It can be an exciting time when you begin your chronicpreneur journey. But you can find yourself in trouble if you haven’t thought through the potential legal issues of owning a business.

Joel Ankney is a lawyer who has been helping freelancers start and run businesses for over 25 years. AND - he's my attorney!

Joel is also the author of Before You Leap, a great book that walks freelancers through some of the most important legal issues involved in starting and running a business. And he's here today to help us think through what legal needs we may have when starting a chronicpreneur business, answering some of the questions which I've seen in the PGP community.

Not only that, he's also giving away a limited number of audiobook copies of "Before You Leap" to listeners of the Patients Getting Paid podcast. Just email [email protected], mentioning Patients Getting Paid, to request a download code.

In this episode:

• Joel's definition of the gig economy 
• Why I decided to get a lawyer for my patient advocacy work in the first place
• Do chronicpreneurs need an LLC or a corporation?  
• The difference between being an employee and a contractor - what Joel calls the principle of worker clarification
• Commonly overlooked legal issues when running a freelance, consulting, or service business - including how to set up contracts that make sure you get paid!
• How much does all of this cost?
• The bare minimum you need to be thinking about getting right from the start - and how much would it cost to hire an attorney to sort this all out?

Resources:

• Visit the Patients Getting Paid website to learn more about, and join, the PGP community
• Buy Joel's book, Before You Leap: What a Lawyer Wants You to Know About Starting a Gig Economy Business *affiliate link*
• Email [email protected] to request a code for a free audiobook copy of Before You Leap
• Visit Ankney Law  
• Connect with Joel on LinkedIn, and check out his YouTube channel

**Be sure to join us on the Patients Getting Paid Facebook and Instagram pages AND get on the PGP email list to stay updated on all things PGP!

Special thanks to Steve Woodward at PodcastingEditor.com