Protect Your Business

5 Steps You Should �e Ta�ing to Protect Your �usiness

In today’s society, we are constantly drawn to share our lives with the world. If we didn’t post it, did it really happen? Social media is used to share a highlight reel of everything positive that is occurring in our lives. Very rarely do we see anything shared that would ruin our picture perfect social channels and give a glimpse into anything that is really going on. What many do not realize, is that sharing could be detrimental to your personal injury claim. Your community law firm, CBM Lawyers, is here to provide insight on the impact social media can have on your claim. If You Share It, ANYONE Can Find It The reality is that it does not take a private investigator to find you online. A simple Google search can reveal much about an individual. ICBC and Defence lawyers can very quickly discover whether or not anything in your social media might contradict your personal injury claim. What Does This Mean? What you share matters! Your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other platforms can potentially be used as evidence against your claim. The context behind the posts is often not explained, and the assumptions and conclusions drawn from them may be used as evidence against you. So, what should you do about social media? The Rules The simplest solution is to avoid using social media altogether while pursuing a Personal Injury claim. This will help avoid unnecessary hurdles you would otherwise have to face during the investigation. If this is not a realistic solution, ask yourself before you post: would I want ICBC to see this? It is important to take into consideration how a third party would interpret what you are sharing. Not only is it important to take into consideration what you are sharing, but you must also pay attention to what those around you are sharing. Your friends and family need to be aware that you do not want anything shared about you on their platforms while you are pursuing your injury claim. The Bottom Line Careless use of social media could potentially have a significant impact on the result of your personal injury claim. With proper guidance, your case can be pursued without the unnecessary hurdles that would have otherwise occurred. Contact Langley’s own, CBM Lawyers, today to ensure you have the right guidance throughout your personal injury claim! Visit www.cbmlawyers.com to learn more. YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY CAN AFFECT YOUR PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS In today’s society, we are constantly drawn to share our lives with the world. If we didn’t post it, did it really happen? Social media is used to share a highlight reel of everything positive that is occurring in our lives. Very rarely do we see anything shared that would ruin our picture perfect social channels and give a glimpse into anything that is really going on. What many do not realize, is that sharing could be detrimental to your personal injury claim. Your community law firm, CBM Lawyers, is here to provide insight on the impact social media can have on your claim. If You Share It, ANYONE Can Find It The reality is that it does not take a private investigator to find you online. A simple Google search can reveal much about an individual. ICBC and Defence lawyers can very quickly discover whether or not anything in your social media might contradict your personal injury claim. What Does This Mean? What you share matters! Your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other platforms can potentially be used as evidence against your claim. The context behind the posts is often not explained, and the assumptions and conclusions drawn from them may be used as evidence against you. So, what should you do about social media? The Rules The simplest solution is to avoid using social media altogether while pursuing a Personal Injury claim. This will help avoid unnecessary hurdles you would otherwise have to face during the investigation. If this is not a realistic solution, ask yourself before you post: would I want ICBC to see this? It is important to take into consideration how a third party would interpret what you are sharing. Not only is it important to take into consideration what you are sharing, but you must also pay attention to what those around you are sharing. Your friends and family need to be aware that you do not want anything shared about you on their platforms while you are pursuing your injury claim. The Bottom Line Careless use of social media could potentially have a significant impact on the result of your personal injury claim. With proper guidance, your case can be pursued without the unnecessary hurdles that would have otherwise occurred. Contact Langley’s own, CBM Lawyers, today to ensure you have the right guidance throughout your personal injury claim! Visit www.cbmlawyers.com to learn more. YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY CAN AFFECT YOUR PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS t Johnston, is a Partner at CBM Lawyers Scot with more than 19 years experience practicing business and real estate law. Scott advises clients on corporate/commercial, commercial real estate, residential purchase and sale, mortgages and leases, banking and secured lending. You’ve done it! You are now a business owner. But what’s next? The time and financial investment you have put into making your dream a reality is extremely valuable. So, what steps should you be taking to ensure your small business is protected? The following steps will help your business operate legal and hassle free. 1. What You Say and Do Matters! In today’s world, transparency, authenticity, and honesty are vital for building loyalty with your customer base. Honesty and integrity start with your culture and how you foster that throughout your business’s growth. Developing a clear mission and vision that are supported with core values are important components to building a strong culture. These values should govern your behaviours that filter down to your employees and impact the customer service and perception of your company. Holding yourself, and your employees accountable to these standards will help ensure a strong culture is built. In a digital age, your presence on social media platforms is an essential aspect of growth and sustainability. But these can quickly become detrimental if the platforms are not managed effectively. The social channels you utilize to engage with your customers are micromonitored by millions of web users who will jump at the opportunity to be a whistleblower. Understanding how to develop a strong and loyal culture, while properly managing your brand’s social channels, will help mitigate any issues of what you say or do being held against you. 2. Get Insurance This may seem like common sense; however, it is something many push aside. The policies included in liability insurance will help provide defense and damages if you, your employees, or your products or services are faced with any legal claims. Before deciding as to which ensure policy is the right fit for your business, it is important to understand the risks your business could encounter. As your business progresses in its life cycle, you must consider the new risks you will face and reassess your insurance policy to ensure it aligns with your business functions and the industry you are operating within. 3. Protect Your Files (and Your Ideas!) Let’s face it, your ideas are invaluable! They are what inspired you to start this venture, and what motivated you to keep going. Ensuring these ideas are protected is crucial. Whether you are backing up your files within a cloud service, or using a local database, taking the time to implement these procedures is extremely important. In addition to ensuring ideas and corporate files are protected, many seem to fall short in another area; properly storing and disposing of confidential employee information. It is vital that you are following legal procedures with collecting, retaining, and securely disposing of the confidential information you are collecting. Failure to do so could lead to you and your business facing some unwanted legal challenges. 4. Legally Separate Yourself from Your Company If you are providing goods or services for a chance of profit or loss, you are considered to be operating a business. Many do not recognize that they may be running a “business”, so they have not yet formalized it legally. The way in which you decide how to structure the business you are operating, will determine how assets will be distributed and who owns them. When you run the business by yourself, without any partners or without the distinct legal entity of a corporation, you are operating as a “sole proprietorship.” This is the simplest and most basic form of an organization. As a sole proprietorship, you and your business are one and the same. All responsibility of debts and other obligations will lie solely on you. Although this identifies a clear disadvantage, there are also benefits to operating as a sole proprietorship. It is affordable to set up and maintain and provides a large degree of freedom from government and other regulation along with other tax advantages. When you choose to incorporate under the the Business Corporations Act of British Columbia, you become a corporation. Once incorporated, the business is now under operation as a completely separate and distinct legal entity. This means that you can create a new name for this separate entity that will have the ability to take out loans, sue and be sued, and enter into contracts on its own. There is very limited liability as a corporation. No shareholders of a corporation are held personally liable for the debts and obligations beyond the amount paid for its shares. Understanding the structure in which your business operates is an important step to take to ensure you are making smart decisions to legally separate yourself from your assets when pursuing your venture. 5. Hire a Trusted Lawyer Last, but of course not least, it is crucial to have trusted legal advice on standby to ensure you are being proactive with the actions you take. Ongoing legal support throughout the growth of your business ensures you are taking the right steps to protect your company and its assets. Should any legal action be taken against you and your business, the correct reaction is crucial. An attorney that is familiar with your business and understands the environment in which your company operates, will be your best investment.