Time: 2 to 3 hours for the packet, then a waiting period. Tag: ME. Not legal advice; a short consult with an IP attorney before filing is worth it if budget allows.

Goal: protect the Long Game brand, name, tagline, and the card system.

What to protect, in order

1. LONG GAME CAREER COACHING (word mark). Core brand. File first.
2. EVERYBODY HAS A LONG GAME. (tagline). Distinctive and quotable.
3. The logo (rising line with endpoint dot). File as a design mark once the logo is final.
4. Card system names you will use in commerce: LONG GAME FC, LOCKER ROOM (check conflicts), THE CLUBHOUSE, SEASON 1 KICKOFF PACK.
5. COACH LEIGHTY is your own name; lower priority. Common law rights come from use.

Check conflicts first. LONG GAME is a common phrase, so the full name plus the coaching context is what is registrable. Expect the USPTO to require a disclaimer on CAREER COACHING (descriptive).

Classes to file under

• Class 41: career coaching, educational services, training, entertainment (games, cards as digital content).
• Class 35: business consulting, career consulting services (consider adding for the main mark).
• Class 9 or 42: only if the Locker Room app becomes downloadable or SaaS software (later).
• Class 16 or 28: only if you sell physical cards or merch (later).

Steps

1. Create a folder in Drive called Trademark Evidence. Save: dated screenshots of the site, first sale or first client date, the logo file, social posts using the name.
2. Search for conflicts at the USPTO trademark search tool (uspto.gov, Search our trademark database). Search LONG GAME with coaching, career, training, and consulting. Also search Google, LinkedIn, and Oregon Secretary of State business names. Save screenshots.
3. Write down for each mark: exact wording, date first used anywhere, date first used in commerce, the URL where it appears, and the class.
4. Decide filing basis. Use 1(a) (in use) if you have sold or delivered services under the name. Use 1(b) (intent to use) if not yet.
5. File on the USPTO site (TEAS). The base fee is currently $350 per class. Confirm the current fee and any surcharges on uspto.gov before paying. You will enter the LLC (Long Game Career Coaching, LLC) as owner and your business address. Use a business address you are comfortable having public; the record is public.
6. Pay with a card on the USPTO site yourself. Save the filing receipt and serial number.
7. Calendar: expect an examiner response in about 6 to 8 months. Set a reminder to check status monthly.
8. Until registration: use the TM symbol next to the name and tagline on the site and products. Use the registered symbol only after the USPTO registers the mark.
9. Optional and cheap: Oregon state trademark registration with the Oregon Secretary of State. It does not replace federal.

Copyright (do the same day)

Copyright exists automatically, but registration lets you sue and claim statutory damages. File at copyright.gov (about $45 for a single author, single work online; confirm current fee). Candidates: the Season 1 card artwork set as one group, the site text, the playbook and discussion sheets, the video once final. Add (c) 2026 Long Game Career Coaching, LLC. All rights reserved. to the site footer.

Also lock down

• Domain: confirm auto renew and registrar lock on longgamecareercoaching.com.
• Handles: reserve the same handle on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, X, even if unused.
• Operating agreement: make sure the LLC owns the IP (you assign your personal rights to the LLC in writing).

Done when

Evidence folder exists, conflict search saved, at least marks 1 and 2 filed, serial numbers saved, footer shows TM and the copyright line.

Time: 1 hour. Tag: ME. Goal: the site has the pages a real business needs before taking payments.

Steps

1. Squarespace footer: add (c) 2026 Long Game Career Coaching, LLC. All rights reserved. and TM after the name once item 01 is filed.
2. Create three pages in the Not Linked section: Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Refund and Cancellation Policy. Link them in the footer.
3. Use a reputable generator (Termly, iubenda, or Squarespace policy templates) for the first draft. Fill in: LLC name, Portland Oregon, coaching services, data you collect (email, booking via Setmore, payments via Squarespace Payments, Locker Room via Airtable and Auth0).
4. Add coaching disclaimers to Terms: coaching is not therapy, legal, financial, or employment advice, and there is no guarantee of a job outcome.
5. Add a refund rule per product: session packs expire after X months, unused sessions policy, reschedule window (for example 24 hours).
6. Kids content: add a short note that content for young people is intended to be used with a parent or guardian. Never collect personal data from kids under 13 on the site.
7. Cookie banner: enable the built in Squarespace banner if you will use analytics.
8. Ask an attorney or your insurance agent to look once. Also confirm whether you want professional liability (E and O) coverage for coaching.

Done when

Three policy pages are live and linked in the footer, footer copyright shows, and the kids note is on the kids page.

Time: 1 hour. Tag: ME.

