Kelley Keller

Trademark Attorney & Business Legal Coach for Digital Entrepreneurs

  • Home
  • About Kelley
  • Learning Center
    • Free Business Resources for Entrepreneurs
    • Rock Solid Business School
  • Speaking
  • Blog
  • Contact
JOIN ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS OWNERS JUST LIKE YOU AND STAY UP TO DATE ON NEWS AND INFORMATION THAT MATTERS!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Starting a Business? You Need a Plan for Success

September 1, 2019 By Kelley Keller

Starting a Business? You Need a Plan for Success

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 414,043 small businesses opened their doors in 2015 (most recent statistics), but 395,602 closed.  Wow!

The SBA also reports that only half of new businesses survive for five years or more, and only one-third survive for 10 years or more. The statistics prove there is no guarantee that starting a business will lead to great success and happiness.

Business ownership is challenging and without a plan for success, you won’t just be opening the doors to your business, you’ll also be opening the doors to risk that could lead directly to failure faster than you can imagine.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to eliminate every risk that comes with opening and running a business, but you can mitigate as many risks as possible and boost your chances for success by carefully planning from the very beginning. Most importantly, you need to get excellent advice from real experts and professionals who have started their own businesses and help other people start and run new businesses each day.

Business Planning: Your First Steps

Research has shown again and again that entrepreneurs who start business planning early are much more likely to build successful companies. However, business planning includes more than a written business plan.

It should also cover the essential foundation elements of your company. For example, you should get expert advice to develop:

  • The right business structure (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or limited liability company)
  • Certificate of Organization (LLC) or Articles of incorporation (corporation)
  • Operating agreements (LLCs)
  • Bylaws (corporations)
  • Employee and independent contractor agreements
  • Non-disclosure agreements
  • Trademarks, patents, and copyrights
  • Trade secret protection program
  • A tax strategy
  • Insurance reviews
  • Buy/sell agreement
  • Business succession planning
  • And more (the list goes on and on)

You don’t know what the future holds, but one thing is certain. If you don’t spend time planning your business, it will be a lot harder to succeed in your business.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

About Kelley Keller

Kelley Keller, Esq. is an intellectual property (IP) attorney, speaker, and educator with two decades of experience in the IP field. She works with individuals and businesses in a wide variety of industries helping them transform their ideas, knowledge, and innovation into valuable business assets that drive profits. Kelley offers education to established businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, non-profits, government agencies, legal professionals, and students about starting and growing a business as well as about IP, social media law, and the importance of protecting valuable brand assets and creative work.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

STAY UP TO DATE

Join business owners just like you and stay up to date on news and information that matters!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Browse Articles by Category

  • Branding
  • Commentary
  • Contracts and Agreements
  • Copyrights
  • Courses
  • Employees
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Family Business
  • Finance
  • Free Resources
  • Infographics
  • Intellectual Property
  • Learning Center
  • Legal
  • Marketing
  • Patents
  • Small Business
  • Social Media
  • Starting a Business
  • Startups
  • Supply Chain
  • Tax
  • Trade Secrets
  • Trademarks

What People are Saying about Kelley Keller

Lisa Frederiksen | Author, Speaker, Trainer, Consultant at BreakingTheCycles.com

Kelley works differently. After an initial phone conversation (I live in CA and she's in PA), she drafted a scope of work for both efforts and set a flat fee which included (and still includes) the back and forth conversations a client needs in order to get the best results. She is extremely knowledgeable and truly able to "hear" what I'm after and create meaningful legal documents and advice that have helped me immeasurably. I highly recommend Kelley Keller.
2016-04-23T10:27:42-04:00
Kelley works differently. After an initial phone conversation (I live in CA and she's in PA), she drafted a scope of work for both efforts and set a flat fee which included (and still includes) the back and forth conversations a client needs in order to get the best results. She is extremely knowledgeable and truly able to "hear" what I'm after and create meaningful legal documents and advice that have helped me immeasurably. I highly recommend Kelley Keller.
http://kelleykeller.com/testimonials/lisa-frederiksen/

Kelly Phillips Erb | Senior Editor at Forbes

Kelley was able to explain complicated legal issues in a manner that was easy to understand without being patronizing. She was also great at talking me down from ledges - it was easy to get worked up when opposing parties weren't being cooperative but Kelley advised me to trust in the process and she was right.

