Your Business Built It. A Trust Makes Sure It Lasts.
A will tells people where your assets go. A trust actually gets them there — faster, privately, and without a court deciding the timeline.
Buying a trademark package should not feel like dropping money into a void. Here is exactly what happens the moment your purchase is complete.
Complete Your Intake Form
Immediately after checkout, you'll receive a link to your client intake form through my CRM. This is where you provide the details I need to begin your trademark search — your brand name, logo files if applicable, and the goods or services your brand covers.
Office located at 806 Green Valley Road, Suite 200, Greensboro, NC 27408 (appointments only)
Complete Your Intake Form
Immediately after checkout, you'll receive a link to your client intake form through my CRM. This is where you provide the details I need to begin your trademark search — your brand name, logo files if applicable, and the goods or services your brand covers.
If approved, your trademark is published for opposition. Barring any third-party challenges, your registration certificate is issued and your brand is federally protected.
Publication and Registration
Will vs. Trust: What Business Owners Actually Need to Know
If you've built something real — a brand, a registered trademark, client relationships, revenue — a will alone may not be enough to protect it. A will must go through probate: a public court process that can take months to years and consume 3–8% of your estate's value in court fees and legal costs. Everything in your will becomes part of the public record. And while your estate is tied up in that process, your business doesn't pause.
A revocable living trust works differently. You create it now, transfer your assets into it, and serve as your own trustee while you're alive and well. When you pass, your named beneficiaries receive those assets directly — no court, no delay, no public filing. For a business owner, that difference isn't just administrative. It's the difference between your business surviving your death and your business dissolving in probate.
You Stay in Control While You're Living
A revocable living trust doesn't take anything away from you. You manage it exactly as you manage your assets today — because you are the trustee. You can add assets, remove them, change beneficiaries, or revoke the trust entirely if your circumstances change. Nothing is locked in. What changes is what happens when you can't be there to manage things yourself.
Your Successor Trustee Steps In Without a Court Order
If you become incapacitated — whether temporarily or permanently — your successor trustee can step in immediately to manage trust assets. That means business bank accounts, intellectual property, client contracts, and any other assets held in the trust can be managed without waiting for a judge to authorize anything. For a business owner, this is incapacity planning that actually protects business continuity. A will can't do this. A will only activates at death.
Your Trademarks and Business Assets Can Be Inherited
A federally registered trademark is a business asset with real monetary value. If it's not addressed in your estate plan, what happens to it after your death is left to a court process that doesn't understand your brand, your clients, or what you built. When a trademark is held in a properly structured trust, it can pass to a named beneficiary — including a child who wants to continue the business — without court involvement. The same applies to your business interests, contracts, and any intellectual property you've registered.
Multi-State Business Owners Face Even More Complexity
If you operate across state lines — serving clients in multiple states, holding property in more than one state, or registered to do business in several jurisdictions — probate becomes significantly more complicated. Each state where you hold assets may require its own probate proceeding. A properly funded revocable living trust avoids multi-state probate entirely, because trust assets don't pass through any state's court system. For the entrepreneur who has grown beyond her home state, a trust isn't optional planning. It's essential.
What About an Irrevocable Trust?
Revocable living trusts are the right starting point for most business owners — flexible, private, and effective at avoiding probate. But for clients with substantial business and personal assets, an irrevocable trust offers a different kind of protection: assets transferred into an irrevocable trust are generally shielded from creditors and may reduce estate tax exposure, because they are no longer considered part of your taxable estate.
The tradeoff is control. Once assets are transferred into an irrevocable trust, that transfer is permanent. This type of trust is a more advanced planning tool, and the right time to consider it is typically after your revocable living trust is in place and your business has grown to a level where asset protection and tax planning become the next priority. I'll help you understand where you are now and what planning makes sense for where you're headed.
Generational Wealth Starts With a Generational Plan
You didn't build your business so a court could decide what happens to it. You built it to matter — to your clients, your family, and the people who come after you. A revocable living trust is the legal mechanism that turns what you've built into a legacy that actually transfers. Your brand. Your trademarks. Your business equity. The wealth you've created. All of it can pass to the people you choose, on your timeline, without the delays and costs of probate.
At Her Legacy Law Firm, I work with Black women entrepreneurs who are serious about building something that lasts. Estate planning is the part of that work most people put off — and the part that matters most when something unexpected happens. Let's get it done.
Questions About Living Trusts for Business Owners
Should I get a living trust or a will if I own a small business?
For most business owners, the answer is both — and a trust should be the centerpiece. A will covers assets that aren't held in a trust and names guardians for minor children, but it must go through probate. A revocable living trust bypasses probate, protects business continuity in the event of your incapacity, and allows business assets like trademarks and accounts to pass directly to your beneficiaries. The two documents work together, but the trust does the heavy lifting.Can my trademark be passed down through a trust?
Yes — if your estate plan is structured to make that happen. A federally registered trademark is a transferable business asset. When it's held in a properly funded revocable living trust, it can pass to a named beneficiary at your death without going through probate. Without that structure, your trademark could be tied up in a court process that doesn't account for its value or your intentions for the business.What does "funding" a trust mean, and do I have to do it?
Funding a trust means actually transferring your assets into it — retitling bank accounts, business interests, real property, and other assets in the name of the trust. A trust that exists on paper but holds no assets doesn't avoid probate for those assets. Funding is a required step, and I walk clients through exactly what needs to be transferred and how to do it correctly.What happens to my business if I become incapacitated and don't have a trust?
Without a trust, your family or business partners may need to petition a court for guardianship or conservatorship before anyone can legally manage your financial affairs — including your business accounts and contracts. That process takes time your business may not have. A revocable living trust names a successor trustee who can step in immediately, without court involvement, to keep things running.How is a revocable living trust different from an irrevocable trust?
A revocable living trust can be changed, amended, or revoked at any time while you're alive. You remain in control and continue to manage your assets as trustee. An irrevocable trust transfers assets permanently — you give up control in exchange for creditor protection and potential estate tax benefits. Most business owners start with a revocable living trust and consider irrevocable structures later as their assets and planning needs grow.
Ready to Turn What You've Built Into a Legacy?
Your business deserves an estate plan as intentional as the work you've put into it. I'll help you set up a revocable living trust that protects your assets, keeps your business running if something happens to you, and passes everything you've built to the people who matter most — without probate, without delays, and without leaving it to chance.