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Legal Questions About Any Offline Gold Approach

by cybercopy
8 replies
Some very important questions that I think get overlooked too often and can probably be applied to EVERY WSO regarding the "offline gold" approach.

How do we go about setting up contracts and proposals with recurring billing that legitimate business owners will consider safe to sign?

How do I set up my business entity so that Uncle Sam doesn't take all the profit? Do I even need a business entity to sell services? How do I protect myself and become compliant with state and federal laws?

How many legitimate businesses do you really think are ready to fork over a $1500 set up fee or $500 monthly charge to a pay pal address? Would you feel safe sending your money over to Mr. Joe Blow (Doing Business As - Blow Hard Marketing) jblow@gmail.com, even if you've met him face to face?

Seriously now, this is a huge hurdle that 99.9 percent of all the offline gold WSO's don't address.

I can see where some marketers would say "we only give you the strategy to work as you see fit and cannot begin to tell you how to run your business". Or "I've been doing this for years and you don't need all that mumbo jumbo, just buy my next WSO and shut up".

Well guess what? We can only drive the car if we have a license to do so.

And just like driving a car without a license, we can get in a heap of trouble if we are not set up to legally do business. If something goes wrong...it can cost you more than just money!!

And maybe even worse...getting laughed at while you get escorted to the door! hehe Are you kidding me guy? You want me to sign this?

If someone with this knowledge would put together a WSO that addresses these objectives...they would surely have a hit on this forum.

1.How and what business entity to choose for marketing to offline clients.

2.How to create legitimate contracts and proposals for every service you sell.

3.Explain all the benefits of having these safeguards in place before you decide to put any "offline strategy" into action.

Thanks Warriors.

I look forward to your response.
#approach #gold #legal #offline #questions
  • Profile picture of the author Jagged
    Excellent questions & very legitimate concerns...
    I doubt very much you will get any REAL answers here though...legal questions, contracts, etc should be discussed with a lawyer who is familiar with your local situation....it varies from country to country, state to state, even county to county some times...

    Contracts, as long as you spell out exactly what your scope of work or service is, what your selling...what terms are expected & it is signed by both parties (could be on the back of a napkin even)....it should hold up in court....even an acknowledged email is considered legal in some states...but please get legal representation to answer any legal questions about your business...

    There are copies of contracts online that can be modified to meet your offline buisness model...just google search for them.

    As far as what business entity.....it all depends again on you, your services, your exposure / liability, your guarantees (if any...), what state your in, etc....there is no single blanket answer for these.....thats why you don't see them in any WSO's...

    Good luck,

    ~Ken
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    • Profile picture of the author cybercopy
      Thanks for the reply Ken!

      Yeah...legal advice is taboo in most parts.

      Hopefully this will raise a few eyebrows and folks would be cautious before they jump in to something.

      There are a ton of great strategies on this forum that don't address these issues, and the "taboo" part seems to get swept under the rug.

      Maybe the people that have the ability to lift the blanket you speak of will offer up their thoughts on the subject.

      Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    Originally Posted by cybercopy View Post

    How many legitimate businesses do you really think are ready to fork over a $1500 set up fee or $500 monthly charge to a pay pal address? Would you feel safe sending your money over to Mr. Joe Blow (Doing Business As - Blow Hard Marketing) jblow@gmail.com, even if you've met him face to face?

    Seriously now, this is a huge hurdle that 99.9 percent of all the offline gold WSO's don't address.

    I can see where some marketers would say "we only give you the strategy to work as you see fit and cannot begin to tell you how to run your business". Or "I've been doing this for years and you don't need all that mumbo jumbo, just buy my next WSO and shut up".
    I had no problem with your example above. Only it wasn't paypal they just handed me the cash. Although I paid taxes on the money and tried to comply with local laws I probably needed to incorporate and all that stuff. Never did.

    And as far as the amount, that is one reason I got out of it. I felt overwhelmed because I was happy charging the $500 figure for website setup a little ongoing support etc. however I realized I was either going to have to go back to school or give up on offline because.... Well this probably won't make sense to anyone but it did to me so here goes.... People want more than just a pretty website and they are willing to pay....

    I was in an office negotiating with a client I'd had for years, over a price increase. I wanted to go from $500 a year to around $800 a year. This was just for hosting, maintenance and an occasional update. I uploaded digital products for him that he sold a LOT of. He didn't need SEO because he had a built in inhouse list.

    OK, we agree on the new price and he said, "Hey, lets go next door and meet the new neighbors."

    We went to the office next door, it was much smaller than his and was sparsely furnished. However it did have 1/2 dozen state of the art PCs.

    He introduced himself and in the conversation said, "this is my web guy." Do you need a site?"

    Now, these two young men couldn't have been 30 years old, they must have been mid 20s at most.

    "Nah, we don't need a site, we just got one." The young man shuffled through the papers on his desk and picked up the receipt.

    My voice could hardly leave my mouth as I strained to say, "Does that say you paid $100,000 for your site."

    "Yes." "But that includes 6 months of support."

    My customer and I left. He handed me my $800 without saying another word about it and I decided to retire from OffLine sales.

    I've got a lot of confidence but not enough to charge what is being charged out there, and give the worth in return, that is. I guess outsourcing would be the answer, but.... (excuses, excuses, excuses.)

    More power to anyone who "Really Gets," the offline stuff.

    It is untouched.

