A Legal Guide to Scaling Up: How to Stay Compliant and Competitive

Business growth is something all entrepreneurs dream of. Growth means greater profits, more exposure, and boosted conversion numbers. It’s not an easy thing to achieve, however. Growth can take years of hard work, as well as strict legal compliance.

If you are a business owner who’s interested in scaling up, there are a few different things you need to know. The main one is that in order to achieve financial success, industry regulations must be meticulously adhered to. 

This post will explain why compliance is important, and how you can legally scale up. 

Hire Legal Support

The first thing you need to know is that you don’t have to navigate the complexities of scaling up alone. It is perfectly possible to enlist a lawyer’s support. A lawyer will be able to work with you to ensure your business’s growth is expertly managed and facilitated. This team of commercial lawyers in Brisbane makes clear that they can support many areas of commercial law, from IP, or Intellectual Property, disputes, to litigation. Find the most experienced lawyer you can to help you. A lawyer’s reviews can help you to determine their level of expertise and commitment to their clients. 

Choose the Right Structure

One of the first considerations you need to make if you want to start a successful business is the structure you are going to choose. There are many different types, from LLCs to Corporations. Any uncertainties you have about your business’s structure can be effectively resolved by getting in touch with a commercial lawyer. A commercial lawyer will be able to explain the different structures to you and help you choose the right one for your company. 

Register IP

IP (Intellectual Property) is something you always need to protect. Make sure you properly patent and copyright any of your business’s creations, so they don’t get stolen. If they do, you could end up embroiled in expensive legal disputes. If you believe somebody has stolen your business’s IP, it is important to get in touch with a lawyer and make a claim for compensation. A lawyer will be able to mount a lawsuit against the person guilty of stealing your IP and sue them for any profits they have made as a result of their misuse of it. 

Signing Contracts

If contracts are not signed properly, there could be severe consequences. The best way to ensure contracts are properly signed is to hire a lawyer to oversee the actual creation of contracts, then partner with a digital contract signing service to make sure they are signed as they are supposed to. Most businesses offer digital signage now because it is much easier for clients and customers. Instead of having to attend a business’s premises in person, they can sign contracts from the comfort of their homes or offices. 

Tax Compliance

Tax compliance is arguably one of the most important considerations on this list. If you are caught underpaying taxes or simply don’t pay them on time, you could get into a lot of trouble. A lawyer will be able to help your business remain tax compliant if you are having trouble ensuring it yourself.

Data Protection

As your business grows, you will likely obtain a lot more data. The way you manage this data is very important. Failing to manage it properly can get you into a lot of trouble and lead to your business breaching data protection regulations. Stay compliant with all data protection laws and always update clients when you modify your privacy policies. 

Obtain Licenses

In order to grow, you will need the correct licenses and permits. If your business has specific licenses and permits it has to have, the chances are you will need to upgrade them if your business begins to grow in size. To find out if you do need to upgrade permits or licenses, get in touch with the licensing body your business answers to. 

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is another very important consideration, second to tax compliance. If you do not have robust cybersecurity defenses in place, your business could fall victim to crime or fraud. If it does, data will likely leak. Any customer data that leaks as a result of inadequate cybersecurity protection will result in fines and penalties. 

Marketing Compliance

As your business grows in size, you will likely need to increase the number of marketing campaigns you run at any given time. Investing money in marketing means you need to remain compliant with advertising regulations. False or misleading claims in your advertisements can get your business into trouble with industry regulators. Make sure you hire an experienced marketing agency to represent your business’s digital interests, so no mistakes are made, and compliance is ensured. 

Monitor Changes

You need to monitor the industry your business operates in to identify and make yourself aware of changes. Any industry changes need to be factored into your organization’s operations. Failing to consider them could lead to your business getting on the wrong side of industry regulators. 

Routine Audits

Routine compliance audits are something else you need to ensure as a business owner, especially if you want to scale up. A good way to perform audits is to hire compliance officers. They will not only be able to perform audits, but they will also be able to train employees on compliance and ensure your organization doesn’t deviate from legally mandated industry operating procedures. 

Crisis Management

Crisis management policies should always be in place. This is so that if anything happens to you or there are any emergencies, problems can be resolved without deviating from industry standards. You won’t be able to scale up if you overlook crisis management. A risk management agency will be able to help you introduce crisis management policies and remain compliant while doing so. 

Employee Protection

Finally, as your business grows, make sure you do everything you can to keep your employees safe. Ensure that employees have safety equipment and that they are trained in how to operate without causing injuries to themselves or their coworkers. You can train employees in-house or send them to an external training provider. 

If you want to scale your business up, legal compliance is important. The guidance given here will hopefully help you to maintain compliance. Any doubts or uncertainties you have should be addressed to a commercial lawyer. They will be able to work closely with you to implement more effective compliance measures and highlight any mistakes you have made relative to them.