Kelley explained my costs and options, as well as the pros and cons of each. She also kept me informed about my matter, letting me know what I needed to do at the appropriate time. All in all, I felt very involved in the process without being overwhelmed. Kelley made a wildly stressful situation so much better. I would highly recommend her services.
2016-04-23T10:42:43-04:00
Kelley was able to explain complicated legal issues in a manner that was easy to understand without being patronizing. She was also great at talking me down from ledges - it was easy to get worked up when opposing parties weren't being cooperative but Kelley advised me to trust in the process and she was right. Kelley explained my costs and options, as well as the pros and cons of each. She also kept me informed about my matter, letting me know what I needed to do at the appropriate time. All in all, I felt very involved in the process without being overwhelmed. Kelley made a wildly stressful situation so much better. I would highly recommend her services.
http://kelleykeller.com/testimonials/kelly-phillips-erb-senior-editor-forbes/

Charlotte Avery | CEO at Being Charlotte Avery

Words cannot express how much I appreciate Kelley Keller. She has helped me and my business on so many levels. Whenever I have a question I always know that I can call her and she will give me the best advice/counsel. I know that my business is in good hands with Kelley.

Kelley, THANK YOU for EVERYTHING!!!
2016-04-23T10:46:03-04:00
Words cannot express how much I appreciate Kelley Keller. She has helped me and my business on so many levels. Whenever I have a question I always know that I can call her and she will give me the best advice/counsel. I know that my business is in good hands with Kelley. Kelley, THANK YOU for EVERYTHING!!!
http://kelleykeller.com/testimonials/charlotte-avery-ceo-charlotte-avery/

Ruth Koup | Founder of Suits to Careers, Inc., Dress for Success South Central PA & Tied to Success

Kelley Clements Keller, Esq has been a huge support to the launch of our new umbrella organization, Suits to Careers, Inc. and the branding and trademarking of our men's program, Tied to Success. We could not have navigated this transition without her support. Many thanks.
2016-04-23T10:49:27-04:00
Kelley Clements Keller, Esq has been a huge support to the launch of our new umbrella organization, Suits to Careers, Inc. and the branding and trademarking of our men's program, Tied to Success. We could not have navigated this transition without her support. Many thanks.
http://kelleykeller.com/testimonials/ruth-koup/

Matt Bloom | Founder & CEO of CRIMEWATCH Technologies, Inc.

Kelley is an exceptional IP attorney. She understands the legal nuances facing start-ups and is willing to work within those restrictions. Kelley is casual and easy to work with, but when it comes to legal action she is aggressive and takes charge. She has successfully helped us secure coexistence agreements and trademarks for our business. Here expertise has added exponential value to the technology we have built and I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking IP representation.
2016-04-23T10:53:29-04:00
Kelley is an exceptional IP attorney. She understands the legal nuances facing start-ups and is willing to work within those restrictions. Kelley is casual and easy to work with, but when it comes to legal action she is aggressive and takes charge. She has successfully helped us secure coexistence agreements and trademarks for our business. Here expertise has added exponential value to the technology we have built and I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking IP representation.
http://kelleykeller.com/testimonials/matt-bloom-founder-ceo-crimewatch-technologies-inc/

Zachary Ziegler | Brewmaster at Molly Pitcher Brewing Company

Kelley is not only extremely knowledgeable in the realm of intellectual property, but she made the whole process fun! It's not often you hear fun and legal work in the same sentence but Kelley's personality eased my worries while keeping me upbeat the whole time. She explained the entire process in language I could understand and kept me updated continuously. I would not hesitate to work with her again or refer her to my friends and family.
2016-04-23T10:54:48-04:00
Kelley is not only extremely knowledgeable in the realm of intellectual property, but she made the whole process fun! It's not often you hear fun and legal work in the same sentence but Kelley's personality eased my worries while keeping me upbeat the whole time. She explained the entire process in language I could understand and kept me updated continuously. I would not hesitate to work with her again or refer her to my friends and family.
http://kelleykeller.com/testimonials/zachary-ziegler-brewmaster-molly-pitcher-brewing-company/
35 E. High Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
717-386-5035 • 800-971-2979HELLO@KELLEYKELLER.COM
Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer

Your information will never be shared or sold to a third party.

©2016-2018 Kelley Keller, Inc.