Legal Road Map®: copyright, trademark and business law info for online entrepreneurs

If you listen to just one episode of the Legal Road Map® podcast, let this be it.

In the final episode - at least for the foreseeable future - Autumn shares takeaways from the past 5 years of running her own law firm, what all online business owners need to know about legal protection to build a sustainable, profitable business, and more.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• How entrepreneurship can help you live your values
• Why putting legal protections in place early can help you build the business of your dreams faster and with less stress
• (One last time for the cheap seats in the back!...) Why contracts are THE most important legal protection for your online business
• Why you DON’T need to spend money on ALL the legal things when you’re just getting started
• Why -- and when -- you should add an attorney to your bench of professionals to build a sustainable, profitable business

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at https://www.awbfirm.com/podcast171!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Season 1 of the Legal Road Map® podcast: https://awbfirm.com/blogs/news/tagged/start-here

Season 5 of the Legal Road Map® podcast - legal for each business phase episodes:

https://awbfirm.com/podcast120

https://awbfirm.com/podcast121

https://awbfirm.com/podcast122

https://awbfirm.com/podcast123

Prep to Scale™ FastTrack:  https://awbfirm.com/fast-track

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

We love helping our clients get their legal house in order, but sometimes when we introduce a new service, contract template, or marketing initiative at the AWB Firm, we have to be our own lawyers, too!

We recently hosted our very first 5 day list building challenge that brought up some questions around our terms and conditions, protecting a potential new trademark, rules for giveaways and contests, and more.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• What you need to make sure you have on your website, so your Facebook ads won’t get rejected
• Why you should use website terms and conditions for your course or challenge, even if it’s not required by law
• The easy (and free!) ways you can begin to protect your intellectual property without having to spend lots of dollars on an official trademark or copyright registration
• How to make sure your giveaways or contests don’t break any laws

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at https://www.awbfirm.com/podcast170!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Prep to Scale™ FastTrack:  https://awbfirm.com/fast-track

Legal Road Map® podcast episodes about Facebook ads:

• Episode 102:  https://awbfirm.com/podcast102
• Episode 124:  https://awbfirm.com/podcast124
• Episode 125   https://awbfirm.com/podcast125

USPTO website:  https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/search-trademark-database

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

If you’ve been in business for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard about (or seen firsthand) the value in building your email list.

No matter how large a following you may build on a social media platform, that following isn’t owned by you - it’s owned by the platform, and they can change who sees your content on a dime. 

But an email list? That’s all yours! And it can be a great way to get to know your audience and them, you.

But with all the talk about Privacy Policies, GDPR, cookies, and more, how are you supposed to build your list and stay out of legal trouble?

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• Why email lists have become increasingly valuable in online business
• Who has to comply with the EU’s GDPR privacy regulations
• What you need to know about cookies on your website
• Why you shouldn’t make promises, especially about earnings or weight loss, in your list building freebies or opt-ins
• Whether or not you need to include an affiliate disclaimer if you’re promoting someone else’s list building challenge

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at https://www.awbfirm.com/podcast169!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

AWB Firm 5 day Prep to Scale™ challenge:  https://awbfirm.com/challenge

Prep to Scale™ FastTrack:  https://awbfirm.com/fast-track

Jasmine Star’s free Instagram challenge:  https://jasminestar.com/join-my-free-instagram-challenge/

Ask by Ryan Levesque:  https://askmethod.com

AWB Coaching quiz:  https://awbfirm.com/coaching-quiz

Amy Porterfield’s list building challenge:  https://www.amyporterfield.com/growmylist

Corinne Crabtree’s free weightloss course: https://pnp411.com

Privacy Policy contract template:  https://awbfirm.com/collections/all/products/website-privacy-policy-for-u-s-businesses-gdpr-compliant

GDPR guide: https://awbfirm.com/gdpr

Legal Road Map®  podcast episodes about GDPR:

• Episode 38:  https://awbfirm.com/podcast38
• Episode 39:  https://awbfirm.com/podcast39
• Episode 40:  https://awbfirm.com/podcast40
• Episode 38:  https://awbfirm.com/podcast83

Legal Road Map® podcast episode 164:  https://awbfirm.com/podcast164

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

Finances and legal are like four-letter words for most entrepreneurs. You know you need to have a grasp on them to run a successful business, but the amount of things you don’t know about finances and legal makes you want to bury your head in the sand.

