙 Listen to Episode 73 “What 2022 Was Actually Like For Me” on @onyourtermspodcast by tapping the link in bio!

Plus, hear all about a NEW & IMPROVED planning guide, reflection prompts, and CEO checklist freebie for you! If you like the idea of reflecting back and planning ahead, but aren’t sure how or where to start — this new guide will help!

xo,

Sam

PS: If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card), leave a review of @onyourtermspodcast on Apple Podcasts! Send me a DM screenshot of it to me & we’ll add to you the review list. ☕️

I love November because I get to claim the whole m

I love November because I get to claim the whole month for Thanksgiving. Here's a quick recap of the month and everything the team & I were up to... (it was a busy one!) ⁠
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- We're in full planning & prep mode for the holiday season so I recorded 15 (!) podcast episodes this month alone ⁠
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- Speaking of @onyourtermspodcast.. we're doing 2 weekly episodes now! The longer episode for legal & biz tips on Mondays, and a bite-sized Q&A episode on Thursdays (the first one dropped yesterday)⁠
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- Ryan & I went to NYC for my birthday (Harry Potter, Phil Rosenthal, Sézane, and so much amazing Mediterranean food) ⁠
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- Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday ⁠
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Of course, I had to share a recent photo of Huddy! It was taken a couple days ago after I picked him up from the groomers! ⁠
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Thanks for joining us this month! Tell me in the comments — what was the best part of your month? ⁠
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xo, ⁠
Sam

6 months without my Dad and I still feel like I *j

6 months without my Dad and I still feel like I *just* got hit right betwixt the biscuits.

The past 6 months have felt like a push and pull —

A punch in the gut reminding me he’s not here.

A flash back of the sound of beeping hospital machines.

The smell of a chemo room.

The sting in my heart when I saw how hard it was for him to walk (thanks leukemia 🖕).

And then there’s the push to get myself out and moving, to the gym, to talk to a friend, to cook a nourishing meal.

Grief is like whiplash- all day long.

When I heard this song today, its lyrics seared right through to my core.

How DO you say goodbye to someone who’s been with you your whole damn life? What does life look like without you in it?

I’m not sure, but I’m trying. That I know.

Like Dean Lewis says in this song - I promise if you go, I will make sure she’s alright.

She is me. And I’m working on it, Dad ❤️

To all my friends (unfortunately) in grief land — I’m with you in it xo

Big news, friend! We’re now doing TWO On Your Te

Big news, friend! We’re now doing TWO On Your Terms™️ podcast episodes a week! Mondays will continue to provide focused legal tips for online business owners. Thursdays now feature my Sam’s Sidebar Q&A emails. These are bite-sized episodes under 10 minutes that are sure to give you instant tips you can use in your biz.

We’re kicking things off with a really good question! ⤵️

Q: What Else Does Your Biz Need Besides an LLC?

🎙 Tune in to hear my answer, which includes the official business steps and the “in-between” pieces that are often forgotten.

Tap the link in my bio or find On Your Terms™️ on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Have a Q in need of an A? Send us a DM and we’ll add it to the list.

xo,

Sam

🎙🎉 BIG NEWS! (If you’re a fan of my podcas

🎙🎉 BIG NEWS! (If you’re a fan of my podcast, you’ll especially love this!)

Starting today, you’ll get a SECOND weekly episode of @onyourtermspodcast every Thursday!

In 10 minutes or less, you’ll get answers to business & legal questions like...
- what else you need other than an LLC?
- do you need to register something to use the copyright symbol?
- what happens to your business if you pass away?
- what can you do if your client quits?
- is your business really legally protected? how do you know?
... and so much more!

And no, nothing’s changing to our full-length episodes. We just wanted a way to better serve you with all of the legal tips you need to start, grow, and scale your online business.

Have a burning question you need me to answer? DM me!

And be sure to tune in every Thursday to learn how you can continue to legally protect your business!

xo,

Sam

PS: Wanna hear the first Q&A episode? Link the link in bio to hear Ep 72 — out now!

