Grab the “Can I use your copyrighted materials?” email template So you can quickly and easily ask permission to use someone else’s work. Your privacy is important to us. Learn how we protect it here. They told us to do a Google Search and download and print any pictures we wanted to use. And that […]
Ezra the Entertainer
Do you create content that entertains your audience? Then this post collection will help do it on the legal up and up!
Learning the Ropes: Rachel Mae Smith
I can’t believe that Rachel Mae Smith of The Crafted Life and I only met in person late this summer. We met when I had the chance to take a joint workshop from her and Lisa Anderson Shaffer. I’ve been following Rachel’s blog for ages and am a big fan of her work. And proof […]
Do you know the answer to these 8 questions?
When I’m wearing my attorney hat, I see the nitty gritty ins and outs of lots of creative businesses. I hear successes, struggles, fears, and triumphs. I know about exciting things before you can share the news on social media. But also hear your frustrations when things go wrong. I’m the keeper of many secrets […]
Are you breaking promises? Stop by creating a privacy policy
I can guess what your reaction will be when I start talking about the need for a privacy policy on your website. It’s usually feigned attention and eye rolling. In fact, when I ask people point-blank why they don’t have one, I usually hear the exact same answer: I don’t need one. This is wrong. You […]
The one change you need to make to your website terms of use
One of the keys to keeping your website visitors happy is to establish rules. These rules tell them what’s okay and what they can expect. You’d be right if you guessed that these rules go by the legal name of “terms of service” or “terms of use.” So you do the hard work, you brainstorm, […]
How to build trust with team members: destroy test projects
I’m in the process of finding a website developer to work on some exciting new projects. And I’ve got a really solid lead that I’m thinking is the right person. Last Friday I was having coffee with a friend and telling her about the project, process, and status. I told her that I had narrowed […]
How to hire an intern who will be your biggest fan
Even though it’s been four years since I graduated law school, I can always tell when the semester is about to start or end. How? By one type of email: the request for an internship at my firm. Here’s a recent example: I want to say yes because I learned so much from those that […]
How to effortlessly establish boundaries with your new employee
Hiring an employee is a terrifying experience for many business owners. As you go through this process you’ll probably feel: Scared about giving up control, will the person you hire do it right? Excited because you no longer need to do [task you hate] and can instead spend your time doing [task you love]? Terrified […]
How to hire your first employee without pulling your hair out
At a certain point in your business, you are going to need help if you want to grow. There are only so many hours in the day and you are only capable of doing so much. I usually suggest that you start by hiring out the tasks that you don’t love to do. Maybe you’d […]
The difficulty of finding your images in somebody’s Instagram feed, it ain’t easy
Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of Internet discussion (and hopefully discussions over food) about appropriation art. These discussions can all be tied back to a single man, Richard Prince. This is not the first time that Price has been in the limelight over his work. And he has long been […]
Knowing the why helps you stick to your contract policy
About two weeks ago Abby Glassenberg and I chatted about contracts and the fabric industry. In particular she was curious why some companies have a policy that they don’t sign written contracts. Every business has the right to set policies. And this extends to how they like to deal with contracts. Yes, it’s true that the […]
Yes, there is such a thing as Facebook spam
Every month or so, I end up clicking on a link that takes me to LinkedIn. And when I do, I’ve got a gazillion notifications. Requests to connect from people I don’t recognize and don’t give me any context of how I might know them. Promotional messages from existing contacts. And then just down and […]