In this episode, I brought on CFO consultant and founder of 100 Degrees Consulting, Stephanie Skryzowski, to share some of her best practices and advice for entrepreneurs when it comes to getting a handle on the financial side of business. 

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• Why you shouldn’t run your business based solely on the money you have in your bank account (i.e., what cashflow is and why you need to pay attention to it!)
• How widely profit margin can vary among different industries and service providers and how often you should review yours
• Some helpful advice for hiring new team members
• How a cobbled together contract ended up costing Stephanie five months of pay
• Stephanie’s best practices for coming up with your business’s financial plan for 2021
• The difference between a forecast and a budget (and why a budget can actually be freeing!)

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at https://www.awbfirm.com/podcast168!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

100 Degrees Consulting:  https://www.100degreesconsulting.com

Free financial worksheet: https://www.100degreesconsulting.com/profit

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

Planning for next year is in full swing. You may be planning new products or services, epic launches, new training series, and more. And you’re probably also working on your budget with line items all geared toward helping you facilitate those rollouts.

While most people forget to add legal into the budgeting equation at all, the good news is that you may need way less than you think, depending on your unique stage of business.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• What you might want to skip legally when you’re just getting started
• Why you should definitely update your contract every time you uplevel or change the way you work with clients 
• How you can start protecting your trademarks and copyrights even before you register them
• What you should plan to protect with your first custom contract
• Which lower risk activities you can likely still use a contract template for, even if you’re in a more advanced stage of business
• The revenue threshold that marks when you should absolutely when you should absolutely sit down for a legal audit of your business with a lawyer 

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at https://www.awbfirm.com/podcast166!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Contract template store: https://awbfirm.com/contract-templates

Episode 120 of the Legal Road Map® podcast (Launch Phase): https://awbfirm.com/podcast120

Episode 121 of the Legal Road Map® podcast (Solopreneur Phase): https://awbfirm.com/podcast121

Episode 122 of the Legal Road Map® podcast (Success Phase): https://awbfirm.com/podcast122

Episode 123 of the Legal Road Map® podcast (Scale to CEO Phase): https://awbfirm.com/podcast123

Legal Road Map® Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/legalroadmap

Episode 91 of the Legal Road Map® podcast: https://awbfirm.com/podcast91

Episode 49 of the Legal Road Map® podcast: https://awbfirm.com/podcast49

Episode 37 of the Legal Road Map® podcast: https://awbfirm.com/podcast37

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

We’re here… finally. Down to the final weeks of 2020 and there’s no better time to start creating your business’s legal plan for next year. 

If you’ve got your sights set on building a successful business, creating a legacy, launching a new product or service, or simply maintaining your current side hustle, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• The best way to stop losing sleep over the legal black holes in your business in 2021
• How you can avoid learning legal lessons the hard (and expensive!) way
• The cost advantage of thinking proactively when it comes to legal for your business
• The right time to register your copyrights or trademarks and when it makes sense to wait
• How to create legacy with legal planning
• Why creating a legal plan doesn’t mean doing it all or spending all the money right now

JOIN THE PREP TO SCALE™ CHALLENGE! Our very first 5 day challenge kicks off December 7-11. Doors close on December 6, so claim your spot today! https://awbfirm.com/challenge

Don’t need 5 days and want to have lifetime, instant access to all the challenge content, plus attend an exclusive Q+A with Autumn? Take the FastTrack today for just $27. https://awbfirm.com/fast-track

Resources mentioned in this episode:

FastTrack Prep to Scale™:  https://awbfirm.com/fast-track

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

Preparing to launch or run a year-end (I see you coming Black Friday / Cyber Monday) promotion involves a lot of moving parts. It can be easy for things that may seem less important to fall through the cracks, but tightening up your contracts shouldn’t be one of them. 

