In the wedding industry especially, “handshake deals” have been historically common.

But are these verbal agreements legal? The answer may surprise you.

I see many creative entrepreneurs freaking out about finding an attorney, not knowing who to turn to, or making bad decisions when it comes to hiring people on their “A-Team.” You simply don’t know where to start, but know for a fact that you don’t want to walk into that dark, musty lawyer’s office down the road and work with that old buy who smells like mothballs. And it doesn’t need to be like this!

Today, I’m going to talk to you about what you need to know about hiring an attorney from an attorney….

In my “day job,” (hint: not this blog) I have worked with trademarks for years. I’ve taught classes to other attorneys on filing and enforcing trademarks. And I feel like I’ve heard lots of strange thoughts and myths along the way.

But hey— it’s time to bust those up. Let’s pull a Miley and come in like a wrecking ball to correct some of the worst trademark-myth offenders:

Every business owner has to negotiate a contract at some point. Whether it’s with a client who is asking for changes in your terms, negotiating through a vendor contract, or creating the terms to a collaboration agreement, knowing how to advocate for yourself is critical.

But guess what? Being your own advocate can be HARD. I will be the FIRST ONE to admit that while I am a great negotiator for others (like, I won an award for it in law school once, #nerdalert) I used to be terrible at advocating for myself. Like that whole “get-kinda-sweaty-and-act-all-fuzzy-brained” kind of feeling where your heart beats really fast and you wonder if everyone hates you……

You’ve probably heard through the grapevine how important it can be to register your business name as a trademark. But why? What is a trademark? Why is it important? And do you really need to do it?

Like most things, there are few easy answers. But don’t worry— we wrote you this simplified primer to give you the down-low on trademarks and why it’s critical you’re familiar with these tools to protect your brand.

If you're reading articles about running a small business, you've no doubt had someone tell you that you need to form an LLC. But if you're a newbie event planner, designer, photographer, florist, etc.-- do you really need to take the time to file with the state?  After all, it's just you, right?  And who is going to sue you for a wedding?  Can't you just do it later? 

I’ll shoot ya straight. Here’s the 4 questions you need to ask yourself to decide:

I get this question at a lot of conferences, so I thought it was high time we cleared this up!

The answer is a surprisingly simple one.  A business license and an LLC filing are very different….

A judge once said to my client: “The biggest mistake you made was going into business with a friend, with no written agreement. Friendship clouds the business relationship. You can't have the conversations you need to have when you're friends."

While I disagree that you can't run a business with a friend, I do agree with one thing: entering into any business relationship without a contract is a no good, very bad idea!  (Don't take my word for it--Being Boss did a great episode on this very topic, which you can listen to here.)

What type of contract am I even talking about? …..

A lot of times, wedding pros plan to "start out small" in their business.  This means running lean and on a shoestring budget.  And lots of times, these are the folks who skip the corporate formation step and just opt to be a sole proprietor (an "SP").

Let me tell you-- this could be one of the most expensive mistakes you make…

"Each separate email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act is subject to penalties of up to $40,654"-- FTC.gov ⬅️

Do I have your attention now?

Yeah, thought so.  If you're sending out emails to customer lists, sharing potential customer lists of new couples with like-minded vendors, growing your email list through freebies, or just starting to explore the idea of email marketing, you need to perk your ears up…..

Hey wedding pros and creative entrepreneurs! You know that trademarking your business name can be important— but did you know that there are some things that you aren’t allowed to trademark at all? Check this list to make sure your business name is in the clear!