You:“OK, here’s the truth of it, Layne. I’m pretty aware that I haven’t fully dotted my i’s and crossed my t’s. I want to be responsible and protect my business baby. I put all this love and time and effort and blood and sweat and tears and MONEY… of course I want to safeguard it!”
Layne:“I’m super glad to hear you say that! ‘Cause here’s the truth from where I’m standing: if you have a business and you have clients–meaning money is changing hands in exchange for your services–and you don’t have written documents in place for those transactions… you’re exposing yourself.
Not necessarily that you’d get sued, I think that’s a long shot. But truthfully, getting sued is only one of the legal pitfalls. There are lots of other things that can go sideways. Smart business owners protect themselves from that stuff… and that’s why we’re having this conversation. Because you are a smart business owner.”
You:“Thanks. Even though I know I need to do this, I still haven’t done anything about it. Sometimes I find myself thinking, ‘I can figure this out.’ So I go online and start reading stuff and trying to decipher some legal jibberty jabber, and then I get confused.
It’s SO overwhelming. The next thing you know I’ve stuck my head in the proverbial sand and I’m eating popcorn in my Lulu’s and watching Law and Order (ironically). I know I’m missing something, I just don’t know what.”
Layne: “OK don’t panic, amiga! Stop biting your nails; we’ve got this. Luckily for you, I DO know what you’re missing. Hello, it’s good to meet me. [Wink] Let’s get it out in the open from the get-go: I’m a lawyer. Have been for 25 years. I protect women’s businesses, and that’s what I’m driven to do.
I help women entrepreneurs get the right legal structures and contracts in place to protect themselves and their businesses. I am an entrepreneur myself, so I know exactly where are and what you what you need to do. I’ve started and run five corporations. I have helped so many women just like you. So I’m qualified to tell you: Getting this done isn’t as big and bad as you think it is.”
You: “Sweet. I’ve been hoping to find someone experienced, knowledgeable and trustworthy to show me how to bulletproof my business, without spending 17 bazillion dollars. I don’t want to figure it out by myself, and I want to be confident I’m covered in the ways I need to be covered.”
Layne: “Well, now you do know someone like this! I know exactly what we need to do, and the special sauce you get working with me is how I make legal stuff totally understandable. If we work together, you’ll feel fully supported throughout the whole process, you’ll always know exactly what you need to do next and why. I’m kinda fun too, even if I do say so myself. You might even change your opinion of lawyers!”
You: [Laughing] “Well don’t go too crazy! I know in my heart of hearts there isn’t actually such a thing as a real, proper business that doesn’t have its legal ducks in a row.
My business is not a hobby, so I know I need to figure it out. But what does that mean, exactly? I’m not really sure. Does my website need something? Is the crappy contract I patchworked together and use with my clients gonna cut it if something bad happens? Is there other stuff I need that I don’t even know about?”
Layne: “Yep, probably not, and extremely likely, respectively.”
You: “Ugh.”
Layne: “But there’s good news: It can be simple to protect your business. The risk of leaving it flapping in the wind with no panties on is downright unnecessary! The risk of shizz going down is SO high, but the fix to prevent that is SO easy… I just want to wrap every single business I can in a cocoon of legal protections.
I don’t want anyone to be vulnerable for no reason! I know it doesn’t feel easy to you right now, but it will by the time we’re done.”
You: “OK… I want to know EXACTLY what I need to do! I have absolutely zero clue what to do or where to get started. I want to do the right things, in the right order, and feel like a legitimate pro! If things ever go wrong, I want to be in the best position I can be to deal with it. Can you help?”
Layne: “Totally. I will provide you exact answers and you’ll have so much peace of mind, knowing this is handled. No more guessing. Look, babe: You dress the part; you’re a badass. You’ve got the logo and the branding and the website and your offerings and your processes.
You’re already a legit business owner. The legal stuff might seem a bit more “behind the scenes”, but it also might be the thing that MOST makes you feel like the pro that you are. And as far as I’m concerned, getting this handled is only partially about protecting yourself from the bad stuff that can happen.
It’s also about the confidence you will gain. Having legal protections will give you the confidence to shine… to share more openly, to play bigger, to be brighter, to get better opportunities, to level up.
You: “You just described heaven.”
Layne: “If I had described heaven, I’m pretty sure there would have been mention of baby goats and bubbly champagne. Anyway come on, let’s get started! Let’s do it once, do it right and never worry about it again.”
