Soul Proprietor - Law and Order

You know what I’m doing today?

Paying my quarterly taxes.

Boring, right?

But it must be done. When you run a business, you have to be legit, which often means doing a lot of tedious things.

Shockingly, I come across many heart centered entrepreneurs who try to avoid the legal side of biz – or try to skirt the law through dubious methods.

Here’s some of the things I’ve heard over the years:

“I don’t care about legal stuff because if anyone sues me, they won’t get anything. I have nothing to lose.”

“Paying taxes is scary. I would rather not charge for my services than pay them.”

“Why do I need to understand my business structure?”

“You can’t use those words because I was thinking about trademarking them. I’m already using a TM symbol on my site.”

“Here’s a great idea on how to avoid paying taxes: get a minister’s license from the Universal Life Church and then start a church.” (Um…NO. Yes, someone actually gave that advice to a group of tarotpreneurs. Not kidding.)

Not many of us get excited when it comes to legal stuff (unless you are lawyer or an accountant).

In fact, most heart centered entrepreneurs would probably rather be serving their clients than dealing with spread sheets, contracts, and boring copyright stuff, right?

But here’s the deal: if you don’t take care of the legal side of your business, you’re not only setting your biz up for potential problems, but you’re operating without a safety net.

Dig this: think of how secure you’ll feel when you know that your taxes are paid on time, the images on your blog are used with permission, your products are copyrighted, and your business relationships have solid contracts in place.

If you don’t have those simple (yes, I know they don’t seem simple but they are) things in place, you’re always going to be looking over your shoulder, wondering when you are going to get busted. (Worrying about the taxman is not an enlightened feeling.)

So sit down and look at where you need to get more legit:

Do you have a business license?

Do you have a plan in place to pay your taxes?

Do you have a lawyer?

Do you have an accountant?

Do you use legal images for your blog?

Is your blog copyrighted?

Do you have your digital products (even free ones) copyrighted?

Is your web copy yours alone – or are you lifting words and posts from someone else’s site? (Plagiarism can take your site down faster than a hungry pit bull in a steak house.)

Do you have a DBA? Do you know what one is?

Do you have a trademark for your tagline, business name, or products?

Do you have a contract for any partnerships?

Do you have a system for keeping track of receipts?

Do you have a legal structure for your biz – and more importantly, do you understand it?

Do you have the proper insurance for your business?

Seem overwhelming? Breathe.

Pick one thing a day and deal with it.

You’ll feel better and so will your business.

And the best part: you’ll be showing up for your clients with a peaceful, secure mindset.

Blessings!

Theresa