Office Talk With Annette Stepanian

Are you a social media influencer?   A YouTube rockstar?     Are you making waves on Instagram?   Do you want to turn that digital content you’re creating into profits?     Then you’ll want to listen to this episode with Ellie Altshuler, an entertainment and fashion attorney.   In this Legal (not-so) Quickie episode, Ellie and I talk about our best tips for legally protecting your brand.   To learn more and get the show notes, visit: www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/28   Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette Stepanian.  Neither receipt of information presented  nor any email or other electronic communication submitted or received will create an attorney-client relationship with Annette Stepanian. Any information that you provide by reason of your use of this content is not privileged or confidential.  The law varies from state to state and b

One of the biggest challenges I’ve heard from some of you is finding clients and closing sales. When I have a question about sales, my mind goes directly to Maria Bayer - a sales coach for creatives.  So I invited her on the show to pick her sales brain for this episode of the Office Talk podcast.  Drawing from her sales experience in Corporate America, Maria now coaches creatives on how to book clients quickly and for more money. And she’s sharing some of her top tips with us in this episode. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE The flaw in the traditional “ideal client” exercise and how to attract the “right client” instead How to determine when to change your contract at your client’s request and when to hold your ground The questions to ask your potential clients to reveal what matters most to them and how to use that information to  sell more purposefully Why you should avoid email when closing a sale and what to do instead How to get your client to see your value and gain trust Who should be included in t

One of the first investments you need to make when you’re running a business is a solid set of contracts. But which ones do you need and why?  In this episode, I’m sharing with you the four essential contracts that business owners should have when running a business. I’ll explain what they are and why they matter.  Do you have all of them? Listen to the episode to find out if you’ve got your booty covered! To learn more and get the show notes, visit: www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/26   Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette Stepanian.  Neither receipt of information presented  nor any email or other electronic communication submitted or received will create an attorney-client relationship with Annette Stepanian. Any information that you provide by reason of your use of this content is not privileged or confidential.  The law varies from sta

In this episode of Office Talk, I got a chance to chat with Shanna Skidmore, a business strategist and financial coach for creative entrepreneurs. I could definitely relate to Shanna, whose primary business goal is to simplify the seemingly daunting task of finance for her clients and set them up with the basic financial knowledge they need to take their businesses to the next level. For most creatives, finance and law can appear so overwhelming, but as Shanna shares with us, there are very few things you need to know, and once you know them, you’ll find it’s really not as complicated as you’d imagine. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE The most common pitfalls that Shanna sees creative entrepreneurs making and how to avoid them How to calculate pricing based on profit and what to do if your prices are higher than you think clients are willing to pay How time-tracking saved Shanna’s business, plus her favorite app for time-tracking Why knowing the purpose of your business is essential to its success Why Shann

Do you have an online course? Or do you have one brewing in that beautiful brain of yours? As online course creation has become more popular over the years, I’ve been getting more and more questions from clients about what they need to be doing to protect their course content and your business. (Yup - even having an online course has legal implications.)  In this Legal quickie episode, I’m breaking down some of the  legal stuff you ought to be thinking about before you hit “publish”on your online course. Find complete show notes at: www.annettestepnian.com/podcast/24. Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette Stepanian.  Neither receipt of information presented  nor any email or other electronic communication submitted or received will create an attorney-client relationship with Annette Stepanian. Any information that you provide by reason of yo

Wish you could pick the brain of a marketing magician who’s worn every hat imaginable? Amber Housley has so much wisdom to share with us from her vast experience - from her days selling personalized invitations on eBay (before Etsy was born) to a full-time career at a digital agency. She juggles family life with two kids and her current business as a marketing strategist for Lara Casey Media without missing a beat. Amber has seemingly seen and done it all, and she shares what she’s learned along the way in today’s podcast! WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: All about Amber’s experience and her business helping women entrepreneurs and bloggers develop stellar marketing plans How to stand out in the thousands of marketing messages consumers face on a daily basis When to flex your style and when it’s better to stay in your comfort zone How to structure surveys and when to automate those surveys How to analyze data efficiently (even if you’re not a data geek like Amber!) How Amber stays motivated and grounded wi

You’re a multi-passionate entrepreneur - which means that you’re always coming up with the next great business idea.     So if you’ve been looking for a way to form a formal legal entity to house all those ideas, you might be wondering “Can I have multiple companies under one LLC?”   I’m answering this listener question in this week’s episode.   To learn more and get the show notes, visit: www.annettestepanian.com/officetalk   Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette Stepanian.  Neither receipt of information presented  nor any email or other electronic communication submitted or received will create an attorney-client relationship with Annette Stepanian. Any information that you provide by reason of your use of this content is not privileged or confidential.  The law varies from state to state and based on the individual facts. Therefore, the

