Episode #4: Legally Protecting Your Ass & Your Assets with Robert Schenk

Most entrepreneurs don’t bother to think about protecting themselves legally until it’s too late and they’re being screwed out of money or being sued. A contract isn’t something most people can get too excited about but what about the idea of knowing that you’ll get your money for the work you’ve done because you’ve planned for that in advance? That is a much more enticing idea and today’s episode is all about how to protect yourself so you don’t wind up in a bad situation in the future.

Robert Schenk is a trial attorney representing wedding industry professionals. He got into the wedding industry when his girlfriend asked him to review her wedding photography contract and it was a mess. He then found that she wasn’t alone and that wedding professionals don’t have many legal support options and he wanted to change that.

In this episode we’ll cover:

• The most common mistake wedding professionals make when it comes to protecting themselves legally
• The most overlooked item in a contract that can come back to bite you in the ass
• How to prevent “scope creep” which is where your customer is asking more of you than agreed upon
• How to define your communication guidelines with your clients
• Who you need to get consent from in order to use images in your portfolio
• What to include in your contract to make sure you have the right to use your wedding photos to promote your business
• The truth about non-refundable deposits
• How non-refundable payment plans work and why they can be better than just getting a deposit
• How to structure your payment plan to make sure you get paid for work you’ve done even in the case of a cancellation
• Why you should be clear with your clients about your workflow and what they can expect from you
• Why it’s so important to be clear on what happens to the money paid & money owed in the event of a cancellation

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode include:

The Create Your Marketing Plan ChallengeThe Truth About Non-Refundable Deposits
Rob’s Contract Services
My report that shows you how I schedule my social media posts in just 30 minutes per week

More from Rob

Website: www.weddingindustrylaw.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WeddingLawyers
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WeddingIndustryLaw

Did you enjoy this episode? Share the love with your fellow wedding professionals on Twitter by clicking here!

What was the thing that stood out most to you about what Rob shared in this podcast?

For me, it was the concept of payment installments not just for pricing but to guarantee payment for the amount of work you’ve done so far.

What about you? Leave a comment below!

Want more?

To subscribe to the podcast, please use the links below:

Click Here to Subscribe via iTunes (You’ll just need to click the blue “View In iTunes” button and then click the Subscribe button when your iTunes opens.)

Click Here to Subscribe via Stitcher

And please take 2 minutes to leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! Thank you – I appreciate it! Not sure how? Just watch the video below and I’ll show you!