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 […]
Molly the Maker
Do you create and sell a physical product to your customers? Then this post collection will help do it on the legal up and up!
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 […]
How to smoothly teach your clients about copyright
You are super proud of the work you did for a new design client. A couple months after you wrap up, you pop over to their website. You have a new project in the pipeline and so you want to take screenshots of your work in action for your portfolio. When you land on their […]
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 […]
The secret to happy clients: sharing insider information
Last week when I was wearing my founding partner of a law firm hat, I had a conversation with a potential client. During that session I learned more about her business, we both agreed that she needed help and that working together seemed like a natural fit. Once we agreed to work together, I started […]
Learning the ropes: Maria Brophy
If you aren’t familiar with Maria Brophy, you should be. Maria has been helping her husband, Drew Brophy, run a successful art business for more than fifteen years. She’s also a super savvy businesswoman. And is always willing to share her wealth of experience and stories with creatives. Because she knows what it takes to […]
Where else can you use those awesome Etsy reviews?
A couple times a week I get a text message from a friend asking a “quick question.” Most of the time these questions aren’t quick. Which means I end up down a research rabbit hole trying to find the answer. But I try to be a good friend so I usually dig in and figure […]
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 […]
Learning the ropes: Tara Reed
I’m so excited to introduce a new interview series: learning the ropes. In it, I’ll be talking with creative entrepreneurs like you and discussing empowering and not-so-empowering experiences. They’ll be sharing a time when they learned the “legal” ropes in their business. Allowing you to learn the same lesson, without experiencing it. After each interview, […]
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 […]