Go Legal Yourself!

Avoid legal pitfalls for your business from day one

A common characteristic of entrepreneurs is the attitude: "I'm not going to do that until I absolutely have to." And it's understandable why: with limited time and resources it seems logical to focus on tasks like product development, production, marketing, and delivery—the ones that get your product or service out into the marketplace. The last thing you want to do is spend money and effort on legal issues, which is why they often drop to the bottom of the pile. But this can be a costly mistake—and Go Legal Yourself is here to make sure it's one you avoid.

Attorney, inventor, and businesswoman—named Top Woman Entrepreneur by LA Dreams Magazine in 2017—Kelly Bagla knows about doing business from both the entrepreneurial and legal sides of the fence. And in Go Legal Yourself, she guides you through the four key legal lifecycle phases every business experiences—and sets you up for worry-free success from day one. Establish yourself as the correct legal entity.

• Gather and complete the relevant documentation
• Protect your brand
• Identify and avoid common (and expensive) pitfalls
• Plan and manage growth, enter new markets, and keep a sharp competitive edge

Wherever you are with your business, this book is your guarantee you have all your legal ducks in a row—and that no nasty legal surprises stand between you and your target: success.

Foreword vii

Preface ix

Business Legal Lifecycle® xi

About the Author xiii

Introduction 1 Everything You Need to Know about Your Business Legal Lifecycle^® 1

Part 1: Startup Phase

Chapter 1 What Legal Entity Should I Be? 7

Chapter 2 What Other Documents Do I Need? 25

Chapter 3 How Do I Protect My Brand? 37

A Story of Caution for Startups 49

Part 2: Growth Phase

Chapter 4 How Do I Grow My Small Business? 53

Chapter 5 How Do I Manage My Growing Business? 65

Chapter 6 How Do I Get Funding for My Growing Business? 73

A Story of Caution for Growth Companies 81

Part 3: Established Phase

Chapter 7 How Does My Business Stay Competitive? 85

Chapter 8 How Do I Enter New Markets? 97

Chapter 9 How Do I Retain Good People? 103

A Story of Caution for Established Companies 109

Part 4: Exit Phase

Chapter 10 How Do I Exit My Business? 113

Chapter 11 How Do I Prepare for Exit? 125

Chapter 12 What Could Go Wrong? 131

A story of Caution for Exiting Companies 141

Conclusion 143

Go Legal Yourself^® Products 145

About the Website 147

Agreement with Respect to Go Legal Yourself^® 149

Index 155

Kelly Bagla is an award-winning corporate attorney named in the Top 20 Successful Business Women to Watch, by Insights Success Magazine and the Top Transformational Women Leaders, by IndustryWired Magazine.

Her depth of experience ranges from managing subsidiaries for a Fortune 500 biotech company, to advising domestic and international clients for one of the world's strongest global law firms.

Kelly is also the founder and CEO of Bagla Law Firm, APC, where she advises business owners on their Business Legal Lifecycle^® from inception to exit.

Kelly and her husband Brent live with their four beautiful dogs in Carlsbad, California.

Avoid legal pitfalls for your business from day one

A common characteristic of entrepreneurs is the attitude: "I'm not going to do that until I absolutely have to." And it's understandable why: with limited time and resources it seems logical to focus on tasks like product development, production, marketing, and delivery—the ones that get your product or service out into the marketplace. The last thing you want to do is spend money and effort on legal issues, which is why they often drop to the bottom of the pile. But this can be a costly mistake—and Go Legal Yourself!^® is here to make sure it's one you avoid.

• Gather and complete the relevant documentation
• Protect your brand
• Identify and avoid common (and expensive) pitfalls
• Plan and manage growth, enter new markets, and keep a sharp competitive edge

With Go Legal Yourself!^®, you can rest assured that no nasty legal surprises will stand between you and your target: success.

AWARD-WINNING BUSINESS ATTORNEY, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, ENTREPRENEUR Kelly Bagla, Esq. CEO of Go Legal Yourself!^® "The Queen of Business Law^®"

Go Legal Yourself!^® is an indispensable guide for business owners that explains the four phases of the Business Legal Lifecycle^® and how to set up and legally protect your business from day one. Using the Game of Chess, Kelly Bagla illustrates the strategy and tactics used in each phase to position your business for success. In this Second Edition, Kelly describes in more depth the legal entities available and how to determine which is best for your business. Kelly answers many of the most frequently asked questions by business owners to help protect their hard work. Understanding your Business Legal Lifecycle^® is key to running a successful enterprise and to putting you at an advantage for more growth, less failure, and overall better business sense.

www.golegalyourself.com