Ask Kiff

Are you unsure if you should send your client a proposal or a contract? Contracts and proposals have very different purposes, so the secret to knowing which one you should send is figuring out why you are sending it.

By the end of this podcast, you’ll know:

1️⃣ When you should send a proposal

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED:

*Get access to the FREE “How to write a contract” resource here: https://theartistsjd.com/drafting-contracts-for-creatives/

*Join us in the artist’s Courtyard and get instant access to the “How to write a contract” course: https://theartistsjd.com/contracts-master-workshop/

*Do you need to send a “formal” written contract? Watch why my answer is “nope!” here: https://theartistsjd.com/legalese-optional/

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

Does your business need to file for a doing business as (dba), fictitious business name (fbn), assumed name, or trade name? Stop wondering and learn when you need one and why you’ll want to get one (hint:

Congrats! You've been approached to illustrate a book.

But now you start to worry about copyrights. Will you own the copyright in your illustrations? How do you keep them? How might you lose them?

The short answer is the copyrights are yours! Unless one of three things happen:

1️⃣ you work as an employee and illustration is part of your job

Head here to read the full post, watch the video, and learn more about my copyright registration course: https://theartistsjd.com/book-illustration-copyright/

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

The reason that most creatives hate contracts is that many contracts are 20-pages long and stuffed with legal jargon.

But did you know that your contract doesn’t have to look like that to be valid? Listen to this episode to learn what is required for a contract to be valid.

The short answer is only three things are required to create a valid contract:

1️⃣ an offer

Read the show notes, watch the video, or read the transcript here: [https://theartistsjd.com/legalese-optional/] (https://theartistsjd.com/legalese-optional/)

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-Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/theartistsjd/] (https://www.facebook.com/theartistsjd/)

-Instagram: [http://instagram.com/theartistsjd] (http://instagram.com/theartistsjd)

-Pinterest: [https://www.pinterest.com/kiffaniestahle/] (https://www.pinterest.com/kiffaniestahle/)

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

I’d say that 90% of the giveaways I see on Instagram aren’t legal. In fact, when I see one that is legal it stands out. So how do you make your giveaway legal? Listen to this episode to learn!

The short answer is that you are going to follow these five steps:

Read the show notes, watch the video, or read the transcript here: [https://theartistsjd.com/how-host-giveaway/] (https://theartistsjd.com/how-host-giveaway/)

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

Almost every creative business owner will sign a contract they later regret. But how can you limit your chances of this happening? Listen to this episode!

The short answer is that you are going to answer one question,

“If everything goes haywire, will signing this contract help my business, hurt it, or leave me relatively in the same place?”

Of course, to answer that question, you’ll need to understand exactly what the contract says. And which of the contract sections will be enforced in your state.

Read the show notes, watch the video version, or get details on how your state treats non-compete clauses visit: [https://theartistsjd.com/non-compete-clauses/] (https://theartistsjd.com/non-compete-clauses/)

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

Nervous and scared to post your work online because you are afraid it will get copied? How can you protect your online content? Watch this video to learn!

The short answer is the only way to protect your online content, is by not posting it. But this is an unrealistic answer. Because in most cases, you HAVE to post online to run a successful, thriving business.

But rather than using a watermark, I suggest you protect your content by doing five things:

-register your copyrights

Read the show notes, listen to an audio-only version, or get details on how to do each of these things here: [https://theartistsjd.com/protect-your-content-online/] (https://theartistsjd.com/protect-your-content-online/)

Join us in the artist’s Courtyard to get access to the step-by-step course designed to help you register your copyrights here: [https://theartistsjd.com/copyright-registration-workshop/] (https://theartistsjd.com/copyright-registration-workshop/)

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

How much money does your business need to be making before it’s time to become an LLC? Can you create an LLC if you aren’t financially stable? Watch this video to learn!

The short answer is that financial self-sufficiency isn’t a legal requirement to become an LLC. But the LLC DOES need enough money to survive.

To do that, you’ll do two things:

-make sure the LLC starts off with 3-6 months of expenses in your accounts

Curious what other tasks you should be doing now you are an LLC? Then grab the workbook here: [https://theartistsjd.com/llc-financially-self-sufficient/] (https://theartistsjd.com/llc-financially-self-sufficient/)

Read the show notes, listen to an audio-only version, or read the transcript here: [https://theartistsjd.com/llc-financially-self-sufficient/] (https://theartistsjd.com/llc-financially-self-sufficient/)

Learn about the LLC course designed to help you create your LLC (and keep it legit) here: [https://theartistsjd.com/llc-intensive/] (https://theartistsjd.com/llc-intensive/)

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

Does your LLC need a “real” business bank account? Or can you just get away with a personal bank account where you only keep the LLC’s money? Watch this video to learn!

The short answer is that you MUST keep the LLC’s money in its own name. Because if you don’t it’s not really the LLC’s money.

And your bank is likely going to require that if the account is in the LLC’s name, that you have a business account.

Curious what other tasks you should be doing now you are an LLC? Then grab the workbook here: [https://theartistsjd.com/llc-needs-business-account/] (https://theartistsjd.com/llc-needs-business-account/)

Read the show notes, listen to an audio-only version, or read the transcript here: [https://theartistsjd.com/llc-needs-business-account/] (https://theartistsjd.com/llc-needs-business-account/)

Learn about the LLC course designed to help you create your LLC (and keep it legit) here: [https://theartistsjd.com/llc-intensive/] (https://theartistsjd.com/llc-intensive/)

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)

When is it a good (or bad) idea to have multiple projects, brands, or businesses in the same LLC? Watch this video to learn!

The short answer is that you can have them under the same LLC umbrella if you are okay with them impacting each other.

Because if something goes wrong in one project, brand, or business, the law sees no distinction between them. So if something goes bad in one, it’ll impact the rest.

I also suggest that you use the same 13 questions that help you decide if it’s time to become an LLC, to decide if you are okay with having them all in the same LLC. (Grab the workbook here: [https://theartistsjd.com/list/should-i-be-an-llc/] (https://theartistsjd.com/list/should-i-be-an-llc/))

Read the show notes, listen to an audio-only version, or read the transcript here: [https://theartistsjd.com/multiple-projects-same-llc/] (https://theartistsjd.com/multiple-projects-same-llc/)

Learn about the LLC course designed to help you create your LLC (and keep it legit) here: [https://theartistsjd.com/llc-intensive/] (https://theartistsjd.com/llc-intensive/)

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What's Ask Kiff? Each week, Kiffanie adds ease to the legalese of running your creative business by answering one question submitted by creative business owners just like you! Have a question you want to submit? Leave it here: [http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/] (http://theartistsjd.com/ask-kiff/)