LegalShield Connecticut representative Lisa Jameson told Innovation Destination Hartford about the company’s services and involvement with entrepreneurs and startups.
INNOVATION DESTINATION HARTFORD: How does LegalShield help startups and entrepreneurs?
LISA JAMESON: Every business owner has different needs. LegalShield helps them by determining these needs and matching them with a specific plan.
Instead of using Google to ask legal questions and hoping they get the right answer, our clients can call our attorneys for unlimited consultation. And, if they have a question, they receive an answer within eighht business hours.
In addition, whether they do business in state or out, clients utilizing our services have access to an attorney to write debt collection letters, which can help bring in more money and save time.
Business documents and contracts are tricky, and they can ruin your business if you don’t know what they are really saying. Our attorneys will review documents to ensure they are understood. Just like the importance of having auto, home, medical, and life insurance, legal and business insurance is just as important to protect and grow businesses.
IDH: Let’s talk about LegalShield’s partnership with Football Hall of Fame legend Fran Tarkenson. How did that come to be?
LISA: LegalShield has developed a 20-year partnership with GoSmallBiz Owner and CEO Fran Tarkenton. Fran has some name recognition—he was quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings for 18 years. He has also been helping businesses grow from the ground up for about 40 years, so he has a lot of experience.
Fran partners with LegalShield because business owners need legal help. This past year, LegalShield and GoSmallBiz created a plan that merges business with legal protection to help start, grow, and protect businesses at all stages of growth.
IDH: Do you work directly with entrepreneurs launching new startups?
LISA: Yes, we meet and discuss their pain points and then I can match them with the plan they need. Many new business owners don’t even know what they need and then don’t know how to go about getting what they need. Throughout the process, I continue to follow up with business owners to teach them how to use our services and make sure they are using them. Plus, they will have the ongoing coaching of GoSmallBiz.
IDH: Tell us more about these services. What types of services does LegalShield provide for entrepreneurs and startups?
LISA: Small business owners face big business problems, but on a small business budget. They need services to help them be more proactive and preventative with daily decision making. Key benefits of working with LegalShield are, we provide unlimited legal consultation, legal correspondence, debt collection, contract and document review.
Member services also include customer relationship management, email marketing, and building a professional e-commerce website.
We also offer three different memberships with added perks (e.g., discount codes and gift cards to shop online or in-store at national and local companies for purchases such as movie tickets, apparel, electronics, travel, and sport events) and additional services such as business consultation, website analysis and consultation, human resources and business planning tools, and online learning resources.
IDH: How has your personal experience as a business owner helped better position you to help others?
LISA: GoSmallBiz has a comprehensive certification program for LegalShield associates to help us go out and help small businesses grow. Because I had another business in the past and have been certified though GoSmallBiz and LegalShield, I am a part of the GoSmallBiz team.
IDH: What do you enjoy most about working with startups/entrepreneurs?
LISA: I enjoy helping entrepreneurs get their businesses going—and I know how hard it is to start your own business. It’s time-consuming and costly. I would love to have had legal counsel in the past. For example: When I was running a previous business, I worded something incorrectly and I almost got sued for it. I made some costly mistakes because I didn’t have the LegalShield or GoSmallBiz resources at the time to help me. If I had, I could have saved a lot of money and time.
Many businesses go out of business within the first three to five years. With the partnership of GoSmallBiz and LegalShield, entrepreneurs have a much better chance to grow and protect their businesses.
IDH: Tell us about the importance of fostering entrepreneurship here in Connecticut.
LISA: There are 28 million small businesses in the United States, with 700,000 new small businesses created every year. Offering this massive, growing market a powerful product with proven success will help entrepreneurs grow the market place in Connecticut.
Learn more about LegalShield
VISIT: www.legalshield.com
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CONTACT: Lisa Jameson | 860-796-9116 | lisajameson.wearelegalshield.com