Law And Wit

Join me and seasoned entrepreneur Sara Urquhart as we share stories (good and bad) about business partnerships and give you the tips you need to make smart business partnership decisions. Sarah spells out the critical questions that you should ask yourself when you are deciding whether to go solo, bring on a partner, and how to navigate changing roles, expectations, and life events that can threaten successful business partnerships. If you are in a business partnership (or planning on being in one!) ESPECIALLY if you are going into business with friends, or family, don't miss this deep dive episode!  In this episode:  Why a lot of female founders think they "need" a business partner and how to overcome it What you should look for in a good business partner How to evaluate business partnership compatibility How to use dynamic equity to make business partnerships more fair How to structure more peaceful partnership check-ins What intellectual property issues need to be addressed between business partners early

Courtney Brown is the CEO and founder of Cents of Style and Be Fulfilled, two multimillion-dollar Utah-based eCommerce companies. Cents of Style aims to bring the latest in clothing and accessories in an accessible and affordable way while Be Fulfilled aims to help influencers develop, source, ship, and service their own product lines.  In this episode of Creative Counsel, Courtney shares her 15-year journey in building her companies from the ground up, including some giant pivots and bringing her husband into the businesses full-time. She also geeks out with me about how we’ve had a front-row seat to the changing shape of eCommerce, especially with brands grown through influencer and affiliate marketing. Courtney also shares how to create business boundaries, especially when working with friends, how to handle the inevitable curveballs that come with physical product, her best tips on hiring and managing team members, and how to approach the constant problem-solving that is part of the entrepreneurial journe

Worried about recession rumors? Want to get your online or creative business as resilient as it can be? Business attorney Brittany Ratelle guides you through the most important things you can change in your business to help set up business boundaries and protect your profits and peace.  In this episode:  what do you actually need in your website footer what are the new privacy laws in 2023 and do they matter if you're a smaller website what is negative option marketing and how can you avoid it  why did Vonage and ABC Mouse get into trouble with the FTC what is the best practice for cancellation for a subscription business what are the most important contracts for a service business what should be in a good client service agreement how old blog post photos could cost you money and how to fix them are those copyright infringement scary letters real for real what's a business prenup and do you need one how you can create a real business boundary Quotes:  "I don't believe in fearmongering. I do believe in prepara

Hala Taha joins attorney Brittany Ratelle on the Creative Counsel podcast to share macro podcasting trends and reveal how Hala used battle-tested skills (and perseverance) to grow a 7-figure business podcast and podcasting agency from the ground up. Hala Taha, dubbed the “The Podcast Princess,” is the host of Young and Profiting (YAP)  Podcast, frequently ranked as a #1 Education podcast across all apps. Hala is also the founder and CEO of YAP Media, a social media and podcast marketing agency for top podcasters, celebrities and CEOs. She is well-known for her engaged following and influence on Linkedin, and she landed the January 2021 cover of Podcast Magazine. Hala has interviewed star-studded guests from Matthew McConaughey to Seth Godin and her show was recently awarded as a 2022 Webby Honoree and is currently on track to bring in over $1M in revenue in advertising sponsorship deals in 2022. In this episode, you'll hear: What to do when your friends and family don't "get" what you're trying to do Hala's

Kristen Ley, founder of Thimblepress® shares her wholesale secrets from being in the stationery businesses for more than a decade. Thimblepress is an international lifestyle company that encourages kindness and inspires fun, through her artisan cards, Push-Pop Confetti, and viral hits like the "Your butt looks great in those jeans!" card. In their interview with attorney for creators Brittany Ratelle, Kristen dives into her creative process, how she launched Thimblepress and grew it to an internationally successful company as a passionate creative, businesswoman, coach, and woman of faith. Kristen has grown Thimblepress as a reflection of her life, love of her family, and reflecting back on one of her favorite places in the world; one of them being her home in Jackson, Mississippi. In this episode:  How Kristen got started with an antique letterpress The journey from side hustle to “burning the ships behind her” when she left a safe corporate job Pros and cons of trade shows (and how Kristen did her first fe

