By Lisa Liu, senior partner at The Mitzel Group, startup founder, corporate attorney, board director, venture capitalist.
Intellectual property protections add value to all types of companies. While securing trademarks and other types of IP protection (e.g., patents, service marks, copyrights and trade secret agreements) is a common tactic for widget manufacturers and tech companies, professional services often overlook opportunities to build value with a thoughtful IP portfolio strategy. In fact, if you ever hope to sell your business or solicit financing, creating value around your intangible assets should be a core goal. Especially for service-based businesses where the entity’s brand rests on the reputation of the