Tips to help you get started:

1. Know your asset: Conduct an IP audit to understand what IP assets your company currently holds, their origin, and usage. This will help you identify gaps in protection and set priorities.

2. Plan ahead: Develop a comprehensive IP strategy that outlines the best ways to protect and leverage your IP assets. This includes filing, monitoring, and enforcing patents, trademarks, trade secrets, as well as other IP rights, such as copyright and design patents.

3. Seek expert guidance: Patent law can be complex and having experienced patent attorneys and paralegals on your team is invaluable. They can help you navigate the legal landscape.

4. Stay flexible: Your business and IP assets are constantly evolving, so regularly review and update your IP strategy to ensure it remains aligned with your business goals and budget. Sometimes a portfolio needs culling to ensure there are resources to protect new technology and directions.

5. Collaborate: IP management is not just the responsibility of the legal department.  Form an IP team based on CTO, Business Development, and Sales, to obtain various views of the same technology and product.

6. Encourage IP awareness: create awareness of the importance of IP among your employees with workshops and incentives. Ensure that assignments and legal documents are properly executed to avoid future ownership problems.  

7. Monitor your competitors: reviewing a competitor’s IP and products can provide valuable insight into its product development plans and business. Competitors’ businesses are not stagnant!
 
By following these tips, you can help protect and maximize the value of your IP portfolio.