Want to avoid the 7 biggest legal mistakes that physical product and eCommerce companies make? Attorney Brittany Ratelle walks through the most common mistakes that land modern product companies in legal hot water and how you can avoid these headaches as a small business owner.   Here are the top 7 mistakes:  1. No operating agreement or business “prenup” Operating agreements, also known as founder or partnership agreements, define the roles and responsibilities of a business and are a private binding contract that outlines equity, exit planning, intellectual property ownership, non-compete obligations, manager roles and how decision-making will be handled in a business partnership. These agreements are sometimes dubbed as business “prenups” or prenuptial agreements because, without them, many businesses can end with ugly business divorces with multiple parties claiming they had a different understanding of the rights and responsibilities of the business, whether they are fighting over assets or liabilities.

Serial entrepreneur Sierra McCleve, founder of two successful Utah-based food businesses, Thirst and Dottie's Kolaches shares on the Creative Counsel Podcast how created a positive team culture in the challenging food industry. She shares her wisdom as a baker, manager, owner, mom, wife, garage gym fitness enthusiast and now an investor in other projects. Sierra talks about how radical ownership can transform your role as a founder and CEO and help create a positive customer experience – even in a business with lots of moving parts and people.  In this episode we discuss:  How to decide if a business model is viable When to pay attention to competition and when to ignore it The secret to good customer experiences The real role of an owner/manager What to do when stuff goes wrong in your business How to create a positive company culture Why owning everything in your business is actually liberating How to forecast in the food business How to make your team feel valued How to make your check-ins and meetings mo

From corporate to freelance with an abundance mindset with content marketer Carina Wytiaz Carina Wytiaz joins the Creative Counsel podcast to share how having an abundance mindset allowed her to pivot as a content marketer working in tech, to her time as a solo freelancer, and then how she rolled that experience back to corporate leadership. Carina shares how she discovered what she is REALLY good at and how to market that value to others and has some killer macro-industry insights on modern content marketing and how to Her work experience includes time at Franklin Covey, Marchex, Orange Soda, Workfront, her own agency and now is the senior director of Vasion. Carina has a passion for killer writing and making sure women are included and empowered at important tables, everywhere and this is conversation you don’t want to miss out on! In this episode, you will learn:    Why the skills you’re learning in higher education matter more than the degree name How to know if it’s time for you to start your own fr

Today, we are joined by my sweet friend Heather Fujikawa! We are so excited about the arrival of her little girl and reminiscing on our journeys as wives and mothers who are also busy in their careers!  Heather, my friend since college, started her company and entrepreneur journey as an interior designer in Los Angeles. She was drawn to the fashion and design industry and started a hair accessory business with her twin sister who was also in California at the time. It took off quickly, being in magazines and having a line at Nordstrom. You can see their work on Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson. They saw the trend starting in the early 2000s, noticing hair accessories were very popular and knew they could supply a growing demand.    They then jumped from that company to writing a book called Fairy Birds, teaching children to “shine bright and help others” she says. They sold through Scholastic and Costco, and credits her communications education in allowing her to have solid media attention and skills to sell h

What is a vampire client (bad clients who "suck you dry") and how can you avoid them? Or are there no bad clients but only bad "systems" for managing those clients? (and let's be clear...we're not talking about brooding vampires with extra "sparkle" or annoyingly hot vampire brothers...) We're all with Team Jacob on this one.   Listen to this Creative Counsel podcast episode from Attorney for Creators Brittany Ratelle and learn all about vampire clients, red flags, and what you can avoid before, during, and after working with these nightmare clients to manage boundaries over your time, money, and energy.   This episode will help any done-for-your or service-based business (SBB) protect their most precious resource, their energy (yes, it's even more important than time), and make sure you are setting up your modern freelance business for success.   We'll also dish on my favorite legal and business process tips to set up clear collaborative contracts that establish healthy working relationships so that you can

