The Legal Paige® Podcast

Most small business owners I know are 1. Badass and 2. Constantly running between one project and another. There are always SO many things to be done and at times “small” tasks (like making sure contracts are properly sent and signed) can be tedious.The catch? Sometimes the seemingly smallest tasks aren’t so small when they can have BIG legal consequences. If your business is a limited liability company (LLC) or has multiple owners, this podcast episode is for you.A popular question in The Legal Paige Community is “Can one person sign on behalf of an LLC?” or “Do all owners need to sign every business contract?” In this podcast episode, I am answering these questions and giving you my legal take on how and who should be signing contracts on behalf of your business. YOUR BUSINESS FORMATION MATTERSWhen you’re signing a contract,  your business’ formation matters. Unlike sole proprietors who are their business (and can sign as their business) an LLC is considered a separate legal entity from you as the owner.That means owners will sign on behalf of the company. You don't need to sign a contract as “The Legal Paige, LLC'' for example, but rather you as the owner will sign YOUR legal name as an authorized representative of the company. So for example I would sign it as “Paige Griffith” with the title of your position below your signature, so again just as an example, for myself I would then add in the title, “Owner of The Legal Paige, LLC”. A good thing to note is this doesn’t mean you are personally responsible for debts or liabilities incurred under a contract. You are still afforded the protection of limited liability that an LLC offers when you are the owner signing your name on behalf of the business. And knowing how to properly sign your contract as an LLC is important for keeping that protection bubble of your LLC intact. MORE FROM THIS EPISODE Press play on Episode 157 and learn more about how to sign a contract if your business has multiple owners, what sole proprietors need to think about when it comes to signing contracts, and my overarching legal take on the matter!  If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

When it comes to running a successful business, it can feel like there are A LOT of legal aspects to consider (and many entrepreneurs become overwhelmed trying to stay on top of it all). Protecting your business is important and there are several ways to do it…but at The Legal Paige we like to tell business owners that what you really need is the business triangle: Insurance, Contracts and the right Business Structure. While you can't prevent legal issues from arising, having these three main lines of protections with your business will protect your assets and your business if the worst does happen!In Episode 156, we'll dive into the importance of insurance and how it can protect your business in the event of unforeseen circumstances, your business’s contracts and how they can help define the terms and conditions of your business relationships, and the crucial role that business structure plays in limiting liability and protecting your personal assets. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of  how all three of these things work together when a legal issue pops up (and the various lines of defense these create to protect you)MORE FROM THIS EPISODE:Tune into Episode 156 for more information on the “business triangle” and WHY it’s so important for protecting your business! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

Let’s say you came up with an AMAZING business name, it’s an extension of your legal name, but it is so unique. You know it exists no where else, and you are literally giddy thinking about what the future holds. While you are marketing, and doing business under this name, I want to share with you why you should file a DBA application and what it can do for your business.. Whether you are a sole proprietor doing business under a different name then your legally given name. Or you are a seasoned business owner, thinking of operating an extension under your LLC using a different name… this episode is for you.WHAT IS A DBA? “Doing Business As” aka “DBA” means that you are running your business under a different name than the name of your business. Sometimes when you start your business your bills and paperwork are under one name but the name that you advertise under is another name. For instance, if you are a sole proprietor that is using a name that is different from your own legal name you would have a DBA (i.e. my personal name is Paige Griffith and my DBA would be “The Legal Paige”). Additionally, if you are an LLC, and you are operating an extension of your business under a name that is different than the legally registered LLC name you would be using a DBA name (i.e. your biz is called Christa's Corner, LLC but you sell things online as “Christa’s Beautiful Belonging”). WHO SHOULD FILE A DBA?People often wonder why the heck a DBA is even necessary. Operating under a DBA is a great way to separate your business name from your legal name if you are operating as a sole proprietorship. Additionally, having a DBA will ultimately help you grow, expand, and be an official biz in the eyes of your customers and other businesses in your area because you are operating under a more official name. Before you start operating under a DBA you need to register it with the state. I cannot tell you how many small businesses operate as a sole proprietorship but have not filed ANYTHING with their state. Here is the main thing you need to know as a sole proprietor: If you are operating your business with a name other than your legal given name you MUST file your DBA in your state and/or county. It is also often required to have a DBA if you want to set up a business bank account. Although some banks do not require it and you may use your social security number, I STILL recommend getting a DBA to be official with your state. MORE FROM THIS EPISODE:Tune into Episode 156 for more information on DBA’s including HOW to actually file a DBA and why this is so important for your business! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

