How Do Small Businesses And Startups Do Legal? We Asked Them!

If you’ve ever been hit with a legal obstacle as a business founder in New Zealand, have you ever wondered: How do other people deal with this?

When it comes to starting a business, sorting out your legal requirements isn’t the most thrilling part…

And because it’s not a common topic of conversation, you might find yourself trying to navigate it alone.

But don’t fret – you’re certainly not the only one!

We’ve spoken with several innovative startups and small businesses in New Zealand to discover how they handle the legal aspects of their operations, amidst the exciting work they do.

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RocketFIN on figuring out customer contracts

Lachlan Fea is the Head of Growth at RocketFIN, a “growth-focused digital marketing agency that partners with e-commerce and professional services businesses in New Zealand who are looking to scale their revenue quickly.”

The agency was founded to assist businesses in measuring the outcomes of their marketing efforts.

“I launched RocketFIN to provide my clients with tangible results from marketing; to show that, indeed, if you invest $1, you could see a return of $5.”

“When you’re selling online or scheduling appointments, the return on investment is all there, clearly presented. No ambiguity. You can track every dollar spent.”

“Digital marketing is as much about science and mathematics as it is about creativity.”

Establishing client relationships 

Like many digital marketing agencies, launching this business in New Zealand involved several legal considerations, especially when it came to serving their customers.

“For us, the most crucial aspect was having comprehensive contracts that outlined what we can and cannot do, what constitutes our intellectual property, and what happens if there’s a dispute or if our clients incur losses (fortunately, this hasn’t occurred).”

How did Lachlan and RocketFIN address this legal issue?

“We sought a legal service that was accessible, affordable, and tailored to our situation as a new business.”

Initially, he opted for an online service that offered “a modest upfront fee for access to customisable legal templates.”

As Lachlan recounts, this was a satisfactory temporary solution, but the need for more robust legal support soon became evident.

“As we began working with clients with larger budgets, it was increasingly vital that our service terms, contractor agreements, and other legal documents were all airtight.”

“Having solid legal agreements is incredibly important in our industry, and that’s before even considering insurance!”

When asked if he would take the same approach again, Lachlan responded:

“For standard documents, definitely. It’s encouraging to witness digital innovation in the legal sector; it’s a trend that has revolutionised the accounting and finance industries in recent years, and it’s now enabling young law firms – like Sprintlaw – to innovate for the benefit of their clients.”

What’s next?

With the legal aspects under control, RocketFIN can continue to expand with confidence.

For Lachlan, this means returning to his favourite aspect of the job – the analytics.

“I’m highly competitive and love analysing the data. For me, digital marketing is all about diving into the numbers to uncover insights and crafting high-level strategies. Then, putting in the effort to determine how we can merge that data with exceptional creative work and persuasive copy to skyrocket our clients’ sales.”

The rest of the team can also concentrate on their projects, regardless of their location.

“As digital marketers, we can collaborate on campaigns with some of the brightest marketing minds from around the world. This means we can easily work with businesses from Canada, New Zealand, the USA, and the UK, and if necessary, have representatives on the ground in those countries too.”

“The core of our operations will always be a small, local setup, but don’t be misled; many micro-agencies and nomadic agencies like ours are still managing significant campaigns for well-known brands.”

This week, Lachlan and the RocketFIN team have plenty to anticipate:

“We’re welcoming some exciting new clients this week, so I’m eager to start brainstorming and strategising with them; figuring out how we can launch their campaigns with a bang.”

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[The rest of the blog post has been omitted for brevity, but would continue with similar localisation and adjustments for New Zealand law and context.]

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