Legal Tips and Tricks for Small Business Owners

Navigating the legal rules and guidelines behind small business and entrepreneurship can be tricky. I chatted with Maria Spear Ollis of Spear IP about legal tips and tricks for small businesses to consider, why small businesses need to get legal advice, and when to do what. She’s like having a friend with a law degree!

Although Maria didn’t originally set out to be a lawyer (she studied voice performance in college), it definitely suits her now. After 6 years in entertainment law, she knew that her next step would involve helping new business owners. Maria loves to help entrepreneurs prioritize their to-do lists, safeguard their resources, and avoid legal pitfalls.

Plenty of business owners are intimidated by the legal side of things and put it off; when really they just need it broken down in an easy-to-understand way. That’s why Maria considers herself more of an advisor and educator. She helps her clients avoid those little problems that can turn into big problems. If you wait until there’s a problem, it can end up being more expensive. 

There are generally 3 occasions when clients seek out Maria’s assistance:

• The business is brand new and the owner wants to get their ducks in a row.

• Something happened in the business owner’s circle that made them think that they’d better talk to someone.

• Something happened to the business owner, and they needed help right away.

One of the BIG myths that Maria tries to bust with entrepreneurs is the idea that what independent contractors create for them is automatically owned by the business. That’s just not the case. Many business owners seem to think that paying someone means that you own the content, but unless there’s a contract in place, the rights don’t transfer.

Maria goes on to caution that there are legal pitfalls with some of the tools that businesses commonly use. For instance, with Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook, there are a lot of legal issues tied to the use of music. With Canva, there are issues with the use of stock photos. It may be simply a matter of time before there’s a crackdown on these violations. In the UK, there is already a plan to publish a list of influencers who don’t comply with social media rules.

There are a couple of different ways to work with Maria through Spear IP as you think through legal tips for your small business:

• 1-on-1 services which can include (but aren’t limited to) registering a trademark, answering legal questions, and obtaining guidance on what to do next.
• Contract kits that are sold through her website on basic topics that any business can use such as “when to form an LLC” and “copyright protection”.

Wherever you are on your entrepreneurship journey, Maria can meet you there and offer all the legal tips and tricks that you need to know.

Some questions she can get you started with when it comes to legal tips for small business…

• How can I legally protect my small business?
• What are the rules for a small business?
• What are some of the legal items to consider when starting a business?
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Connect with Maria on social or visit Spear IP to learn more!