How to legally protect your small business start-up and money-making blog
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I was very nervous when I came to conclusion to start my small business and money-making blog.
I had so many things to start working on: a content plan, social media marketing, defining my niche, a website design, and so many more aspects to my business plan. I didn’t really know where to start!
I started with topics I was passionate about and went from there. If I wasn’t interested in it, I knew I wouldn’t have enough of a passion for it over time. I started writing content and got to work with everything else after narrowing down my target audience and topics.
Then I was hit with an unknown factor. I had seen many money-making blogs have disclosures and disclaimers on their blog posts. I looked into a few and determined I needed to find or create legal contracts and forms for my business start-up and money-making blog.
I knew people needed lawyers for their business but had no idea how to go about it when I was just starting out. I didn’t have near enough money for a lawyer to create these documents for me!
You might not be aware of all the legal aspects that go into creating a small business or money-making blog too.
After searching and asking around, I found a few resources that are well worth the investment if you want to start your small creative business or money-making blog.
Legal Bundle For Blogs
I acquired my legal pages for my money-making blog from Amira from A Self Guru. Amira’s blogging legal bundle is easy to implement to your blog without a lot of hassle or headache.
Most lawyers could charge you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to format legal documents for your small business or blog. If you don’t want to pay that much or have the headache of searching for a lawyer, Amira’s legal bundle for bloggers are a great alternative for new bloggers and small business owners. Her legal bundle comes with easy fill-in-the-blank documents that will help you stay protected.
While this legal bundle is the basic documents you will need for your money-making blog, Amira also provides a variety of legal documents you might be interested in, such as sponsorship, affiliate, and more documents for your blog.
Each of these documents should be on your website or money-making blog before you launch your site. These legal documents protect both you and the customers that you or your website comes in contact with.
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy documents are put in place to protect your customer’s information. You might not acquire everyone’s email for your email list at first but you will still gain access to some of their information once they visit your site.
Most websites and blogs gather information from their visitors through cookies and analytics tracking. If you allow someone to pay for a service or product through your site or receive a customer’s email, name, or other personal information, you will need a Privacy Policy to protect and explain the future uses for your customer’s information.
Terms and Conditions
Creating Terms and Condition documents tells customers what actions they can pursue if they have problems with your services, products, or recommendations. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be held liable for any wrong-doing, but it should protect or aid you if anything is stolen, how to contact you, termination clauses, and other legal claims in regards to your property rights.
Your Terms and Conditions also allows you to explain how others can use your content or your services. If you see someone using your content without proper accreditation or approval, you should be able to rely on your Terms and Conditions to gain your content and property back.
Disclaimers and Disclosures
Disclaimers and Disclosures allow you to be transparent about your intentions around your products or services.
Sometimes Disclaimers can be funny, like when movies disclaim that no dragons were harmed when making a movie, but they are important for your customers to know. While they aren’t always humorous, disclaimers are set in place to limit your liability for your customers’ and visitors’ actions while on your blog or website.
Disclosures tend to allow customers to know more about the intent behind your recommendation or products. Before every blog post, you will also need to make sure you post your disclosure so viewers know you might receive a commission from any purchase(s) they make from your money-making blog.
Creative Business Contracts
If you are a creative small business, it’s important to have contracts to protect yourself when performing a service or product for a client.
You can just as easily look for a free contract template for your small creative business, but your business not be as well protected compared to contracts through The Contract Shop. Christina creates various contracts for creatives so they can be successful in their own small business.
Christina runs The Contract Shop after her time as an in-house attorney specializing in intellectual property. She provides anything from Disclaimers, Graphic Design Contracts, Media Releases, and so much more.
Creative Contracts
When I mention her work in creative contracts, Christina has expanded her contracts into various creative industries. No matter what creative pursuits you have in mind, Christina probably has a contract for it.
You could be a graphic designer, lifestyle coach, artist, interior designer, or any number of creative titles and The Contract Shop will likely have something to help you succeed legally in your small creative business.
Having these contracts will help you navigate the legal aspects of your business. You won’t be completely set until you register your business start-up, but these contracts will help you avoid liability once your set to start your business.
Release Forms
Release forms can be used for various properties. If you plan to allow another entity to use a product or service that is yours, whether that is your likeness or your work, you will need to have a release form on hand.
For example, many companies ask participants to sign a release form for photos they take at events or conferences, similar to when models sign release forms when they allow companies to use their likeness for a company. You might also use a release form when you allow another entity to reproduce or show your work on their site, paper, or in a video.
Making an EIN
As a small business start-up, you will need an employer identification number(EIN), similar to a social security number for your business start-up. It’s fairly easy to register for an EIN, but your EIN protects you from having to provide your social security number to any potential business-related partners.
Creating an EIN is purely for your benefit. Some places and entities, like banks, will require you to provide an EIN. Others, like tax forms, might only require a social security number.
You do not need to be an LLC to have an EIN nor do you have to have an EIN if you are a sole proprietor or a single-member LLC. You can use your social security number in place of an EIN, but if you do not feel comfortable in divulging that information, I’d apply for an EIN.
Business Bank Accounts
Most banks will ask you to provide an EIN if you plan to open a business bank account. As far as taxes are concerned, you might be better opening a business bank account for your small creative business.
You might also consider to hold off on this step until you obtain more revenue, but still try to use another bank account for your business dealings until you can open one. If you choose to go this route, you should also talk with an accountant or bank representative to clarify when and why you should open either bank account.
Taxation
Taxation can be a bit tricky when it comes to filing as a business. Most businesses will have to have an EIN if they contribute to their total taxes with estimated taxes throughout the year.
Estimated taxes will have you paying the estimated taxes for your small business on a quarterly rate rather than all at once with your income taxes. Your quarterly taxes are due April 15, July 15, September 15, and January 15. Since your quarterly taxes are estimates and predetermined you might have paid too little or too much throughout the year, but it will be determined once your taxes are completed.
So now that you know some of the best legal resources, you are one step closer to starting your creative business and money-making blog!
Remember, to start your money-making blog, you’ll need to have the contracts within legal bundle in place before you can start earning money from affiliate or sponsored income.
To start your creative business, it is advisable you protect yourself with any of the associated contracts or release forms from The Contract Shop or register your business with an EIN.
Have any other questions regarding the legality of your creative business start-up or money-making blog? Join my e-newsletter for additional information about legal responsibilities and how to start your business start-up today!