By now, most ExpertPreneurs starting a new business know enough to consider whether they should form some type of entity to protect them from personal exposure, such as a corporation or a limited liability company. Most have even thought of a snappy name for their product or service.
Yet, even in the age of all things Internet, surprisingly few have adequately considered what might be one of the most important long term investments that they could make in their company, namely their intellectual property protection.
Like many fledgling small business owners that come to see us, you might think that intellectual property is an issue primarily geared to Internet firms or software companies or even big drug manufacturers, but the truth is that almost no business starting in today’s World, least of all that of an infopreneur or an ExpertPreneur, can afford not to think about and invest in establishing its intellectual property beach head if it intends to stay in business or to grow it into a thriving enterprise.
The simple reason for this is that you, as an ExpertPreneurs need to have more than a good product or service. You need to be known for and identified as the go-to source of your product or service -- the Expert --, and to be able to demonstrate your goods and capabilities to inquiring audiences on the Internet, and to prevent your ideas and innovations from being stolen.
Once you realize this, bringing in legal counsel that’s knowledgeable about intellectual property at the beginning of a company’s formation becomes an obvious and inevitable decision for you as a savvy entrepreneur looking for an edge.
( Part 2 tomorrow)
