With this book, I'm hoping not only to make small-business owners aware of the potential intellectual property pitfalls but suggest some of the best ways to sidestep costly errors and at least minimize the overall stress and expense of starting a business or brand. My ultimate ambition as a counselor to my clients is to ensure that small entrepreneurs, startups, creators, and inventors approach their intellectual property portfolio on the right foot so that it adds value to their business and so they don't have to backtrack and after years of building a brand and reputation, have to dismantle and rebuild due to a faulty foundation. I hope that readers of this book take away that, just as with every other aspect of business (i.e. marketing, accounting, bookkeeping, product development, etc.), intellectual property deserves its respect and would be best approached early on with some counseling and analysis from a lawyer with experience in the field.