5 minute read
Legal Eagle: Pearls of Legal Wisdom
By Kelly Bagla, Esq.
Pearls of Legal Wisdom
As we enter the holiday season I am filled with overwhelming thankfulness. This has been an incredible year as the Legal Eagle for San Diego Veterans Magazine/ Homeland Magazine. It has
been a privilege to be a part of such an important publication that serves, inspires and informs military personnel, veterans and their families through these challenging times. I want to thank the incredible team behind the pages of the magazine for giving me this opportunity to provide legal tips to military and veteran business owners. Even more, I want to thank my readers for your ongoing support and feedback. You are the reason I do what I do.
If you have followed my column for any time, you’ve discovered that I am an immigrant who has discovered first-hand the “Land of Opportunity!” I fell in love with this country and successfully pursued my own American Dream. I believe that there are still opportunities for American entrepreneurs, especially in challenging times! My passion is to help other business owners see and seize the opportunities to start, run and grow their own successful businesses. I have a special place in my heart for Military and Veteran business owners – who have kept this country free for all of us to pursue our American Dreams.
This is the why I wrote my new book, “Legal Pearls – Pearls of Wisdom for Avoiding Business Litigation.” I want to help entrepreneurs avoid costly lawsuits and protect their personal assets. All the best ideas, products and marketing strategies will not help you if you haven’t legally protected your company. This quick-read is a must-read for all entrepreneurs. You need to know ahead of time what legal risks could lie ahead in order to take the necessary steps to avoid these pitfalls.
This is a compilation of my 20 years of business law experience, shining light on the most common and detrimental mistakes I’ve seen business owners make (including myself!). I believe it takes a business owner to understand another business owner. I’ve written this book as a business attorney and an entrepreneur, giving me both the legal expertise and business perspective needed to be a reliable source you can trust.
I hope you’re thinking of the entrepreneurs on your shopping list for the holidays. This would not only make a great gift for them, but a gift you should give yourself. It will truly be the gift that keeps on giving – as it helps you protect your assets for years to come!
Here are excerpts from the book:
INTRODUCTION
“The global pandemic took over our lives in ways that have literally changed the world as we knew it. Now more than ever, people are exploring new avenues when it comes to working opportunities. In fact, there are individuals who have taken the leap to becoming their own boss during this time, and in turn, they have created the security to work for themselves. They have the liberty to work on their own terms and conditions and have the flexibility to work from anywhere.
Being a business owner myself, I know firsthand the hard work that goes into setting up and running a new business. This book, based on my own experience as a business owner and coupled with my legal knowledge, is an imperative guide for all those who wish to start and run their own business while following legalities that can help avoid expensive lawsuits.
When setting up a business, there are numerous laws and documents one must comply with, which can become overwhelming for most people since they have very little knowledge about the nitty-gritty of the legal process. Moreover, due to the high cost of hiring a lawyer to help them through, most people make mistakes and misinterpret the laws.
It is better to be legally armed with knowledge than to tackle something in the dark. That’s exactly what this legal guide aims to do is to arm you with a working knowledge of how to start and run a business and at the same time how to avoid expensive legal pitfalls so you can avoid business litigation.
If you were asked to list the most important assets of your business, what are the first things you would think of? Your products or services? Your staff? Or perhaps your company stock? One asset you should never overlook, or underestimate, is your goodwill.
Without a doubt, the good name you worked so hard to earn is one of your most valuable business assets. Goodwill is what brings you repeat customers and new business. When you say, “It has taken years to build up my business,” you probably mean, “It has taken years to build up my goodwill.” Goodwill is generally embodied in a name, and it is vital for every business to protect their ability to use that name. Protecting your name is crucial if you want to preserve your business goodwill.
The following business assets, which are usually overlooked, are part of what creates your business goodwill:
1) Tradename - is the name you use to carry on your business. 2) Trademarks - are words, logos, symbols, pictures, colors, designs or packaging, used by your business to distinguish the goods or services you provide so your customers will know your products. 3) Copyright - is protection of the promotional literature, advertising materials, or instruction manuals your business uses to reach customers.
If you are like many small business owners, you realize your company’s goodwill is vitally important, but you may not know how to protect it. There are steps you can take to safeguard your goodwill in the marketplace…
Read the latest review:
‘This book is for every entrepreneur. Whether you are contemplating to start a business or already have one started, Legal Pearls contains all the necessary information - from how to write a business plan to protecting your business from lawsuits. It is the complete guide that every business needs, easy to read and understand.”
“It’s really good and easy to read and follow. As a seasoned entrepreneur, I have experienced a lot of the points made and now I wish I had known them before but there were a lot of things that I still didn’t know that I am becoming familiar with through the book.”
Legal Pearls!
PEARLS OF WISDOM for Avoiding Business Litigation
Award-winning attorney, Kelly Bagla shows you how to avoid legal pitfalls FROM DAY ONE!Legal Pearls! - The quick and easy guide for avoiding business litigation. Award-winning Attorney Kelly Bagla distills the legal information every business owner needs to know to avoid costly lawsuits and protect personal assets. Now every entrepreneur can apply the same legal steps and strategies used by top attorneys.