As an entrepreneur,  you're always on the lookout for ways to stay ahead of the curve and grow your business. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, it's becoming more and more tempting to use online tools and programs to generate content for your brand. But, before you jump on the AI bandwagon, let's talk about the legal implications.How can you use AI content legally? Do you need a licensing agreement? Can you copyright AI-generated text and pictures? These are the burning questions we'll be tackling in Episode 154 of The Legal Paige Podcast. What IS AI-Generated Content?AI-generated content is content that is created using machine learning algorithms, without any direct human input. AI can generate text, images, videos, and even entire websites. For small business owners, AI-generated content can be a game-changer because it can save time and resources. Instead of spending hours creating social media posts, blog content, or product descriptions, business owners can use AI tools and programs to generate content quickly and efficiently. Can My Business Own AI-Generated Content? Is It Copyrightable?The answer to this question depends on the specific circumstances of your business and the content that has been generated. In general, businesses can own AI-generated content if they have a license agreement in place with the AI technology provider that grants ownership rights. However, it's important to note that the copyrightability of AI-generated content is a gray area in the legal landscape. In the United States, the Copyright Office has stated that it will only register works created by a human author, which could exclude AI-generated content from copyright protection. However, there is ongoing debate about this issue, and some legal experts believe that AI-generated content should be eligible for copyright protection. All in all, right now as I record this episode in March 2023, it is possible for businesses to own AI-generated content, and it may be eligible for copyright protection. However, it's important to note that the level of involvement of AI in creating the content must be carefully considered. To be eligible for copyright protection, the majority of the work must be created by a human author, with AI only playing a supportive or supplemental role. What Do I Absolutely Need To Know Regarding The Legalities of Using AI?Simply put: DISCLOSE WHEN YOU ARE USING AI. When you use AI toward any commercial endeavor, you absolutely should let consumers and the public know AI contributed! Otherwise, you can be at risk of a software company claiming copyright infringement or consumers claiming misrepresentation. TLP’s suggestion is to do two key things:Put a disclaimer within your Website Terms & Conditions if you are utilizing AI to create any type of content you are posting on your website. That means if you use AI to write the copy on your website, write blog posts, create stock images, etc. you absolutely should be disclosing that to users. Put a clause in your client contract if you are utilizing AI in any way for the services you are providing. This is also the most ethical way to approach the use of AI right now because of consumer unawareness until it becomes more mainstream in society. MORE FROM THIS EPISODEPress play on Episode 154 and learn more about Artificial Intelligence (AI), how to legally use AI as a small business owner and so much more.If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

Here's the situation: You had a client inquire about your services (yay!). They seemed excited and the conversation led you to send over a contract. You wait and wait for a response only to hear crickets…so you end up signing on another client for the date in question. You can’t wait around forever, right? But then the original client comes back and says they are ready to sign. Your stomach drops because you gave away the spot and now you have an angry ex-potential client on your hands demanding that they have that date despite their own lack of communication. What do you do? Do you give in and cancel the other contract? What if they leave a terrible review about you? In Episode 153 of The Legal Paige Podcast, I dig into this sticky situation and let you in on how I would handle it (and how you can avoid it in the first place).HOW TO RESPOND IN THIS (STICKY) SITUATION The most important thing you can do to address this situation is to respond back with the facts! Tell the person that you communicated with them in X way X amount of times. Explain that you book your services on a first come first serve basis and that you waited a certain amount of time (say two weeks) with an open contract and didn’t hear from them. Reiterate that you moved onto a new client, apologize, but be firm in your stance that your services are highly sought after and it’s not your fault that they had such a delay. TIPS FOR AVOIDING PROBLEMS LIKE THIS IN THE FUTUREAlways set a deadline for when your contracts need to be signed, clearly communicate to your clients that if they don't sign by that date you will open the date back up to other inquiries. Especially important here with sought-after dates.Follow up 24 hours prior to the contract deadline. Alert the potential client that their deadline is approaching and a signature is necessary to make things official - documentation and proof are your friends here!Tie up loose ends. After the contract deadline has passed, follow up with the client and say that the contract signing period has lapsed. Therefore, you will open their date back up. Remind them that if they would like to book services or they choose another date, they will have to sign a contract at that time and your pricing is subject to change.MORE FROM THIS EPISODE:Tune into Episode 153 of The Legal Paige Podcast for more details about how to handle this sticky situation and avoid it in the future. You don’t want to miss my BEST tip for motivating potential clients to sign ASAP toward the end of the episode.If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

