177 – Legal Guidance Specifically for Makers Like You with Joey Vitale of Indie Law

In his law firm, Indie Law, Joey works with creative small business owners to protect their passions and give them the legal foundation they need to thrive. With these services, Joey focuses on the legal issues that matter most to creatives: trademarks, business formation, copyrights, and contracts. I knew Joey was someone I wanted on the show when I visited his website and saw this phrase, “We strive to keep things simple, positive, honest and human!” Business Building Insights Put your well-being before your business. When you stay happy and healthy, your business keeps thriving. It’s fulfilling to work with people who have a big heart and passion for what they’re doing. You have to be careful because a hobby that you enjoy can easily turn into a business you hate running. It’s not necessary to legally protect your business until it’s successful, meaning a proven concept that sells. Once you are selling to more than friends and family, don’t wait to protect your copyrights and trademarks until it’s too late. You don’t get exclusive rights to your name unless you have a federal registration in place. The first step is to make sure that you’re not infringing on anybody else’s trademark. If you are using a name and you will be in business two years from now, then you should invest in trademark protection. Not everything that we create is protected by copyrights. Legal documents that should be added to your website are a Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and Conditions. For newbies, the first big thing is awareness. You don’t have to learn everything in detail, but you should understand the difference between patents, trademarks and copyrights. Treat your business as a real business and not just an extension of you. Resources Mentioned Myows – copyright protection app Contact Links FREE TRADEMARK CRASH COURSE Website Facebook Instagram Gift Biz Resources Join our FREE Gift Biz Breeze Facebook Community If you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue