The world is ever progressing and 2020 has been nothing but a roller coaster ride for us all. There have been major shifts in decade-long methods and trends, overall changing the way we work and function. Although 2020 had its shortcomings and negative impact on various sectors and industries this did not stop new start-ups and businesses from coming up and trying to make their mark. A lot of start-ups and businesses have come up this year taking on the present problems, some with unique products/services offerings and some with products/services for the upcoming times.
But even though one begins their journey in the world of start-ups and business one has to know the prerequisites for starting one. There is a lot behind and after starting a business as one feels capital, idea, strategy, and marketing, etc. is sufficient, but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. One should and cannot forget about the legal formalities and requirements that precede and follow the same.
Kelly Bagla, CEO at Go Legal Yourself has provided the same young aspiring entrepreneurs with a one-stop solution for achieving their dream of owning and running a start-up or business. She is not only an expert in the field but also a skillful and able leader taking her company and carving a name for it as one of the most reputed and prestigious companies in the domain. Kelly and her company have helped a lot of businesses to start, grow, expand and have been there for them in every situation where they require legal assistance and help.
In conversation with Kelly Bagla, we explore more about her company, its offerings, and about her as a leading woman entrepreneur.
Tell us about your company, the challenges you faced and the reasons you feel led to the growth of your company.
Go Legal Yourself, an online legal resource company empowers people to incorporate their business the right way from day one, and without paying hefty law firm fees. Go Legal Yourself helps start-ups and budding entrepreneurs to start their business, grow their business, protect their business, and protect themselves personally.
In other words, Go Legal Yourself is leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs by offering the same services a law firm would by selecting the right legal documents for you, taking the guesswork out and saving you countless hours in research, and the services are available immediately, for a fraction of the cost.
I launched Go Legal Yourself after years of watching promising business owners fail to properly protect themselves. As a business attorney, I saw the same mistakes being made over and over again by smart, well-intentioned people, who just didn’t know what they needed to do to safeguard their ideas, products, and services. I have been a champion of entrepreneurship my entire life, so suffice it to say, I want to see businesses not only succeed but thrive.
To help others succeed, I first wrote a book, Go Legal Yourself which turned out to be an Amazon bestseller. Once I had completed the book and found out how well-received it was, I saw there was more I could do. I could provide entrepreneurs with all of the legal documents they needed, which I had explained in painstaking detail in my book. I spent the next few years developing the comprehensive online legal resource company that Go Legal Yourself is today.
Of course, there were challenges to launching Go Legal Yourself, as there are challenges to launching any new business. All businesses need to secure capital to launch, and you often find you’re working on a shoestring budget. But at the same time, most businesses need to invest heavily in marketing. So, raising capital, developing a budget, and then actually sticking to it, were the primary challenges to launching this business.
Today, I credit the ongoing success of Go Legal Yourself, to one primary factor. I never stop marketing, and I never stop creating. Complacency is the enemy of innovation and success.
In addition to my first book, Go Legal Yourself, I wrote a second book, Go Own Yourself. I also launched and continue to host a Top 20 legal podcast, called Go Legal Yourself Podcast. I’m very proud to have recently finished the 2nd Edition of Go Legal Yourself, which delves even deeper into the differences between various corporate entity structures, which is always very confusing for anyone starting a business. It also provides new, free resources, such as downloadable business plans, contract checklists, and necessary forms.
Finally, I am a frequent contributor to several publications, I write a blog, and I send regular newsletters to my database, which anyone can subscribe to from the website. Everything I write or provide is designed to help business owners and entrepreneurs.
For me, the key to lasting success is to stay in front of your audience, add value to your services or products, and always look for ways to improve the products and services that you offer them.
Tell us about the products/services your company offers.
Go Legal Yourself is not your typical online legal document company. It was created by an attorney. Contracts are drafted by an attorney. And if you need help, you’ll get help from an actual attorney. Go Legal Yourself sets itself apart from online legal document companies because we know that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for entrepreneurs, so one-size-fits-all business protection won’t work.