After experiencing bank fraud pretty significantly at the end of January, I recorded this podcast episode to open up about my experience. One day I woke up, checked my bank account, and noticed a HUGE, and I mean HUGE fraudulent transaction from my bank account. Once I thought I had gotten it all figured out with my bank, we had more fraud hit another business bank account.  After having a bit of time to process and time pass, I am now ready to impart some of these lessons to you, and shed some light on how you can legally protect yourself, separate your bank accounts accordingly, keep your assets separate, and ultimately, why I HIGHLY suggest having an LLC or C corp.WHAT IS FRAUD? According to dictionary.com, fraud is deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.Wire fraud is the use of electronic communication with the intent to commit financial fraud. A scammer poses as a trusted source, usually a vendor, company, or family member, and requests an immediate wire transfer of funds. The fraudster will usually play up the urgent need for the funds, often claiming an emergency, as a way to emotionally manipulate the victims.Now why does this sticky situation matter to you as a business owner?  Because it can literally happen to ANYONE, including your friendly online attorney who’s generally got her shiz together. HOW CAN YOU LEGALLY PROTECT YOURSELF?Generally speaking, try to use a card to pay for services. A credit card is honestly best because it's not tied to your bank account, but a debit card is fine as a second best option because you can hot card it and cancel it immediately and just get a new one. However, of course, the reality is that if you’re an online business owner like me, you probably have 9823 million online platforms tied to your card for it to auto pay monthly. BUT, my big big big suggestion for you here is to stop paying by check for things and also try your hardest to avoid paying using your bank account number.*If you are using the same bank for personal and business purposes, get two different logins for your accounts! Stop storing your passwords on Google chrome or any other type of auto password generator. This is one of the easiest ways for a hacker to get access to your online accounts.Check your bank accounts daily, if not every other day (that’s what the bank suggested to me).If you save passwords anywhere, save them in a highly encrypted, two-factor authentication password security program. We actually moved from Lastpass to Keeper because of this issue. And, I’m not going to lie, I’ve been talking with some cyber security gurus about what happened with me and they even said keeping a Rolodex or little notepad of your passwords is oftentimes LESS of a security risk than keeping them in an online platform. Hackers are getting more and more sophisticated and it's really something we all need to be better about. It's not IF it will happen to you, it's when.  MORE FROM THIS EPISODETune into Episode 152 and learn more about my experience with bank fraud including tips for protecting yourself, why you should separate your LLC accordingly, and more. Also, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

With Q4 wrapped up, and Q1 kicking off, it’s time to hone in and think about not just our big goals for the year, but what it will take to reach those goals.The excitement of a new year can leave us almost with a squirrel-like brain! We are still in a bit of fog from the holidays, we have ideas coming and flowing to us and we think we need to jump on everything NOW! It doesn’t help that we are seeing things on social media that are telling us not to wait, to jump in head first, and that we should be a certain point by now for Q1 to be successful. In part two of this podcast series, I want to take you on a journey of creating your roadmap of your goals and how this will set us on the right path to creating a rock solid foundation for the rest of the year. And like I mentioned, having this roadmap is really going to help curb the squirrel-like brain you may be feeling. Because as business owners, we are here to create lasting, sustainable growth and in order to do that you need to have a foundation that is as rock solid as the contract you send your clients. START WITH SMOOTH OPERATIONS + PROVISION I want you to imagine that you could snap your fingers or wiggle your nose and INSTANTLY achieve all of your goals! But hitting all your goals overnight would probably not be all good news. Usually we are not prepared for this type of growth overnight.  I want you to use this prompt as an exercise to uncover what you truly need to do to not only hit your goals, but to have a solid foundation in place to support them! What would go wrong? What would break? What other issues would this cause in your life / biz? This prompt will help you uncover the people, processes, systems, and tasks that are essential to your success. You could even say they are squirrel-proof!To give you an example, let’s say one of the big goals you set was launching a course and enrolling over 100 students. If you enrolled those students right now, what would the onboarding look like? Would you even be able to send out that many contracts, accept that many payments, and actually be about to onboard everyone with customer service top of mind? Now I want you to break down all that needs to be done, so things don’t go wrong. So sticky situations hopefully don’t happen. What do you need to put in place now in Q1, what do you need to plug into Q2, and Q3 to make this a successful launch? Because odds are if you are launching something in 2023, all the prep work needs to be done long before Q4. It’s important after we have set our roadmap for our big goals, to get clear on finding any leaks that could be exposed or amplified when achieving that goal. Again, as we go back to our road trip we are on for 2023, this would be making sure there is air in all 4 tires, that the windshield washer fluid is full, that you don’t need an oil change any time soon. Sort of putting out the fires before they become fires. MORE FROM THIS EPISODETune into Episode 151 and learn more about setting a roadmap for 2023 including preparing your taxes, using contracts and insurance, and smooth operations. If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

