7 Ways to Keep Your Creative Handmade Business Legal
Hello my friend! Wondering if your creative business is legal or what you need to do to ensure your business is legal? I started searching this very topic myself and found the amazing Amira at ASelfGuru who has created a TON of legal template pages that are perfect (and SOOOOOO easy to fill out). While I for one like to believe people are honest and like to believe the best in people, all it takes is one person to take you to court over something and you could lose your business. Unfortunately in this day and age there will always be that one person that will see someone in a vulnerable position (i.e. not having legal policies on their website), and will be looking to make money. :(.
7 Ways to Keep Your Creative Handmade Business Legal
By Michele Thymmons
Full disclosure: I am NOT a lawyer, and any opinion in this post is NOT to be considered legal advice, but my own opinion and thoughts for how creative entrepreneurs could use these templates in their business. You can also find an interview with Amira here where she talks about her experience being a lawyer and building these templates as well as why she got started (hint - a close member of her family had massive legal issues).
All of my legal policies found on this website and that I use in growing and operating it are from Amira’s templates and I have loved that feeling of knowing that I didn’t have to spend tons of money to protect my website (also making sure it is GDPR and CCPA compliant), while also making sure that you, my friend, are also protected as you read this website because you will know what we are collecting and what we are doing with your information while also know what we are not doing. :)
And I also wanted you to know that there are so many templates that Amira has, all of which allows you to customize whatever documents and legal policies you need while being compliant in anything from GDPR to CCPA and much more to include an Independent Contractor Contract. However, if you do not find what you need, she can also customize a contract for you.
The Starter Legal Bundle is what I started with and has the Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Terms and Conditions templates for your website. These are perfect for any creative and handmade entrepreneur to ensure that anyone visiting your website to purchase a product (regardless of whether it is physical or digital) will know what information is collected on them as well as what you do with the information. There are also 9 special bonuses worth a LOT (over $1,000!!!) that you will get for free with the bundle. It also helps you stay both GDPR and CCPA compliant as well (a huge thing if you’re working with international clients).
The Premium Legal Bundle has everything from the Starter Legal Bundle as well as a sponsored posts contract, freelance contract, and a guest blogger agreement as well as 13 special bonuses (work over $1,500 for free with the bundle)! The Freelance Contract is perfect for if you are doing wholesales or working with a company who is buying a lot of your product or you are making a custom product for them. It helps protect you in case they decide to go back on their deal or change their order at the last minute, etc. Sponsored posts contract and guest blogger agreements are more for if you are also blogging while creating handmade products but can also be used for if you are doing a sponsored posts on using a company’s equipment or yarn or other products. Anytime you do a sponsored post or have a guest blogger on your website, you can create a custom contract/agreement for them/that specific situation within 15-30 minutes depending upon how detailed you are.
The VIP Legal Bundle includes everything from both the Starter and Premium Legal Bundle as well as 10 more templates to include a Media Release Agreement (I am starting to use this a lot now), Confidentiality Agreement, Affiliate Agreement, Coaching Agreement, Giveaway/Sweepstakes, Consulting Agreement, LLC Operating Agreement, Design Service Agreement, Website Sale Agreement, Partnership Agreement and 16 bonuses worth over $2,000 for free with the bundle.
You can also buy the documents individually as well as industry specific bundles to include for bloggers, designers, coaches, freelancers and clients, real estate transaction coordinators.
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7 Ways these legal templates can be used for YOUR creative handmade business:
There are several ways that these templates can be used in your creative business.
1 - The Starter Legal Bundle is an awesome essential starting place for all businesses, especially those that are doing their business digitally - buying and selling etc. It allows you to be legal globally as the templates account for both GDPR and CCPA requirements. They also ensure people know what data you collect on your website (especially when you have to collect personal information to send them the product after they purchase it) and what you do with it.
2 - For anyone doing a Sweepstakes/Giveaway it’s always good to be covered legally no matter how small or large the giveaway/sweepstakes is. This Sweepstakes/Giveaway Legal Template is all that is needed to make your giveaway/sweepstake legal and compliant with all FTC and FCC rules and regulations.
3 - There are some things within your business that you may have copyrighted or if you have an ebook (or printed book) you’ll need to protect yourself legally with a Copyright and Disclaimer Template. This could even be if you have created specific dyes for dyeing yarn or methods of sculpting or weaving, etc that no one else has done. If they are copyrighted, you need to make sure you are protected.
4 - If you are collaborating or partnering with someone, especially if there is the possibility of trade secrets being involved or confidential business information, you’ll want to have a Confidentiality Agreement (NDA Template) for your business and potentially a Partnership Agreement as well.. This could include a collaboration with a fellow creative artist where you are each doing one piece of the collaboration or working from the beginning to put a piece together and the way one of you creates their part will need to be disclosed to the other in order to fully collaborate - this template is a must before the full collaboration is done to ensure both parties protection. If you have to discuss proprietary information to include how you create a part or the whole of your product, you’ll want to ensure someone cannot take that information and use it to compete with you as well as potentially cost you much of your business.
5 - Do you have a membership site? If so, you need to have a Membership Agreement Template for your members to cover everything that you would need to include but not limited to membership fee(s), refund policies, ownership of intellectual property and so much more! If I ever decide to create a membership site, this is a must for it :). I honestly would have this even if the membership site is free. You want to ensure your intellectual property is covered and that members know what they can and cannot do on the site as well as what they can/cannot do with the information and documents/products they have access to in the membership site.
6 - If you have an affiliate program (as I do), you’ll need the Affiliate Agreement Template as this shows your affiliates what is expected of them as well as what you are giving them to include financial and support as well. It also allows you to protect yourself from any legal mistakes your affiliate may make and shows them what they can or cannot do in promoting your products.
7 - LLC Operating Agreement Tempalte shows that you have a business/LLC assets that are separate from your personal assets and if something comes up regarding any legal disputes, you have this already and can use it with the courts. It also prevents you from being held personally responsible for business issues in any lawsuits.
Other resources for keeping your creative business legal:
Trademarks and Copyrights - using others designs or trademarks will definitely get you into trouble. But at the same time you may want to create your own Trademark and Copyright. This article talks a little more about what is recommended regarding making handmades and potentially running into a trademark or copyright issue.
These are just 7 ways you can keep your creative business legal. Have you bought a template from Amira you recommend? Or do you have other resources to share with others to help keep their creative business legal (lessons learned?) I’d love to hear from you - comment below or send an email to me and have a safe and wonderful day my friend!
Hello my friend, I would like to introduce you to a new artwork I am working on creating Crochet Painting. In many ways it is similar to mixed media artwork but uses crochet as a base. I’m excited to share this with you and show you more about my artists journey. :). Below, I have done the who, what, where, when, why, how of Crochet Painting and would love to hear any questions you have about it. I’ve also included several pictures of one of my works in progress.