For many business owners, arriving at the point of needing to hire someone because you have more work than you can handle is an absolute dream come true.  But loose hiring practices can lead you to make some extremely costly mistakes -- like hiring an independent contractor who really should be classified as an employee, or not using a contract to make sure you and your worker are on the same page. In this episode, we’ll cover: Why it matters what state your worker lives in, and where your company is located How the number of hours worked and whether or not your worker has other clients ..read more

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 c ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 upleve ..read more

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 you ..read more

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 ..read more

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 comp ..read more

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 episo ..read more