Kylie Chenn, Founder of Acanela Expeditions, shares her story of growing her email list and strategically using promotions to build a booming $5 million dollar travel business, and then how that came to a crashing halt as the global COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.   Tune in to hear Kylie's secrets on how she worked hard and smart to turn an industry-wide shutdown into SEVERAL other successful businesses: a true setback to success story!   Some of Kylie's Top Tips Use email marketing Don’t be afraid to start a new product – test it and if it takes off, spin it off to a new brand/channel, business, etc! Fail fast Don’t avoid HR issues – talk with team members early and often. Don’t avoid conflict!  

Listen in to this killer conversation with food and media personality, chef, author, and Food Network Start Kelsey Nixon. Kelsey came in fourth place on the fourth season of the Food Network series Food Network Star and hosted the Cooking Channel series Kelsey's Essentials, which ran for five seasons from 2010 to 2013 as one of the first pieces of original programming on Cooking Channel and earned her a daytime Emmy nomination. She has also hosted Kelsey's Homemade, on the Cooking Channel, author of several cookbooks, including Kitchen Confidence, and appeared on Iron Chef, Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Cutthroat Kitchen along with Today Show and Rachael Ray. She has designed a suite of kitchen tools and small appliances for HSN and has played the host and executive producer of the food game show, Dinner Takes All.  In this episode you will learn:  The highs and lows of being on TV Having an agent/representation – pros and cons and Kelsey's tips for making the best of it Kelsey's top

Ever wondered if we really "need" contracts and how you can use them without putting up a wall between you and your client, customer, vendor or business partner? This video will cover 10 tips for how to build collaborative contracts -- contracts that actually help protect and clarify roles and expectations for BOTH sides and preserve business relationships and boundaries. You will learn: - when and why contracts are necessary - how to convince someone to sign a contract (even if you didn't have one before) - how to edit contracts -- even if they are PDFs - how contracts can integrate into other business systems . Need some solid contracts for your modern small business? Check out CreativeContacts.co - a curated shop of DIY legal templates for creators, creatives, and online business owners.

Want to avoid some of the most common legal mistakes that new business owners make? Wondering how you can skip over some unnecessary frustration, worry, overwhelm or costly fixes that come from starting a new business and wanting your legal foundations to be solid? In this episode you will learn:  the most common mistakes new entrepreneurs make what you need to do to actually pick a solid business name how to use other people's content the trouble with taxes and ignoring them what "business prenup" you need if you have a partner what needs to be on in your website footer what contracts you need and how you can negotiate anything when you need an NDA or non-disclosure agreement how to properly manage legal risk but also don't be crippled by as an entrepreneur (there's a healthy balance!) Want a free LEGAL workbook to get your creative business legally legit? Download HERE and get access to my newsletter with tips and tricks for YOUR growing creative business. Listen and subscribe to Creative Counsel on iTu

Do you have a business built to last? Guest Michelle Gifford, business coach and content strategist shares what is working to move the needle on content marketing and how you shouldn't be putting all of your eggs in the Instagram basket. Learn about Reeles, email marketing, Pinterest, pretty and functional websites, and how everything should fit together in this juicy episode.  You will learn:  what do you need to stop doing with your marketing what do you need to START doing why you can't just rely on one social media platform (like Instagram) what is working for small businesses is blogging dead, and if not -- how are you supposed to use it? Make sure to check out Michelle's new amazing package -- the "Built to Last Business Bundle" and get $100 off (and a FREE website legal bundle) with code Brittany100 HERE Check out Michelle's other offerings, including her lastest courses, online coaching group, and marketing agency services here Listen below in the plug-in, or the find the podcast on iTunes, Overca

