YES! Whatever industry you’re in, chances are you’re going to need to hire someone, whether it’s a short-term contract, that design job you just don’t feel like doing yourself or signing a new client or non-disclosure agreement. You need to cover your butt, minimize risk and avoid costly legal hassles down the line. If you want to set boundaries, be professional and outline your terms, a (legally-binding) contract is the only way to go.

While an experienced contract lawyer can help you navigate the legal waters to minimize risk and draft a custom-fit agreement that works for your unique circumstances, lawyers aren’t known for our affordability. With The Secure Startup, you have the templates, guides and advice you need to protect your growing business. BUT, if you have a particularly unique situation and need something customized or if you’re going into business with someone else and need an agreement for that, you probably shouldn’t DIY it and we’d be happy to help over at  Henry Business Law.

Don’t panic ☺ We’re going to be releasing new bundles on an ongoing basis. If you’d like to know when new bundles are dropping or if you’d like to request one, drop us a line at [email protected].

Intellectual property is the original concepts and ideas you have created that support your business, conceived of and developed by yourself, your employees or advisors – which becomes a company asset. This includes:

• Work processes
• inventions
• articles, blog posts, case studies, and other content
• books
• illustrations, designs, photos, logos or other
• music
• product and business names
• taglines and slogans
• movies, games or apps

There are a number of ways to protect your intellectual property, namely copyright, registering a trademark, patent or a specific trade secret. While this doesn’t fall under our bundles, I’m happy to help with specific requests (at a price).  

There are a number of things you can do to protect your business in the online world, which include making sure nobody is using your brand without your permission – and taking action if they do. You need to monitor social media platforms to make sure nobody is using your intellectual property. Set up an alert or do regular searches, monitor your domain names and online marketplaces and check out app stores to see if anyone is copying your hard work.

No. While I am a Cambridge educated lawyer, my goal with The Secure Startup is to provide legal templates and advice you can use to protect your business. These bundles are designed to meet challenges you might not have thought of yet, but ones you need to be protected against. While I can give you legal advice, this is outside of my bundle packages and will be quoted on separately. 

If you are a registered health care professional in Ontario (i.e. Psychologist, Dietician, Physiotherapist, Social Worker, etc.) you may purchase the naturopath bundle and replace any reference to NDs with your own profession.
The Naturopath bundle includes a coaching agreement that clearly indicates that you are not acting in a >insert your registered profession here< capacity, which support the compliance required for those of you that are offering a coaching program as a separate service.

When customizing the Naturopath bundle to suit your regulated profession's needs, you can reach out to your regulatory college to ensure that you are familiar with the requirements. Additional recommendations and review can be provided for you by licensed lawyer if you are still unsure; we recommend a Strategic Consultation at Henry Business Law, of course! If you are a regulated professional outside of Ontario (excluding QC), we highly recommend this route.

If you are a non-regulated or an alternative health care professional, (i.e. personal trainer, nutritionist, health and wellness coach, location consultant, etc.) you are best suited to the Coaches and Consultants bundle as it contains medical disclaimer language that supports non-regulated professionals.

The Naturopath bundle includes a coaching agreement that clearly indicates that you are not acting in an ND capacity, which supports the compliance required of you when offering a coaching program as a separate service.

If your business is based in Canada, and your client signs your drafted for Canadian business law contract from The Secure Startup, they will be held to the agreement as the laws in Canada require.