Steps

1. Squarespace Payments: confirm the bank payout account (you enter it, nobody else). Run a small test order on a hidden product and refund it.
2. Business bank account: confirm the LLC has its own account and card. Keep all LG money here only.
3. EIN: confirm the LLC has one (free from irs.gov). Use it on Squarespace, the bank, and the USPTO if asked.
4. Payment plans: Squarespace needs a plan that supports them. Check the Commerce plan comparison, decide if the upgrade pays for itself. Rule of thumb: upgrade when you expect more than 3 plan sales a month.
5. Elite price: pick a number for Elite. Rule: Elite should be at least 2x the Gold per session value so Gold feels like the smart pick.
6. Sales tax: Oregon has no sales tax, but confirm digital and service items are set to non-taxable in Squarespace.
7. Bookkeeping: open a simple sheet or tool with income, expenses, mileage. Save receipts for the domain, Squarespace, Setmore, and Airtable.
8. Quarterly estimates: set a calendar reminder for federal and Oregon estimated taxes. Ask a CPA about the best setup for a new single member LLC.

Done when

Test order succeeded and refunded, payout bank confirmed, plan decision made, Elite price set.

Time: 45 minutes. Tag: ME. Goal: the internal pages and team accounts are locked down before more people get access.

Steps

1. Turn on 2-step verification for every Google Workspace account (admin.google.com, Security, 2-step verification, enforce for all users).
2. Use a password manager for every LG login. Do not share passwords in docs or email.
3. Give Maddy her own account and role. Never share your login.
4. Squarespace: Settings, Permissions. Contributors get only the access they need. Remove any old account with Creator access on other workspaces (Bay Light Farm).
5. Page passwords: this Clubhouse page uses its own password. Give Maddy a different page and a different password. Rotate passwords every 90 days.
6. Cloudflare and Airtable: use a scoped Airtable personal access token (only the LG base, only the scopes needed). Store it as a Cloudflare secret, never in a doc or on this page.
7. Recovery: save backup codes for Google, Squarespace, Cloudflare, Airtable in the password manager.

Done when

Everyone on the team has 2-step on, one password manager vault exists, tokens are scoped.

Time: 1 hour. Tag: ME for the secrets, CLAUDE for the wiring.

Steps

1. Airtable: log in to the LG account, create a personal access token scoped to the LG base (data.records read and write, schema read). Copy it once.
2. Cloudflare: open the Locker Room worker, Settings, Variables and Secrets. Add the four secrets (names are in the Drive Setup Handoff doc). Paste values yourself.
3. Test a sign up through Auth0 from a private window.
4. Ask Claude to wire order to credit (see prompt).

Claude prompt

Wire my Locker Room: when a Squarespace order for a session pack is paid, add the credits to that member in Airtable. Test with a hidden product.

Done when

Secrets saved, a test member can sign in, and credits update after a test order.

Time: 30 minutes to set up, then 5 minutes per post. Tag: ME.

1. Open the email Long Game social posts: LinkedIn and Facebook bank. It has 12 posts.
2. Screen record the pack opening on the home page with your phone. Trim to 10 seconds.
3. Schedule two or three posts per week. LinkedIn weekdays 8 to 9am Pacific. Facebook evenings.
4. Mix: one video, one card image, one personal story.
5. Update your LinkedIn profile with the profile kit email first so the posts land on a fresh profile.
6. Reply to every comment within a day.

Done when the next two weeks are scheduled.

Time: 45 minutes. Tag: ME. The question: some coaches hold multiple certifications and still coach poorly. Do you need them?

Decision rule

Certification matters in three cases only: (1) a client or employer buyer requires it (corporate and HR channels often do), (2) you want a structured method you do not have, (3) you want a listing in a directory such as ICF. Otherwise results and proof beat letters.

Your advantages already

Senior operations leadership at Nike, Adobe, Cisco, hiring and team building experience, a differentiated brand. Buyers of career coaching mostly want outcomes and trust.

Steps

1. Write down who your first 20 clients are. If most are individuals, skip certification for now and collect proof: testimonials, before and after outcomes, case studies (with permission).
2. If you want corporate or outplacement work, price one credible program (ICF accredited, 60 to 125 hours) and compare to the revenue it could unlock.
3. Cheaper middle path: a short, respected course in career coaching or assessment tools, then reassess after 10 paying clients.
4. Add a Why trust Coach Leighty section to the site built from real experience instead of letters.
5. Set a trigger: if three prospects ask about certification, revisit.

Done when you have chosen: skip, short course, or full credential, with a date to revisit.

Time: 1 hour to plan, Claude to build. Tag: CLAUDE. Goal: a Long Game Kids page in the top nav with videos, games, and parent and child discussion sheets.

Steps

1. List 5 values to teach (effort, curiosity, courage, teamwork, resilience).
2. For each, pick one activity: a 3 minute video idea, a printable discussion sheet, a game for parent and child, a solo challenge.
3. Safety rules: no kid names, no faces unless you decide otherwise, no personal data collected from children under 13.
4. Decide format: embedded videos (YouTube unlisted) and downloadable PDFs.

Claude prompt

Build the Long Game Kids page: five value modules, each with a discussion sheet PDF in our brand colors, one parent and child game, and a short video script. Keep kids unnamed.

Done when the plan is filled and the page is requested.