Ep. 64: Creating a Sustainable Career as an Indie Artist with Heidi Luerra, author of The Work of Art, Founder of RAW: Natural   Tune into this podcast interview with Heidi Luerra, master creative consultant and event planner. For more than 20 years, Heidi has worked with artists of all creative genres. Starting her own clothing line at a young age, she earned her business stripes the hard way. Over the past decade, Heidi has grown RAW to a worldwide operation in over 80 cities with over 200k artists in the RAW community. She has combined her decade of experience in helping support, critique and launch successful creatives of all types into her best-selling book, “The Work of Art: A No-Nonsense Field guide for Creative Entrepreneurs. In this episode you will learn:  How she went from a fashion school student to an accidental event producer How to prepare for business opportunities as an independent artist What creatives need to self-educate on, and what they’re already good at How to get over pitching yourse

Learn from serial entrepreneur Sharon McMahon, who started out her adult life as a government teacher, before leaving to pursue her side hustle full time. After she built a seven-figure business and sold it, she became one of her region's most successful photographers and has gone on to coach entrepreneurs via her coaching program, Masters Level Collective. When she's not answering all of Instagram's questions about government, she's likely trapped under a snoring labrador reading a book. In this episode you will learn:  why you don't need another business course (probably) the ONE thing entrepreneurs actually need to grow their businesses how to talk/think about politics without wanting to hide under your desk resources for finding and consuming news and media with a more critical eye how to handle online criticism how to overcome fear of failure as a business owner lessons from running a successful service and product-based business how to cute a "good" community online ++ what made an Irish-Minnesota moth

Learn some super practical accounting tips for creatives with CPA Amy Northard. Amy shares hands-on tips to help you avoid tax stress and to help you set up successful money systems. We dig into hiring independent contractors, using Paypal, how to reconcile accounts and the top tips for avoiding tax issues as a creative entrepreneur.  In this episode you will learn: 4 bookkeeping tips to reduce stress at tax time how to work better with your husband  improving entrepreneurship + motherhood boundaries Tips for bringing the right team members into your service business what's the difference between an accountant and a CFO what software tools can help you with accounting Links:  Amy Northard Be Your Bown CFO S-Corp Reasonable Compensation Report PPP Loan Forgiveness Update FREE RESOURCES Want a free LEGAL checklist to get your creative business legit? Download HERE and get access to my newsletter with tips and tricks for YOUR growing creative business. Listen and subscribe to Creative Counsel on iTunes, Overc

So how exactly do you run your business in the time of Covid and quarantines, masks and mandates, policy and personal protection equipment? This podcast episode will dive into the best tips about navigating the dynamic landscape of trying to run a small business during a pandemic.  You will learn:    What websites should I be checking What to say and what NOT to say What are the reasonable measures for protecting my team? My customers? How can I open in-person What plans do I need to have in place How can I make remote work safer What kind of liability do I have if someone gets sick Where can I get help with cashflow How can I pivot ++ Top resources for small business owners   Links:  OSHA CDC - employers CDC - small business US Chamber of Commerce Covid HR templates/legal forms   Resources: Event release (with updated COVID language)  FREE RESOURCES Want a free LEGAL checklist to get your creative business legit? Download HERE and get access to my newsletter with tips and tricks for

Have you ever felt that panicky feeling when someone asks you what you "do"? Or spewed such a giant word vomit on them that you yourself got lost on what you ACTUALLY do to make money, let alone help people? Enter Macy Robison, StoryBrand Guide certified expert and marketing professional who helps creatives, influencers, and all-around multi-passionate people and helps them tell EXACTLY what they do so they can clearly articulate in ONE sentence who they are and who they serve.  In this episode of Creative Counsel, you will learn:  who is the guide and why it's important what you need in the upper right-hand corner of your website what kind of customer call to action you need (regardless of what you sell or how you make your money) how to be a magnetic brand and why it's important how to craft an impressive elevator pitch why creatives struggle with describing what they "do" and how to fix it +++MORE!!! Links mentioned:  Free worksheet mentioned in the episode! 5-minute marketing makeover by Donald Miller