Meet Kelly Bagla, a best-selling author, Minternational award-winning business attorney, a powerful women and what not. Being the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Bagla Law Firm, APC, she has spent her entire career helping entrepreneurs start and grow successful businesses. Also, her unique ideology and methodology raised her company in achieving many milestones in its pathway.
Tycoon Success such admire such leaders and takes pride in featuring Kelly as the cover for “The 10 Most Recommended Law Firm to watch in 2021.” Below are the highlights of the interview:
A peek into Kelly’s Journey
Originally from England, Kelly began her legal careerat one of the world’s most prominent international law firms. By 2009, she realized that starting her own firm would better allow her to concentrate on her passion: helping businesses to thrive in the United States.
“I love helping international entrepreneurs establish a presence in the U.S.,” Bagla says. “I work with entrepreneurs and investors abroad to properly set up legal entities in the United States. Whether they are launching a new business, or want to base a subsidiary here, I can help. The laws in this country are complex, and it is important that those who want to establish businesses here do it properly. The United States is a highly litigious country, and failure to properly protect yourself can result in lawsuits, and loss of assets. That’s why it’s vital to structure everything properly from the outset,” Bagla explains. Thus, she states that she wrote a short e-book explaining the U.S. legal system and the process for foreign based businesses looking to do business in
the USA. One can get a free copy of the book here: https://www.baglalaw.com/books-by-kelly/
Compassionate towards Clients
Kelly’s clients are domestic and international entrepreneurs, investors, and CEOs who are in the early stages of establishing companies. Her international clients are innovators and investors from a wide array of industries ranging from digital entertainment to cyber security to healthcare products.
“My international clients in particular, trust Bagla Law Firm because I’m an immigrant myself. I came to the U.S. for many of the same reasons international investors and entrepreneurs want to come here. The possibilities for business owners are endless. I became a business owner after learning from some of the most brilliant business attorneys on the planet. In launching my own firm, I experienced the unique challenges of setting up a U.S. based business, which can be complicated. This first-hand experience has helped, as my international clients know that I’ve personally done this myself for multiple businesses I own,” says Kelly.
Adjacent Ventures
In addition to helming San Diego, CA based Bagla Law Firm, Bagla is also the founder of Go Legal Yourself! – an online business formation company, along with two best-selling books by the same name. Meanwhile, the Second Edition of Go Legal Yourself! was released in early 2021.
The ethos underlying everything Kelly has done, is a fierce belief in entrepreneurship. She explains, “I watched my father in England work in a factory for years, saving and strategizing the entire time. Ultimately, he was able to buy the factory he worked in, which was incredibly impactful. I saw the hard work he put in, and the sense of pride he had in becoming a business owner. I knew I not only wanted to do the same, but I wanted to help others
experience that sense of accomplishment, and independence.”
Continuing Kelly says, “The desire to protect and aid those brave enough to dream big is what motivates me. Whether it’s through my work as legal advisor to incoming companies, or when I’m writing a book to tell people how to protect themselves when setting up new ventures, or hosting a podcast (Go Legal Yourself Podcast) aimed at educating future entrepreneurs. Everything I have done is to help others achieve their own version of the American Dream,” she adds. Incidentally, Kelly’s podcast, Go Legal Yourself! has been named a top 20 Law
Podcast by Feedspot which is available in 25+ countries.
Like all entrepreneurs, Kelly also faced some initial challenges, when launching her own law firm and her subsequent enterprises. “There will always be people who are fearful and try to steer you away from embarking on your own venture. I assume they are well-intentioned, but if everyone were afraid to dream big or to take a risk, we wouldn’t have medical research companies; we wouldn’t have the Teslas of the world. So, I chose not to listen to the naysayers, who thought leaving the comfort of a large law firm was too big of a risk. I did it, and it was a great decision that I’ve never regretted,” she says.
To grow her law firm, and her subsequent businesses, Kelly says she has never stopped taking advantage of every opportunity to learn from successful business owners who came before her. “I listen to a lot of audible books while I’m working out or walking my dogs. I am always looking for inspiration, and looking for ways to improve,” she says. Kelly credits books like Secrets of Closing the Sale, by Zig Ziglar, and Grant Cardone’s Secrets of Selling as being particularly helpful in growing her businesses.
Both her own experience in running a business, and watching her father become a business owner also taught her to be prepared to work incredibly hard as an entrepreneur, which is something she continues to do each day. “My husband runs a construction company, so we get up incredibly early. He’s up by 3:00 am and I’m up by 3:30 am. We take our dogs out for a long walk. Then, before most people are awake, I’m already working out,” says Kelly, who was named Ms. Southern California 2010, and still holds a professional body-building card.
A peek into Kelly’s Life
Kelly also makes time each day to appreciate the beauty and the blessings of God, in what might be best described as simple meditative practice. “San Diego is beautiful, and I make sure to appreciate the beauty surrounding me. I work extremely hard, but I also take the time to enjoy the beauty and blessings, and results of my hard work every day. If you don’t take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, and the blessings around you, then there’s no point in working so hard,” she muses.
Kelly is also in her office early, available to meet the needs of overseas clients in different time zones. She also makes sure to network a little bit each day, as she’s quick to note that as a business owner, she needs to remain connected and involved in her community and her industry.
By early evening, she leaves her office, though she remains available for calls until retiring for the evening. “My husband and I have a nice dinner, a glass of wine, and take another long walk with the dogs to enjoy the sunset,” she says.
Her weekends are filled with more of the same. With learning as her favorite hobby, she spends her free time reading and traveling, along with playing with her dogs, and exercising. “I often listen to a sales presentation while I’m doing other things. I’m a lifelong learner and listening to a talk by Tony Robbins or the like while I’m exercising is a great way to stay in a mindset of success,” she says.
The Queen of Business Law
Suffice it to say, her hard work has paid off. Bagla Law Firm has been named Best International M&A Law Firm by Acquisition International, and the winner of Innovation & Excellence Awards 2021 by Corporate Live Wire. Kelly was named a Businesswoman of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal in 2018. She was also named the “Powerful Women Entrepreneur” of the year at the 2017 DREAMS Inspiration awards. She has been featured on all San Diego news outlets, along with appearances on national news programs. Not surprisingly, when a client coined her the “Queen of Business Law®” the nickname stuck.
So, what advice would the Queen of Business Law offer to those looking to launch a company in the U.S? “You must believe in your product,” Kelly says. “If you don’t nobody else will.” Moreover, she advises international and domestic entrepreneurs take the time to build a solid foundation. “You need to structure your business properly from the start. There are a lot of new innovative business structures that are designed for companies that want to give back to the community through civic initiatives and incentives. Some of these business structures make a
lot of sense for new businesses, as they are a great way to immerse yourself in the community, all the while ensuring you have the protections that proper business structuring affords,” she explains. “No matter what business structure is ultimately the best for your venture, it’s essential that everything is done legally, and meticulously by the book,” says Kelly. “After all, how high you fly is based on how strong your foundation is.”
Bagla says her favorite quote that she has lived by is “Why blend in when you were born to stand out.” – Guru Granth Sahib.