Your content is valuable.
#MicDrop
Say it out loud and affirm it with us: “My content is valuable.”
Feels good, right?
Take ownership over *just* how valuable your content is.
You work so damn hard, sis. 💛
Just because it may come easy to you does NOT mean that it’s common sense for most folks.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of, “Oh, anyone can just look up how to do this on the internet. I’m not that special, anyone can be an expert … blah, blah, blah.”
NOT. TRUE. 🙅🏽
You’ve studied, trained, practiced, and devoted your everything to the skills you have. The way you serve your clients is unique because of who you are — and that holds infinite value.
So step into your power, remember your worth, and remind yourself that what you put out into the world is priceless.
If you’re thinking, “Hey thanks for the inspirational pep talk ‘n’ everything buuuuuuut what does this have to do with the legal stuff I came here to learn,” it has EVERYTHING to do with the legal stuff.
Once you recognize how valuable your work is, that’s often the BIGGEST motivator to being proactive in protecting it.
Today, we’re talking about how to legally protect your program and course content.
So take a moment to say out loud: “My program and course content is the frickin’ bomb.”
Let that love for the things you create motivate you to get protected in the legal department.
Do you wanna know how?
Stick around, and we’ll show you what’s good.
Right this way.👇🏽
So, What Am I Actually Protecting?
With an online business, you don’t really end up having many physical assets.
You don’t have equipment, inventory, a storefront, or a vehicle. You don’t have any of those things that more traditional brick-and-mortar businesses own.
But remember, everything you produce in your biz is an asset. Everything you create is always adding value to your biz — and we mean everything.
ALL your content: your courses, your program, your workbooks, presentations, videos, audio, podcasts, blog posts, written works, and MORE.
Think about all of the assets your biz has! You’re rich, sis. 💃🏽✨
The most important asset to understand for an online business owner is your intellectual property.
While this isn’t something you can touch or hold, your intellectual property is your GOLD when it comes to your online business.
This includes trademarks, copyrights, and any other source identifiers you have for your programs, courses, methodologies, products, or brand.
You’ve gotta OWN your ideas.
You’ve gotta make sure you have exclusive rights to the use and publication of these ideas.
You’ve gotta get your clients to sign on the dotted line to say, “I promise, as much as I absolutely LOVE your content, I will not reproduce it, repurpose it, or create derivative works based on it for profit.”
But HOW Do I Protect My Intellectual Property?
Luckily, the answer to this is super simple.
👏🏽 Contracts 👏🏽
At Coaches & Company, we looooooove contracts.
Like a lot.
Our goal? To get you to love them as much as we do by showing you JUST how much better life is when you have solid contracts in place.
We want to help you make it *crystal clear* to your clients that although they get to enjoy your fab content, YOU are the only one with rights to what you’ve created.
It can’t be shared, resold, repurposed, 🙅🏽♀️ NOTHING. 🙅🏽♀️
Yes, your clients have paid to access your content, but NO they do not own it. You do.
Your contract is the place to make this clear.
Make sure in whatever contract you use that you leave ZERO room for confusion and loopholes when it comes to protecting your intellectual property.
Remember these are your assets. This is your GOLD.
Make your clients aware of your exclusive rights to your content so that you are in a position to enforce your rights if a client ever DOES infringe on your intellectual property rights.
Wondering what that looks like?
Imagine finding out a couple of months after running your group coaching program that one of the participants had taken all the content from your course and used it with their colleagues as a professional development initiative.
Imagine they used all your methodologies, co-opted your signature framework, and even ripped off the worksheets you supply to your paying clients.
Imagine how devastated you would be.
You’d be thinking, “How DARE they steal all the content I worked SO hard on and not pay me for it?!”
The thing is, most clients would never do this maliciously. (And if they do, that’s super sketch. Get yourself some new clients, girlfriend. 😳)
But, it just doesn’t occur to most people that digital products or programs are still assets that belong to someone.
Unfortunately, this is where infringement comes up.
Your clients get so psyched about whatever product or program you offer that they want to share it with the people they know, but by doing so, they low-key screw you over.
Don’t let people get confused when it comes to your ownership over the content they’ve paid to access.
Have a clause in your contract that clears it ALL up, and you can be confident that if anyone ever does infringe on your intellectual property, you have the power to stop them in their tracks.
Protect Your Business IP With Coaches & Company
Does your existing contract already have a clause about this? Sweet! You’re in the clear!
If not, it’s time to get that figured out, friend!
Protect all the amazing content you’ve created for your community. You worked incredibly hard on it, so you better OWN IT. And we mean own it as in, be proud of your content, but also own it as in have the exclusive legal rights to your intellectual property.
If you need a little help making sure you have the most solid contracts possible, look no further.
We’ve got your back! 💛
Check out our ready-to-use, lawyer-approved, plug-and-play legal contract templates! So you can upgrade your client contract while staying Profitable & Protected™✨
Not sure where to begin? We’ve got you. Grab our FREE Legally Launch Handbook to get the legal lowdown on everything in entrepreneurship, without the confusing mambo jumbo. We’re serving it up straight & to the point. (Heads up: It’ll forever transform the way you view your client relationships!) Grab your copy now.
*The information presented in this blog post is for educational & informational purposes only. This should not be a substitute for customized legal advice from a licensed professional in a private setting. If you need legal advice, please consult with an attorney. This is not a law firm.
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