Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this information is for general knowledge. Please seek legal advice from a legal representative from your state. This post contains affiliate links.

Don't Leave Any Part Of Your Business Unprotected!

When you run a small business, no one tells you what to do, and so most of the time, you just wing it. At least, that's what I did.

Well, I wish someone would have told me the importance of setting up my business with the correct legal documents sooner.

Because I want your business to be setup for success, I want to pass this on to you.

The year I finally implemented contracts and legal documents like a privacy policy, terms of service, LLC setup and my independant contractor contracts, I was faced with a legal dispute that could have cost me thousands plus court fees and lawyer fees. I was under so much stress that I gained 30 lbs.

Thankfully, because I had the correct legal documents in place, I was in the clear. Whew

What no one tells you when starting your entrepreneurial journey is all the legal things you need to be protected from or documents you are legally required to have on your website.

I had no clue that businesses are required by law to have a Privacy Policy on their website. Also, having a “terms of service” is highly recommended to go with that.

Then there’s unexpected things like unhappy customers, unprotected chargebacks, failed transactions or even being sued. This is where the term “treating your business like a real business” really makes the rubber hit the road.

Investing in legal contracts is not the sexy part of running a business but MAN am I so glad I implemented these when I did.

One of my recommended attorney-drafted-up templates is the Contract Shop® .

You get attorney-drafted contract template that is easy to customize and comes with tons of support so you can make it fully your own. For a fraction of the cost of a real lawyer, and with way more coverage than those freebie templates we’ve all used from the internet 🙈

CONTRACTS I SUGGEST FOR ONLINE BUSINESS OWNERS:

Basic Terms of Service & Privacy Policy - These 2 are a must of every online business GDPR and CaCPA Compliant! In accordance with the GDPR, it is required by law to have a privacy policy on your business website. Explain to your users what kind of information you collect, what you do with that information, and how users can behave on your website and use your content. If you want to run a real business, you need to show your visitors you care about their experience with your brand. You need to show them you take their privacy seriously.(Not to mention that the consequences for overlooking a potential breach can be disastrous. Unless you love getting slapped with Surprise Fines!
Blogger Disclaimer - A set of disclaimer templates to use on your blog posts when promoting paid, sponsored, or affiliate link promotions. Includes an Earnings Disclaimer!
Selling digital products and courses - What kind of information is collected & how (emails, cookies, names, etc.)
What you do with the information you collect
How you protect the information collected
What third parties have access to the information you collect (i.e. your hosting platform, server, ISP, employees/contractors, etc.)
Who is advertising on your site and what information the advertisers have access to (and while you're at it, it may be prudent to say something about how these are third parties with their own privacy policies and terms & conditions...)
Users implicit consent to your privacy policy by visiting your website
When the policy was last updated and a notification that the policy could change at any time, so visitors should always refer to your privacy policy for the latest version
Independant Contractor - Effective communication and a proper contract are great ways to avoid any unsettling situations. But, sometimes, we run into a nightmare client. It’s reassuring to know that your contracts clearly lay out what you expect of clients, and when, so they can reference this at any time and deliver what is expected as needed. On the other hand, if you have a vague contract that leaves your clients guessing, they could feel neglected, left out, and maybe even fearful that you’re not taking care of them!
Photographers - Shooting weddings, portraits, newborns, and anything else you can frame in your viewfinder? Includes Photo editor contract, wedding and portrait contract, stock and commercial templates, NDA agreement, model release, print release.
LLC Operating Agreement - The point of having an LLC, and what makes it different from a DBA, is that it separates your business and personal assets in case something were to happen in either area (like…getting sued personallyor in your business, yikes).You want to make sure that if someone tries to come after you in a situation like that they won’t be able to touch those other assets. Having the LLC in place protects you in that circumstance.