Instead, Go Legal Yourself offers packages to meet various needs of entrepreneurs. We meet entrepreneurs and business owners where they are. For those in the process of turning their idea into a business, Go Legal Yourself has a complete Start-up Essentials Package.
The Startup Essentials Package is a customizable package of legal contracts and documents that includes everything a start-up company needs to incorporate and protect assets from the beginning, including Founder’s Stock Purchase Agreement forms, Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, and much more.
Go Legal Yourself also offers Contracts Packages, for business owners who have recently
incorporated, yet still, need essential documents and agreements to keep the business running smoothly and legally. These packages include contracts ranging from Website Terms of Use, Client Agreements, Independent Contractor Agreements, and more.
Also, Go Legal Yourself offers a Growth Essentials Package, which provides business owners with everything they need as they begin to grow. This includes Employee Agreements, Employee Handbooks, Nondisclosure Agreements, and more.
All Go Legal Yourself packages include a one-hour to three-hour legal strategy consultation with an attorney, which you definitely won’t get from an online legal document company.
People think that at the top there isn’t much room. They tend to think of it as an Everest. My message is that there is tons of room at the top.
Margaret Thatcher
Please tell us about your professional experience.
In addition to being a CEO, an author, podcast host, and an inventor, I am also a practicing business attorney, and run a successful law firm in San Diego, California. I formed Bagla Law Firm, APC after beginning my legal career at one of the world’s largest and most prominent international law firms. At that law firm, I learned the ins and outs of practicing business law from some of the most brilliant attorneys working in the field.
I left that global law firm to broaden my horizons and experience and chose to work for a small IP firm for a time. Ultimately, due to my entrepreneurial nature, I opened my law firm.
I always think it is helpful to share with others that I grew up in England, the youngest of 7
children. My father was my inspiration for pursuing entrepreneurship. He worked for years as an employee of a factory, all the while, planning, saving, and strategizing. He eventually bought the factory and became a business owner himself. Watching his fearless progression from employee to business owner was a transformative experience for me.
I inherited his entrepreneurial spirit and his tireless work ethic. I also inherited his fearlessness which led to my decision to immigrate to the United States. I mention this because I think that leaders and entrepreneurs need to be willing to work incredibly hard, and they need to have a fearless streak. After all, launching a business can be scary, not to mention an enormous risk.
Likewise, I believe it is the responsibility of every entrepreneur, to have confidence, thus writing Go Legal Yourself. After all, you can’t expect people to follow your lead if you’re not confident in your capabilities, confident in the service or products you’re offering, and confident in the decisions you make.
What is your take on the competition in the market and its impact on you and the company?
I’ve been inspired by so many people and owe the bedrock of my success to ideas instilled in me by others. Being an avid reader, who loves learning more than anything has taught me so much about what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur.
For example, I’m not afraid of competition, thanks to ideas from Britain’s first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. She famously said that “People think that at the top there isn’t much room. They tend to think of it as an Everest. My message is that there is tons of room at the top.” I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. Success is not a limited commodity. There is plenty of opportunity for success to go around. In my experience, instead of being threatened by competition, we should look to our competitors as teachers, who we can learn so much.
Icons such as Steve Jobs who have shared their experience and wisdom also helped form my concept of what a true visionary and leader looks like. Jobs once said, “If you don’t love it, you’re going to fail,” which is a poignant reminder that we should only create businesses that we love. As I mentioned earlier, I love watching entrepreneurs succeed.
It is an extraordinary joy for me, which has led me to channel this passion into writing books, founding an attorney-backed legal document company, hosting a podcast, and regularly contributing to various publications. Finally, spiritual guidance has helped shape me into the businesswoman I am today. Guru Granth Sahib posed the question, “Why blend in when you were born to stand out?” which has resonated with me for years. With the unique products Go
Legal Yourself offers, my passion for helping other entrepreneurs, and my ceaseless work ethic, I know that Go Legal Yourself is on its way to becoming the go-to website for people to use to start their businesses.
All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.
Walt Disney