With Q4 wrapped up, and Q1 kicking off, it’s time to hone in and think about not just our big goals for the year, but what it will take to reach those goals.The excitement of a new year can leave us almost with a squirrel-like brain! We are still in a bit of fog from the holidays, we have ideas coming and flowing to us and we think we need to jump on everything NOW! It doesn’t help that we are seeing things on social media that are telling us not to wait, to jump in head first, and that we should be a certain point by now for Q1 to be successful. In this two-part podcast series, I want to take you on a journey of creating your roadmap of your goals and how this will set us on the right path to creating a rock solid foundation for the rest of the year. And like I mentioned, having this roadmap is really going to help curb the squirrel-like brain you may be feeling where nuts are falling all around you (whether that be on social media, in your work email inbox, talking to your friends) and you want to munch on them all. But, that’s not sustainable and its hard to know which ones work best. Because as business owners, we are here to create lasting, sustainable growth and in order to do that you need to have a plan and lay the proper groundwork for everything to be properly built on top of.WHY YOU SHOULD SET A GOALS ROADMAP During the first few weeks of the New Year, it’s imperative for small businesses to set concrete goals for the upcoming year. Without gaining the clarity on what it is you want to achieve in 2023, and without connecting the dots…you are going to find yourself in the first sticky situation of the year- squirrel brain. If we go to the metaphor of our road trip, this is going to have you driving in circles all year, stuck in the everyday doing motion and it’s going to take you off the path of your aligned dreams. Having a path is essential in every road trip. As you are setting these goals, I also encourage you to set milestones metrics with your new goals. These milestones help you and your team to identify the progress you are making and reassure you that you are on the right path! How much do you hope to be making by certain points in the year, if you are running launches and sales… How much revenue and students do you hope to bring in and enroll? And if you aren’t sure what metrics to set, look at how well you did the previous year and what you want to grow by. This is going to give you a clear direction on where you need to go, and help prioritize what needs to be done next. Kind of like setting your GPS for your road trip knowing which turns to take and what highways to avoid. MORE FROM THIS EPISODETune into Episode 150 and learn more about setting a roadmap for 2023 including communicating about your goals, getting team members on the same page, and more! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

With the holidays quickly approaching, the week between Christmas and New Years can seem like the most hectic time for business owners. How  are we supposed to prepare for year end + focus on the new year all while trying to spend quality time with our family and create memories? It’s easy to feel the pull, and the guilt of what we should be doing in our business-  frantically checking and refreshing emails- and what we should be doing with our family (aka lounging, snacking on delicious meals, and wondering what day of the week it is). In today’s episode I am going to share why your business won’t spontaneously combust if you take the week off between Christmas and New Years and some easy tips for setting boundaries during your down time. TIP #1: TURN YOUR OUT OF OFFICE ONWrite a cute little holiday message, and let your clients know when you will be back in the office. I promise you, there will be ZERO emergencies between now and then. By setting the boundary and letting your clients know should they email you– you’re providing the customer service we all strive for. TIP #2: DON’T WORRY ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA . Plan a holiday post, and then delete the app for a bit. I promise NOT sharing your services, or ways to work with you is not going to make or break your business.  Likely your ideal clients are always going to be off social media and with their families as well. So save that hard hitting business post for 2023, where it’s likely to gain the traction it deserves anyways!TIP #3: LOCK AWAY YOUR WORK COMPUTER I’m sure that course you bought over Black Friday is super enticing to do on this week off, but is it really time off? From experience, if you do try to tackle that business course, you likely aren’t going to be putting the energy behind it that it deserves. Any action steps needed to take will likely slip off your to-do list. I recommend waiting until 2023 to tackle that project. MORE FROM THIS EPISODE Press play on Episode 149 and hear my full  run-down on taking time off between the holidays! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

If we learned anything this past year, it’s that things are ALWAYS changing. As an entrepreneur, it can be incredibly consuming to keep up with it all and to figure out what you should be implementing, marketing, and doing as a business owner when things shift on the daily. Not to mention– there isn’t much extra time to give! Between working with clients, taking care of yourself, and spending time with loved ones…who has time to research the trends and predictions for 2023?  That’s where this podcast episode comes in. In Episode 148 I did the research for you and am sharing the biggest trends we are going to see with business’ next year. More From This EpisodePlain and simple, no one wants to be left in the dust while all the other businesses are adapting to what consumers want. Tune into Episode 148 for more details about each of these trends so that you can stay on top of your game plan for 2023.  And remember…as you are looking at how your small business can adopt these trends and others, always make sure you are legally legit!

