How Do You Know When Your Business is Legal Enough?

Time has become sort of a weird thing since my Dad passed away…

I know, that’s a weird way to start out an email to you — especially when everyone else is playing up the whole “new year, new energy!” thing.

As much as I’d love to hop on the toxic positivity train, I just wanted to recognize you if this holiday season was tougher for you than others. Or if the idea of a “new year” comes with mixed feelings of leaving other people behind or moving further away from those you love.

Well — there’s no good way to transition out of that one, is there?

Some things in life aren’t easy to transition from 😉

Oh one question for you before we jump into my Q&A sesh below —

If you like my Sam’s Sidebar Q&A emails but you also like to listen & learn, take walks or have a commute — I started sharing these Q&A emails as mini <10-min podcast episodes on my pod, On Your Terms™️.

You can catch up on all of my Sam’s Sidebar mini-podcast episodes like what else you need besides an LLC, what happens to your business if you die, if you can use the © without registering, or if you can work with clients overseas.​

In fact, you can even listen to this very email if you’d rather!

(Let me know if this ^ is something you’re excited about!)

Let’s jump into our legal Q&A sesh! 👇

The Question // Nila asks,

Have I done all the things I need to do to legally protect my biz? How do I know ahead of a stressful time that I’m good?

The Answer //

Nila — I’m so glad you asked this, because I hear this from your peers a lot, too.

What You Need To Legally Protect Your Online Business

1 | Knowledge is Power 🧠

One thing I consistently see among online entrepreneurs is that the “not knowing what you don’t know” thing sort of keeps you in this swirly place of, “how do I know if I’ve really done everything I need to do to protect myself?”

And that fear, or anxiety of really never knowing what’s enough, keeps you put. And “put” businesses don’t exactly….. grow. 😏

I like to think of it like what would happen if I tried to build a car engine.

I’d have so many questions: What kind of parts do I even use to build this thing? Where do they all go? How do they work? What order do I put them all in?

If somehow, someway, I was able to put this engine together — would I ever feel comfortable driving it, knowing that I might not have done it correctly (considering I had no idea what I was doing)?

That’s why I do what I do — it’s OK to not know what you don’t know about legally protecting your business. Find a resource you trust (I hope that’s me!) and take the info you need from that person/source.

2 | Focus on the Basics ✌️

Of course there are a million different legal strategies, policies, contracts, tactics etc that you could deploy in building your business.

But I find that in times of overwhelm or “am I safe to put myself out there?” times, I check on my basics:

• Did I properly register my business so that I’m not personally liable for my business?
• Do I have business insurance to cover me financially for my work with clients?
• Do I have a legit, lawyer-drafted contract to send to my clients (or include at checkout) so my boundaries, sanity, and legal rights are covered?

3 | There’s No Apex 🏔️

It’s so important for you also to keep in mind that there’s no apex we’re aiming for here when it comes to legally protecting your business.

I’m as legally solid as you can really be at this stage of business (hey, I am a lawyer lol) — but I *still* have legal stuff to work on throughout the month. Whether it’s applying for another trademark, or updating my contracts & policies — it’s a process.

But that stuff ^ is all gravy on top of the very solid mashed potatoes (that’s my foundation, in case this makes no sense lol).

So I can simultaneously be legally protected AND have stuff still to work on. Make sense?

I think so many of us think that online business in general is some sort of hike or race where we’ll finally reach an “end point”.

But as someone who’s well past the apex of any point I thought I could build a business to — I’ll tell you that that relief never comes.

Embrace the fact that as long as you have the basics down, the legal stuff is going to be an evolving, continued part of building a legitimate, successful business.

This month we’re focusing on what it really means to legally protect your business, and diving deeper into where some of the resistance and fear might be coming from.

🤫 I’m not supposed to tell you yet — but I’ve got something REALLY exciting coming for you in just a few short weeks. It’ll be one of very few chances to take a live training with me this year (at $0 cost to you). Can’t wait to spill the (coffee) beans soon.

PS: Listen to this email instead by diving on my podcast, On Your Terms, Epi 82. I’m answering what you really need legally and why there’s no apex coming to save us here – LISTEN HERE! 🎧