What happens to your business if... you want/need

What happens to your business if... you want/need to take parental leave? 🐣⁠
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Many online business owners start their business because they need a flexible work situation. And for many, that includes taking parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child.⁠
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But... as with many aspects of entrepreneurship, taking time off (especially extended time) is easier said than done. You're the one who runs this place, right? 🤣⁠
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My #1 piece of advice? Plan ahead as early as possible so that your business can run without you — or with very limited input from you — for as long as you want to take off. ⁠
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Here are some business planning things to consider:⁠
- A budget to support your business & personal expenses while you're OOO ⁠
- What you can automate? (email, social, evergreen funnels, webinars, etc)⁠
- Can you offer digital products in place of 1:1 services or 1:many programs?⁠
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On the legal side, you'll want to have:⁠
📝 Automated contracts for any passive products and programs you're selling, like a contract at checkout for your courses⁠
💌 An auto-responder letting people know who to get in touch with in case of emergency⁠
👯‍♀️ Someone checking your email for super important emails, like LLC or insurance renewal reminders⁠
📚 Solid contract clauses about what happens if your maternity leave pauses your clients' containers with you⁠
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The earlier you can start planning the better. On the plus side, you might ID automated, evergreen, or team opportunities that make running your business more streamlined — whether or not you're on leave!⁠
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Planning for my anticipated leave when my Dad passed away helped put my business in a much stronger place way before he ever departed 😘⁠
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Was this helpful? Have you planned for parental leave? Any tips you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments. 👇⁠
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Here's to asking the big questions — and building a more legally protected biz everyday. ⁠
⁠
xo,⁠
Sam

Have you ever had a client refuse to pay after you

Have you ever had a client refuse to pay after you’ve provided a service? It happens more often than we’d like. It’s also the #1 reason why having a legitimate contract is one of the 3 “MUST DO” tasks I recommend business owners doing immediately (whether or not you have clients already).

There’s a lot of chatter (here and elsewhere) about having a service, group, membership, or program-based contract. But what if you’re asked (or apply) to speak at an event?

If you don’t have a speaker agreement signed ahead of time, it could lead to a lot of trouble, for instance...
- Boundaries can easily be crossed
- Expectations might not be met - from either side
- Fees might be negotiated after the fact
- You could be on the hook for related fees if the event is canceled

🎙 Listen to Episode 71 “Legal Tips for Speaking Engagements” on @onyourtermspodcast by tapping the link in bio!

I share “what if” moments when friends of mine haven’t had a speaking contract in place - and paid the price. I also share what your speaker agreement should include, and how to enforce it.

If you have speaking engagements on the books (or goal list) for 2023, check out the new agreement. It could save you from unnecessary headaches (and missed revenue) down the line.

xo,

Sam

PS: If you’d like a shoutout (and a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card), leave a review of @onyourtermspodcast on Apple Podcasts! Send me a DM screenshot of it to me & we’ll add to you the review list. ☕️ 🙌

PPS: Plus... an exciting announcement! There’s now a DIY Speaker Agreement contract template in the Sam Vander Wielen online store!

I’ve been thinking so much lately about the (pow

I’ve been thinking so much lately about the (powerful & underutilized) word “and.”

So much of the world around us operates in such harsh black & white terms — from the news, to fashion, to politics, to the right way to run your biz.

But often times there’s much nuance that one way doesn’t fully capture what’s truly going on.

For example…

I’m so grateful for how much time I got with my Dad // and I feel robbed of so much time with my dad.

I’m so grateful for my body’s ability to move // and I feel so frustrated that brain surgery has left me feeling so different than before.

I don’t want to run a Black Friday sale because I feel so protective of my time & energy around this cozy time of year // and I feel the same pressures of “am I going to be left behind?” as many others.

I miss my dad terribly and wish he were here // and I’m so glad he doesn’t have to deal with chemo & pain & daily blood transfusions.

Life is full of AND.

If you get my emails — I wrote to you Monday about Black Friday and what might be coming up for you this time of year as a biz owner. I hope it was helpful ❤️

xo,
Sam

#onlinebusinesstips #legaltemplates #rdsofinstagram #registereddietitian #registereddietitiannutritionist #careercoaching #mindsetcoachingforwomen #moneycoach #lifecoachforwomen

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This is not a law firm. Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. Sam does not provide you or your company legal advice. We simply provide legal information & education for you to customize and use on your own and have reviewed by your own local attorney. Sam is an attorney licensed in NJ and PA, but is not practicing law or establishing an attorney-client relationship with you, ever. Some states may consider this attorney advertising (although it isn't intended to be). Thank you!

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