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Are you protecting your business, or leaving value exposed every day?

Could a single contract clause undo years of hard work?

Would investors discover something you never knew you didn’t own?

If you want to protect value and avoid costly legal surprises, this episode is for you.

John Downes speaks with Rachel Delaney, Founder and Fractional General Counsel at Resident Legal. Rachel shows how early legal action saves money, builds confidence, and makes a business exit-ready.

What You’ll Learn:

== Why early legal involvement creates confidence, not cost

== How to lock down your intellectual property before investors ask

== Ways to empower teams through Contract Playbooks

== The rise of wage-compliance risk and how to avoid it

== Why exit readiness starts with strong legal foundations

Highlights

00:00 Rachel’s legal journey and career path

02:17 Why startups need early legal support

04:13 Case study: IP issues that cost founders

06:37 Legal essentials every startup should know

08:07 How Contract Playbooks protect and empower

10:49 Understanding wage theft and compliance risks

14:01 Legal challenges during growth and major deals

16:51 Fractional legal counsel for scaling businesses

23:55 How to prepare for exits and mergers

38:40 #CriticalFewActions™ for Senior Leaders

The #CriticalFewActions™ You Can Do Today

When I work with successful business leaders, I often see them delay legal steps until problems become urgent. Waiting too long is always costly.

The first Insight is about locking down intellectual property early.

If you don’t own it, you can’t sell it.

• Audit all IP ownership with founders and contractors.

• Include written IP assignment clauses before work begins.

The second Insight is about being contract-ready.

Teams lose deals—or accept risk—without a playbook.

• Build a Contract Playbook listing red flags and escalation rules.

• Train staff to use it and call for help early.

The third Insight is about preparing for exit long before sale.

Messy records erode confidence and reduce value.

• Treat legal housekeeping as part of value creation.

• Build your data room now so due diligence confirms success.

If you found this conversation valuable, please Subscribe / Follow, leave a comment, and share this episode with your peer business leaders. Your support helps us reach more CEOs who want to improve their organisation performance and value.

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This isn’t another generic leadership course. It’s a highly focused, small-group programme where you’ll work alongside your peers, on your business, break through barriers, and implement real-world strategies—not just to solve the problems holding your business back, but to accelerate your growth faster than you thought possible.

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Final Thought

Every CEO wants growth, but protecting what you’ve built defines long-term success. Legal foresight isn’t paperwork—it’s smart business. Audit your contracts this week.

#CriticalFewActions #CEOMasterclass #Leadership #LegalStrategy #BusinessGrowth #ExitReady #FractionalCounsel #Entrepreneurship #Governance #RiskManagement