At year's end a topic on every business owners’ mind is: Have I fully maximized my deductions this year? We all want to lower the amount of money we owe to the government– but  sometimes it can be a little confusing as to what actually counts. In Episode 146 of The Legal Paige Podcast, I share what purchases you can send to the ‘write off people’ (i.e. the IRS and your state government). Pro tip: Getting organized with your taxes + deductions BEFORE the holidays will set you up for success in 2023 and help you feel more prepared. With Black Friday next week, you can save on those write off expenses even more because everyone is having a sale. I always tell people waiting until the last minute (like Dec 30th or 31st) could cost you more when you could have gotten a steal over Black Friday if you were strategic about your tax deductions. Be proactive, think things through, and make wise decisions. Your tax-deduction purchases should benefit your business and contribute to your overall success. My accountant always says even though I could deduct that $1000 purchase, I could also not buy it and make 70% of the $1000 dollars. Sometimes keeping $700 of the $1000 is just a better financial decision. You’re in business to make a profit.MORE FROM THIS EPISODE: Tune into Episode 146 and learn:Office improvements that count as deductions. How to stock up on supplies + prepay expenses.Why legal contracts are a great tax write-off. How to write off bad business debts. Employee bonuses and gifts that count as deductions.And so much more! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

We've all been there before with a nightmare client, right? And if you're new to business and haven’t had your share of stressful clients- it’s probably a matter of when not if. Less-than-ideal clients are an expected part of business ownership; however, if you haven't legally protected yourself, the damage they do can go far beyond headaches. Sticky client situations can lead to loss of significant amounts of revenue and time as well as decrease your emotional well being and increase your stress with lawsuits. While I can't promise you a magic solution to prevent nightmare clients- I do have ways you can protect yourself before you ever find yourself working with them. In Episode 145, I go over the 4 clauses you should have in your contract to set you up for success within your client relationships (and ultimately help save you thousands in needless legal costs)! These clauses will protect you from legal action and provide you with an escape route for when things turn south. MORE FROM THIS EPISODE:Press play on Episode 145 and you’ll learn:What is a Scope of Service ClauseWhat is a Limitations of Liability ClauseWhat is a Scope Creep Clause What is a Cancellation Clause The reason you should peek at TLP’s a la carte clauses to bolster your contract.If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

Have you been sitting there pondering what 2023 is going to look like?Maybe you're wondering how you can achieve more next year- reach more people, scale your business to new heights, and even start bringing in new revenue streams! We’ve seen entrepreneur after entrepreneur talk about adding passive income to their business and the various revenue streams that have catapulted them to success. But what ideas are actually going to work in 2023? After all, we’ve seen in the past 2+ years, we want to build businesses that can withstand it all. But sometimes the logistics of HOW to implement new revenue streams feel murky. Especially if you are a service provider feeling like the only way to grow your business is to trade more time for money. In part two of this two-part series, I am going to help you cut through all the noise we hear online and share the strategies I recommend the MOST. In this episode, I focus on 2 income streams that you can add to your existing business, especially ones that will help you make more while working less. By the end of this series, my goal is for you to feel ready to hit the ground running with your new (legally legit) revenue stream. MORE FROM THIS EPISODE Press play on Episode 144 and listen as I dig into 2 more promising income streams for 2023. You’ll learn:The benefits of turning your knowledge into an online course. How to legally protect your business when offering online courses. Why I love subscriptions and membership programs. The legal products your toolkit needs if you want to get into memberships.And so much more! If you missed it, check out Part 1 of this series HERE! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

Have you been sitting there pondering what 2023 is going to look like?Maybe you're wondering how you can achieve more next year- reach more people, scale your business to new heights, and even start bringing in new revenue streams! We’ve seen entrepreneur after entrepreneur talk about adding passive income to their business and the various revenue streams that have catapulted them to success. But what ideas are actually going to work in 2023? After all we’ve seen in the past 2+ years, we want to build businesses that can withstand it all. But sometimes the logistics of HOW to implement new revenue streams feels murky. Especially if you are a service provider feeling like the only way to grow your business is to trade more time for money. In part one of this two part series, I am going to help you cut through all the noise we hear online and share the strategies I recommend the MOST. In this episode I focus on 3 income streams that you can add to your existing business, especially ones that will help you make more while working less. By the end of this series, my goal is for you to feel ready to hit the ground running with your new (legally legit) revenue stream. MORE FROM THIS EPISODE Press play on Episode 143 and listen as I dig into 3 promising income streams for 2023. You’ll learn:Easy digital product ideas that could boost your bottom line.How to legally protect your business when selling digital products online.Why I love affiliate marketing (and how much TLP brings in from our amazing affiliates).The legal products your toolkit needs if you want to get into affiliate marketing. And so much more! Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series coming soon! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

