Starting your business required arduous work on top of the heaps of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears you invested in it. The last thing you want to happen is to watch your business slip away because you were not able to protect it legally.
Business owners make themselves vulnerable by not knowing how to legally run a business and safeguard it from the ill will or inattention of others.
Here’s what to do so you don’t end up like one of them:
Protect your website
By protecting your website, you are also protecting yourself, your business, and the content you make. Your website lets you reach people all around the world, but you have no idea who reads your content and what they do with it. To minimize this risk, equip your site with a disclaimer, privacy policy, and terms and conditions.
A privacy policy is required if you collect email addresses or have a “Contact Us” form on the website. Basically, the privacy policy tells website visitors when and why you collect their information, and what you do with it. In your disclaimer, you should clearly state who you are, what you do, and your qualifications. Your terms and conditions is where you set the rules and regulations for the use of your site.
Archive your social media
The most active communication channels of your business may be your social media pages. Usually, multiple departments and users constantly handle new updates, tweets, and posts on your social media. To protect yourself, keep an accurate and complete history of these activities in case of audits or legal proceedings. To do this you need social media archiving.
Social media archiving lets you keep track of your social media accounts, and archive all the content. Choose an archiving tool that preserves your social media presence in a user-friendly way, and complies with regulations regarding online evidence documentation.
Stay within your scope of practice
One of the best ways to safeguard your business is to make sure that you are always operating within your scope of practice, which depends on your qualifications, what you do, and who you are as a business. If you provide business advice through your content, for example, you should let the readers know that you are not an accountant, lawyer, or financial adviser.
You have to operate your entire business according to your scope of practice. For instance, do not give health advice if you are a fitness coach but not a doctor. If you must, create a reliable network of professionals related to your field who you can refer to or reference in case your business gets asked for advice.
Stick to contracts on black and white
It is easy to text, email, or send a message to prospective clients online. However, old school documentation still rules in this area. Any agreement you are about to enter into with a client (whether for working together, or for the products and services you provide) should be accomplished in writing through a client contract.
The contract should clearly state what is and is not included. Client contracts commonly include your company policies, payment terms, and a disclaimer. If the client raises any issue, you have to be able to point back to the contract each time.
A lot of things in the world are unpredictable. You might think that your business will not get in trouble for something you are doing, and still receive a legal blow for it. Be proactive with your business. Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