    I still have a few, very few, of my customers, but for the most part I just don't do offline selling now. If I really wanted to do that I'd want to have a LONG talk with Michael Hiles or someone who really knows what it takes to do offline/online sales.

    I got in early and got out early.

    I have similar personal experiences to the one above, however none match that one.

    George Wright
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    "The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book." Mickey Spillane
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    • Profile picture of the author John Durham
      But George , what about the HUGE market of guys who cant afford 100K> who will service them? Also who's to say those guys were getting their money's worth spending 100k?

      I would rather create a directory site and get it to the top of Google like "Arkansas Criminal Attorneys.com" or something... then sell people 20.00 per month listings on it... a few thousand of those and you are gold. I think Im going to pursue that model later this year.

      As far as legal papers, let nature take its course. If your business succeeds to the point where you are going to take it seriously, incorporating is a natural step that will occur. See an attorney.



      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      I had no problem with your example above. Only it wasn't paypal they just handed me the cash. Although I paid taxes on the money and tried to comply with local laws I probably needed to incorporate and all that stuff. Never did.

      And as far as the amount, that is one reason I got out of it. I felt overwhelmed because I was happy charging the $500 figure for website setup a little ongoing support etc. however I realized I was either going to have to go back to school or give up on offline because.... Well this probably won't make sense to anyone but it did to me so here goes.... People want more than just a pretty website and they are willing to pay....

      I was in an office negotiating with a client I'd had for years, over a price increase. I wanted to go from $500 a year to around $800 a year. This was just for hosting, maintenance and an occasional update. I uploaded digital products for him that he sold a LOT of. He didn't need SEO because he had a built in inhouse list.

      OK, we agree on the new price and he said, "Hey, lets go next door and meet the new neighbors."

      We went to the office next door, it was much smaller than his and was sparsely furnished. However it did have 1/2 dozen state of the art PCs.

      He introduced himself and in the conversation said, "this is my web guy." Do you need a site?"

      Now, these two young men couldn't have been 30 years old, they must have been mid 20s at most.

      "Nah, we don't need a site, we just got one." The young man shuffled through the papers on his desk and picked up the receipt.

      My voice could hardly leave my mouth as I strained to say, "Does that say you paid $100,000 for your site."

      "Yes." "But that includes 6 months of support."

      My customer and I left. He handed me my $800 without saying another word about it and I decided to retire from OffLine sales.

      I've got a lot of confidence but not enough to charge what is being charged out there, and give the worth in return, that is. I guess outsourcing would be the answer, but.... (excuses, excuses, excuses.)

      More power to anyone who "Really Gets," the offline stuff.

      It is untouched.

      I still have a few, very few, of my customers, but for the most part I just don't do offline selling now. If I really wanted to do that I'd want to have a LONG talk with Michael Hiles or someone who really knows what it takes to do offline/online sales.

      I got in early and got out early.

      I have similar personal experiences to the one above, however none match that one.

      George Wright
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  • Profile picture of the author ileneg
    Way too many variables for a WSO...Country, State, City and personal situations...Inc, LP, LLC, Sole Prop...none of them are one size fits all. They each need to be explored for the individual.

    When you are "playing by the rules" and a local business owner trusts you, they will sign what you put in front of them and then they pay you. End of story. Don't let this stop you from going after clients.

    If you're concerned about "setting up your business", if this is what is stopping you from taking action then get an accountant & get an attorney. (If you happen to be in Maryland I can recommend a few.) Let the professionals who do that, do that for you...while you go out and get more offline clients.

    HTH,
    ileneg
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    • Profile picture of the author Mohammad Afaq
      This is something you might be interested in:

      http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...-involved.html
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      “The first draft of anything is shit.” ~Ernest Hemingway

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    • Profile picture of the author theturd
      Don't need a WSO to share how i do it

      1.How and what business entity to choose for marketing to offline clients.

      I created a LLC 2 years ago in my state of residence for all my online and offline ventures.

      2.How to create legitimate contracts and proposals for every service you sell.

      contract don't need to be fancy service level agreements are just fine and you can find a ton of agreements for whatever service you are offering online and tailor them to your needs.

      3.Explain all the benefits of having these safeguards in place before you decide to put any "offline strategy" into action.

      the benefits in my mind are very very vast
      new business often claim losses in the first 3 year or more so this leaves you a lot of wiggle room that will mostly go unnoticed

      now not everything i do is above the board with it
      but you can write everything off to the business for the most part
      home office 25% of mortgage or rent
      then my accountant applies that across common utilities
      gas, electric, water, sewer
      then you can write off you internet, cellphone, computer purchases, miles on your car etc. i have a girl that does personal assistant stuff for me but she also watches our child i pay her from the business money and 1099 her at the end of every year
      in my opinion there are a lot of things you can do with it

      but the most important thing in my mind in the protection it gives you with your non business stuff having the 2 separate can protect your personal assets if something goes really horribly wrong

      that is just my .02 and i'm not a lawyer but i have been doing this for years now
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  • Profile picture of the author cybercopy
    Hello Warriors.

    Great information from all of you - thanks for sharing!

    This is exactly why I started this thread. People need to know these things before they can go out and sell any service to a legitimate business.

    It may be possible to pick up a WSO and learn how to sell a social media package (for example) to a local business without a formal business entity or forms, but the odds are stacked against you.

    I am not trying to deter anyone from getting started...but rather to inform them of starting out on the right foot and save them from shooting that foot!

    Thanks guys!
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