Do you find yourself wishing - DREAMING - of having more time? What would an extra 20 hours a month mean for you and your business? Let’s face it, as entrepreneurs we wear SO MANY hats (especially in the first few years of business as we start to pave our own path). CEO, CFO, assistant, customer service rep, tech support, designer, social media manager, therapist, coach, visionary…the list goes on and on.All of the roles and responsibilities on our plate can really take a toll on us as people– but they also can take away from our craft. The more roles we take on, the more time we are away from doing what we actually love. Soon we can find ourselves wondering why we “followed our passion” when our jobs don’t even resemble what we first started out to do. Over here at TLP when we are out of our zones of genius, we refer to them as ‘Frankenstein Roles’, …these roles are TIME SUCKERS. When your  weeks are filled with Frankenstein Roles, it costs you: Time (In your business, away from your craft) Time (Outside your business, with your family, etc) Money (If you had those hours back to focus on areas that GROW the business) Sanity (When you are sucked into this kind of work, it drains you and leads to burnout a lot faster than when you are in flow doing what you love.) So how do you break free? The answer is simple: Hiring! I know hiring can sound like a big leap! (Where do I start? Who do I hire? What do I need in place before I bring someone onto my team)? In Episode 142, I’m pulling back the curtain to share with you the 4 best hires I made that saved me 20+ hours a month! If you want more helpful business advice as you’ll hear on the podcast, be sure to join The Legal Paige Facebook Community where thousands of entrepreneurs just like you are getting real-time answers about running a professionally and legally legit business.

Have you heard the exciting news?! The Legal Paige now has contracts available for Canadians! If you are a Canadian entrepreneur, TLP can now help you get legally legit. In this episode of The Legal Paige podcast, I introduce the attorney we brought on board to help make Canadian Contracts come to life. Courtney is a Canadian lawyer with a general practice based in rural Saskatchewan. The bulk of her work as a lawyer is focused on corporate law, real estate, and wills and estate administration. She is a wife, mother to a new baby born early this year, and lives on a mixed grain and cattle farm!The Canadian Catalog would NEVER have been able to happen without the help of our gal Courtney and I know you’ll enjoy this episode as we dive into all the important differences between Canadian and US law. THE BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CANADIAN + US LEGAL SYSTEM There are a lot of similarities in the US and Canadian legal system– but the biggest difference between our two country’s contracts lies in the boilerplate clauses. (Boilerplate clauses are those legal-language-heavy clauses that are found at the bottom of your contract). This is because the Canadian courts have been really clear about HOW they are going to interpret contract clauses when there is a dispute…so Canadians need to be especially careful with the wording to make sure the meaning is clear to everyone involved. Another huge difference between the two jurisdictions is the type of damages that will be awarded. Canadian courts rarely offer high rewards for damages in any case- whether that’s a contract dispute or otherwise. The only way you’ll see a high reward is if there was malicious conduct or highly reprehensible behavior (which is rare and hard to prove). Canadian courts DO often offer awards on cost to the winning party– if you go to trial with somebody in a contract dispute and you win, the other party might be ordered to pay your legal costs up to that point. If you're going all the way to trial you are spending upwards of $50,000 in legal fees so it’s really important for Canadian business owners to be aware of that and to have their bases covered with strong legal contracts. MORE FROM THIS EPISODE Press play on Episode 141 listen as we dive deep into the nuances between Canadian and US law. You’ll learn how Canadians should approach Website Terms and Conditions, the differences between copyright law (i.e. the surprising person that actually owns a photograph in Canada), how Canadians should register their businesses, employment laws to be aware of, how the Canadian Courts have handled Covid and service based contracts like ours, and Courtney’s best tips for Canadian business owners. The Legal Paige is so excited to now have Canadian Contracts available in the shop! Courtney has been a major piece in getting our Canadian Catalog set up and is working through converting all of our TLP Products to living Canadian documents. The biggest takeaway I have for Canadian entrepreneurs- and really all entrepreneurs-  is that NOW is the time to get legally legit. Now is the time to get protected. Now is the time to not shove things under the rug to deal with on another day. Your contracts are so important for your business– they are living documents that shift and grow as your business changes and they set the tone in your working relationship with clients.