Learn what you need to know about getting your contracts in shape before your launch or year-end promotion, including a few tips to keep in mind that are specific to 2020 (because, you know… it’s 2020 🙄).

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• How frequently you should review your contracts
• What your customer contracts need to say about testimonials
• How your contracts can help with circumstances outside of your control (hello, pandemic!)
• Why you really need to make sure you address termination or cancellation in your contracts
• Best practices for getting your contracts signed, and your terms agreed to the right way
• Other agreements you may need as you launch or kick off your promotion

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at www.awbfirm.com/podcast165!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 164 of the Legal Road Map® podcast: https://awbfirm.com/podcast164

Contract template store: https://awbfirm.com/contract-templates

Model release contract template: https://awbfirm.com/collections/all/products/model-release

Affiliate agreement template: https://awbfirm.com/products/affiliate-or-referral-program-agreement-template

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

Testimonials, endorsements, and more. Whatever form it takes, you know that being able to share your customers’ success from purchasing your product or online course is one of the most powerful ways to drive sales, especially during year-end promotions.

But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) actually has quite a few guidelines about how your customers’ words and experiences can be presented as you market your business, and if you don’t follow them, the penalties could be steep.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• Who needs to comply with FTC regulations
• What the penalties could be if you don’t comply
• What you can and cannot include in testimonials or other social proof
• Everything you need to know about using experts or celebrities to promote your product
• The specific language you need to use in your disclaimers (fair warning: you’re not going to like it!)
• Whether or not you should add an earnings disclaimer on your website and what it should say

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at www.awbfirm.com/podcast164!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

Most everyone I know will not shed one single tear when it’s time to bid 2020 farewell. We’re all ready for a new year and a new start after everything that’s been thrown at us this year. But there’s still plenty of opportunity to run a successful year-end promotion in your business.

Going through a launch, running a challenge, or doing a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale is stressful enough when everything goes right - not to mention when something goes wrong (like your FB ads account gets disabled, no one shows up to your webinar, or you can’t get your ads approved for your sale).

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• The Facebook ad basics you need to know (especially if your ads keep getting denied)
• How to break through noise and offer fatigue to make your year-end promotion a success
• What people are really tired of in 2020
• Ways to structure your year-end promotions for maximum engagement
• New Facebook ad limits that are rolling out soon

BONUS: If this episode has spotlighted areas of your business’s website that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your it’s in good shape legally. Download our legal for websites  checklist to make sure your website won’t drag your year-end promotion down at www.awbfirm.com/podcast163!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 124 of the Legal Road Map® podcast: https://awbfirm.com/podcast124

Privacy Policy contract template: https://awbfirm.com/collections/all/products/website-privacy-policy-for-u-s-businesses-gdpr-compliant

Episode 125 of the Legal Road Map® podcast: https://awbfirm.com/podcast125

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.

Navigating the world of LLCs, bookkeepers, and legal can be tough when you’re new to the business world. But doing it in the middle of Covid? That’s a lesson in patience and perseverance!

Boudoir and personal branding photographer Layra Marte shares how she navigates the world of online business and in-person connections to grow her photography business.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• How saying ‘yes’ to unpaid opportunities can sometimes pay off BIG
• Why surrounding yourself with people who inspire you can help you uplevel your business
• Why it’s so important to be crystal clear with your clients about what to expect during their shoot (duration, outfit changes, etc.)
• The importance of not being afraid to ask questions - to government offices, or to friends who are also running a business
• How to break through the hesitation to charge for something you love doing

BONUS: If you’re starting something new, or this episode has spotlighted areas of your business that have you worried, now is a great time to make sure your business is in good shape legally. Download our free legal checklist to make sure your business has a strong legal foundation at www.awbfirm.com/podcast162!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Layra’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/layramarz/

Layra’s website: https://www.layramarz.com

This podcast is information, not legal advice specific to your situation.