legally protect your business

7 Legal Templates to Protect Your Small Business

We hope to encourage and support you in all the facets of your business. So, today, let’s talk about the legal side. We want you to be protected and know your risks. Aw well as taking steps to prevent long-term legal issues as you start, grow, and run your business. 

We’ve done the homework for you! These essential legal templates, created by lawyers, will protect all aspects of your small business. These vetted documents protect you, your intellectual property, and your business as well as clarify your rights and responsibilities. Best of all, these templates are written in plain English and come with step-by-step instructions so you will feel confident using them. 

Read through this comprehensive list, click on the links to learn more, and decide which legal templates best fit your needs. 

Legal Protection #1: Website Policies

This Website Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy bundle by Artful Contracts is a must have – and it’s a steal! This bundle gives you access to the basics Website Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy legal templates that you need for your business at a sizable discount.

The three templates included in the bundle help you to explain all the terms of use of your website, limit your liability, and protect your business. They include essentials like:

*Covering intellectual property rights for your content

*Giving permission for you to use communications as testimonials

*Explaining visitors’ use of your website.

In addition, this bundle features disclaimer clauses. Finally, if you collect information on your website, the GDPR Compliant Privacy Policy is essential.

If you need to add a few more specific templates for your Ecommerce store and online courses, choose this Contract Shop bundle with all of the above templates PLUS Ecommerce and online course additions. The E-commerce template further protects the physical product side of your business related to shipping, refunds, returns, and promotions. Similarly, the online courses document takes the standard template and extends it to include protection for things like your intellectual property, course refunds, and password-sharing access.

Legal Protection #2: Course Creators Bundle

If you have developed content for an Online Course, consider these legal templates to explain the terms for the course and restrictions for using the site as well as protecting you and your intellectual property. Specifically, the Online Course Terms & Conditions and Course Creators Bundle templates in these bundles will help you:

  • Communicate your payment and refund policy.
  • Protect the course content and detail how your intellectual property can and can not be used.
  • Allow permission for you to use communications as testimonials.
  • Give disclaimers for earnings, warranties of any information or product on your site.
  • Provide notice that your advice is not legal advice, tax advice, professional advice, or advice from a doctor.
  • Disclose what kind of information is collected and what you do with it, including who is advertising on your site and what information advertisers have access to.
  • Protect shared passwords.
  • Ensure you are GDPR compliant.

Legal Protection #3: For the Affiliate Marketer

Do you have affiliates selling your products or courses? Then, you will want the Affiliate Terms and Conditions template. It is a breakdown of everything an affiliate needs to know to sell for you, your brand, or your business. This includes an outline of your expectations, explanation of the commission schedule, a confidentiality clause, and details about the correct usage of your promotional materials and intellectual property.

Legal Protection #4: Operating Agreement

If you are forming a new LLC or are already a LLC owner wanting to make sure you are in compliance, this is the bundle for you. Starting an LLC is the first step; making sure it has all the structures and protections of an LLC is next! The bundles includes four products related to starting and operating an LLC:

  • Use the LLC Operating Agreement Template (single-member or multi-member) to cover ownership percentages for the LLC partners, explain how money is distributed to the owners, and outline how the LLC can be dissolved.
  • Record all the major decisions made by your company’s stakeholders with the Consent to Action Template.
  • The Meeting Minutes Template enables you to document all your important meetings.
  • A LLC Business Binder Table of Contents organizes all your business documents for easy access.

Related, you can find SOWBO’s Business Registration Guide in our digital shop. Download this guide that uses ten in-depth steps to help you get your business fully registered.

Legal Protection #5: Event Waivers

Check out this Liability Waiver & Media Release for In-Person Events, a SOWBO staple at all our in-person events. This Event Media Release template outlines who owns the photo, video, or other media produced at your event. Additionally, it allows the subsequent use of names and images on your social media platforms and in advertising, print, and other media. This is also a must-have for photographers or videographers to provide for clients at their events!

Legal Protection #6: Talent Releases

This Model / Talent Release template is great for marketing gurus, photographers, videographers, social media managers and anyone creating content for a website. If you are planning a photoshoot using models or actors (including family and friends), this legal template gives you ownership of the images. It also gives permission to edit the images and use them on social media, in advertising, in print, and in other media. It includes a release for minors and one for adults. We use this at all our SOWBO photoshoots!

Legal Protection #7: Hiring Templates

Finally, check out all these hiring contracts. Each template clarifies the expectations and terms of any hires you make:

Get Legal, Get Legit, Get Protected!

Check out these legally-binding contract templates to ensure that you, your work, your affiliates, your employees, and your clients are properly protected! 

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