If you’re a photographer you know how hard you work to get the perfect shot.    Between creating an ideal lighting scenario, mastering composition, choosing the correct lens, and ensuring your photo sessions run smoothly– you tell a story unlike any other. Many people don’t understand the astronomical amount of post-processing work that happens before a client ever sees their final images (which makes it even more frustrating when someone uses your work for their advertising without consent or payment).   Situations like this pop up all the time in the photography industry. Maybe a venue uses your image on a magazine advertisement without paying for the rights to use it or you see a local dress shop using your images for their latest campaign. In fact, The TLP Facebook Community is filled with questions surrounding this exact topic so you are in good company if you’ve ever wondered, “How do I protect my images while also being generous with my work?”    The solution is quite simple…a licensing agreement can help!    Although vendors often work together, that does not mean you have to give your copyrighted work to vendors for free nor can your vendors automatically use your photos without consent. In Episode 140 of The Legal Paige Podcast I dig into the power of licensing agreements and how you can ultimately leverage them in your business.    DO PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP OVER THEIR IMAGES?    Before we dig into licensing agreements, let’s address the legal heavy question on your mind: Do photographers have sole copyright ownership over their images?   The answer is YES! A hundred times over, yes.  (Under U.S. Law, The Copyright Act of 1976 and Title U.S.C. 17 to be exact).    Copyright protection exists the moment your work is created and fixed in a tangible form that can be seen either directly (in a physical form) or with the aid of a machine or device, such as a digital/film camera and computer.   This means you have copyright ownership over your photographs the moment your clients pose, say cheese, or make a funny face and your button is clicked.  With all this in mind remember this: vendors should NOT be using your photos without your permission, in fact NO ONE should be using your photos for commercial reasons without your permission. This is considered copyright infringement and it is against the law. To help protect yourself from infringement we recommend you make it known to every vendor that they can only use your photos if they license them from you first.   SHOULD YOU SHARE YOUR IMAGES WITH VENDORS FOR FREE?    It goes without saying, I am an attorney…not your marketing advisor. There are a wide array of opinions on this topic and some marketing experts m

When it comes to the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve come a long way since March 2020. National shutdowns and event restrictions are seemingly over (knock on wood) and many business owners are wondering whether they still need to address Covid-19 within their contracts.   The short answer? Yes.    The Covid-19 virus is still an issue, people are getting sick with new variants, and the CDC has kept quarantine measures in place for those that test positive. By no means is Covid-19 obsolete – but it also looks a lot different than it did three years ago. Many people are vaccinated, stores and businesses are fully open, events are happening on schedule, and the scary part of the pandemic seems to be behind us. With all that in mind, it’s important to review your business’ Covid-19 policies and adjust them to align with the times.   In Episode 139 of The Legal Paige Podcast, I stay at the forefront of the pandemic and share my legal perspective on how to keep your business legit and protected with the ever-changing nature of Covid-19. It has been a long three years since this virus appeared and it’s important to adapt your policies to protect yourself and your assets as the world adapts to the new normal. Covid-19 is here to stay but that doesn't mean you should be losing money or compromising your policies indefinitely. Here are a few important things to consider:    COVID-19 POSTPONEMENT + CANCELLATION CLAUSES  ARE A THING OF THE PAST    At the beginning of the pandemic, many entrepreneurs added our Covid-19 Postponement & Cancellation Clause to their contract. From March-December 2020, that was100% appropriate as new clients were trying to book and wanted a little ‘pressure release’ on rescheduling in case of issues with hosting their wedding/event due to Covid.    Now, as Covid-19 has become a permanent fixture in today’s world, entrepreneurs have to make hard business rules surrounding their rescheduling and cancellation policies. More and more people in the event and wedding industry are NOT allowing clients to reschedule or cancel anymore due to Covid-19. This is because if clients are choosing to plan an event right now, they are accepting the risk that Covid poses and choose voluntarily to proceed with those planning risks. Not to mention, if you are willing to block out dates on your calendar and say no to other clients; you cannot afford to allow unending reschedules or cancellations forever.     Ultimately, it makes sense for business owners to no longer give this “pressure release valve” or “open-ended rescheduling opportunity” to their clients. In fact, this is what I recommend as we move into the foreseeable future. AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COVID-19 AND NO RESCHEDULING CLAUSE IS THE WAY TO GO MOVING FORWARD    The Acknowledgement of Covid-19 and No Rescheduling Clause is a resource that still deserves a spot in your contract. This clause will help you communicate to your clients that you DON’T allow rescheduling due to Covid and that you have business policies in place that will apply if they try to change their date due to fear of Covid (i.e. rescheduling fees should apply!)    This clause also outlines that you will continue to perform your services for their wedding/event as long as you are legally able to do so (aka as long as there isn’t a stay-at-home order in place, you contract Covid, or you have been deemed a “close contact” with someone who tested positive and is supposed to quarantine for the health and safety of others). Thus, as long as you can operate your business and do what you are contracted to do for your clients, you will continue to do so and maintain the utmost safety and healt

Truth be told, social media hashtag strategies are becoming more complex by the day. The algorithms change on a dime and even seasoned business owners feel like they take one step forward and two steps back. Not to mention shadowbanning (where you can use one wrong hashtag that leaves you in the dark for an extended period of time) OR all the legal implications of using brand hashtags and potential copyright infringement.   It can be tempting to crawl into a metaphorical hole and never touch social media again, but as a business owner it’s smart to have some sort of online presence. With all its ups and downs, social media can help you reach people who may not have found you otherwise and that is worth its weight in gold. In Episode #138 of The Legal Paige Podcast, I break down one of the main legal dangers on social media: Using brand hashtags! Knowledge is power and by being aware of the potential pitfalls, you can navigate social media with more confidence and ease.     This episode was inspired by a question we received in The Legal Paige Facebook Community regarding Minted’s terms and conditions for using their hashtags. Basically, if you use certain hashtags like #sharemyminted or #mintedartist with a photo online then Minted claims you have essentially agreed to let them do whatever they want with the photo ( including share, reproduce, create derivative works of art from your photo without any compensation). Press play for my take on this situation as well as more tips on using brand hashtags without causing a lawsuit.    INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS + HASHTAGS    The first thing you should note is that a company may have intellectual property rights to their hashtags. Hashtags have become an integral part of selling products- especially on Facebook and Instagram- and courts are starting to address them in terms of intellectual property. Companies use hashtags during marketing campaigns and it reasonably follows that they want to monitor hashtag usage and prevent competitors from using it.    Can one company monopolize a hashtag? The answer is yes!    The United States Patent and Trademark Office gave some guidance regarding the protectability and registration of hashtags: “A mark comprising of or including the hash symbol (#) or the term ‘hashtag’ is registerable as a trademark of service only if it functions as an identifier of the source of the applicant’s goods or services.”   Hashtag trademarks that have been successfully registered as such in the United States include: #smilewithacoke and #cokecanpics (The Coca-Cola Company), #McDstories (McDonalds), and #makeitcount (Nike). Some hashtags that have been denied registribilty by the USPTO are #worldtravelor ( for a travel site), or  #friendsgiving ( for charitable fundraising services).  The distinction here is that the trademark was too broad. If you are going to trademark a brand hashtag it must identify your brand.    Although the USPTO has recognized the right to protect your brands hashtags, courts have been a bit split on the issue.  A federal court in California ruled that hashtags are merely descriptive devices, not trademarks in and of themselves but in an eastern Louisiana court, hashtags w

Boudoir Photography is a beautiful way for people to celebrate their bodies, reconnect with themselves, and boost their confidence. There’s something downright empowering about (tastefully) baring it all- especially for women who are busy juggling all the roles and rarely have time to get in touch with their inner selves. On Episode #137 of The Legal Paige Podcast, I sat down with Emily Sacco of Emily Sacco Boudoir to dive into all the beauty (and bummers) of running a luxury boudoir photography business.  Every photography business has its challenges, but with boudoir you enter into particularly intimate territory with unique legal liabilities. Emily and I’s conversation will help you bolster your own boudoir photography business so you can move forward with confidence (and continue igniting confidence in the clients you serve).    MEET EMILY SACCO   Emily Sacco is a strong working mom who owns a high-end boudoir photography business, Emily Sacco Boudoir. In her line of work, she sees countless women who struggle with feeling sexy and confident. That's why Emily is so passionate about helping women feel their best. She's helped countless women unlock their inner beauty and confidence and is excited to share her knowledge with the listeners of our podcast. Emily's real-life experience with running a business focused on empowering women makes her the perfect person to speak to this topic.   She truly believes that every woman is beautiful and deserves to feel confident in her own skin, and she is excited to share her knowledge with fellow photographers of the Legal Paige Podcast. Whether you're a photographer who’s a working mom like Emily, or simply looking for advice on up leveling your photography skills, Emily's insights are sure to help, inspire, and empower you in your own business.    THE SIMPLEST WAY TO  PROTECT YOUR BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS    There are numerous ways to protect your boudoir photography business and a Cancellation and Rescheduling Clause is on the TOP of our list. Boudoir sessions are a luxury service that are prone to cancellations. If a client has to choose between repairing their broken down car or the boudoir shoot they booked a few months ago- the photoshoot will likely be the first thing to go. Similarly, boudoir sessions are intimate and personal which can leave many people with cold feet as their scheduled time draws near. Emily even overbooks by 2-3 sessions each month because it’s basically industry standard to receive that many cancellations and reschedules.   All that being said, a Cancellation Clause and Rescheduling Clause is a must if you are a boudoir photographer as they outline the policies and additional fees you will uphold if a client does choose to cancel or reschedule. Being proactive and addressing these situations at the beginning of your client relationship will ultimately save your bottom line and give you peace of mind.    MORE FROM THIS EPISODE    Press play on Episode #137 and you’ll hear more of Emily’s must have contract clauses, why she d