When I first started the podcast, one of the reasons I wanted to interview others in business was to learn how they were designing a business and life on their terms. After all, it was only a few years ago that I took the leap to leave a cushy and secure job to begin a journey of redesigning my own life in a way that worked for me.   In this episode of Office Talk, I’m talking to Heather Crabtree, founder of the Savvy Community about her own journey from law, to running her own event planning business, to what she does today - helping other female entrepreneurs build successful businesses.   In this honest conversation, Heather reveals what her journey has really been like. Hint - it’s not always what it looks like from the outside. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE How Heather went from law, to running an event planning business, to the founder of the Savvy Business Owners’ Community where she teaches female entrepreneurs how to run a successful business How the loss of a family member has shaped her perspe

Now that you’re running your own business, from time to time you may decide to bring on additional help. Or maybe you’re ready to hire someone to assist you right from the outset.  The laws surrounding hiring can get quite complicated, to say the least. In this Legal (not-so) Quickie episode, I’m sitting down with Lonnie GIamela, a partner at the labor and employment law firm of Fisher & Phillips and we’re diving into the most common questions that come up when you’re ready to hire. Even if you’re not planning on hiring anytime soon, you’ll still want to have a listen so when the day comes - and trust me, it will - you’ll have a good understanding of the issues you need to address before you say “you’re hired.” To learn more visit: www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/20   Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette Stepanian.  Neither receipt of

Have you ever met someone who you can talk to for hours? About topics as diverse as business, racial diversity….and peanut butter? Well, if these kinds of conversations are your jam (see, what I did there - peanut butter a + jam - ha!), then you’ll love this episode with author, brand strategist and speaker, Monique Melton. In this super honest and inspiring conversation, we dive deep into a variety of topics - all connected by the central theme of learning how to embrace ourselves so that we show up more authentically in business and in life. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE How motherhood triggered this journey of self-discovery for Monique How she has learned to embrace the transitions in life including bouts of postpartum depression and overcoming suicidal thoughts How we can begin to think about diversity in the communities we’re building How to build communities with authentic friendships and relationships. And probably my favorite tidbit How knowing what kind of peanut butter you are can help you i

Success in business has always been about creating opportunities for Samira Far, who traded a coveted position at a prestigious accounting firm to launch a wildly successful nail salon franchise. It was Bellacures’ unparalleled standards for comfort, service and technique that let the salon expand across Southern California and all the way to Texas while earning A-list clientele, awards and media coverage from Vogue, InStyle, Allure and others. More importantly, Bellacures showed women they could have, and deserve, the best when they take time for themselves. It was Samira’s firsthand experience with over 90,000 women that inspired her to co-create a brand around self-commitment and empowerment with Fred + Far. Samira is currently a contributor on INC.com and is working on a book that will distill her signature ability to transform concepts into reality. For the full show notes, head over to www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/18

Ever wondered - do I really need to file a trademark? And at what point in my business should I consider registering my mark with the US Patent and Trademark Office? In this Legal Quickie episode of Office Talk, I’m sharing with you not only what a trademark is, but when you should be thinking about protecting your marks by registering it with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Have a listen - it’ll take less than six minutes - promise! To learn more visit: www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/17 Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette Stepanian.  Neither receipt of information presented  nor any email or other electronic communication submitted or received will create an attorney-client relationship with Annette Stepanian. Any information that you provide by reason of your use of this content is not privileged or confidential.  The law varies fr

Heidi Thompson is the chief marketing geek & founder of Evolve Your Wedding Business and she helps wedding professionals grow their businesses without going crazy in the process. Her marketing expertise has been featured on several wedding and business outlets including The Huffington Post, Social Media Examiner, Book More Brides, Sprouting Photographer, Photo Biz Xposed & she’s an advisory board member for the UK Academy Of Wedding & Event Planning. For the full show notes, head over to www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/16  

You've done all this work for a client and now you find yourself chasing down your client for payment.  If you worry about ever finding yourself in this situation, then listen to this episode.  Here's what you'll learn: What to do after you client fails to pay you ​The differences between litigation (including small claims court), mediation, arbitration and the pros/cons of each The questions to ask yourself before you draft a dispute resolution clause in your contract  To learn more, visit the show notes at www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/15   Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette Stepanian.  Neither receipt of information presented  nor any email or other electronic communication submitted or received will create an attorney-client relationship with Annette Stepanian. Any information that you provide by reason of your use of this con

In this episode, I'm talking to Mary Beth Storjohann - a certified financial planner - about what we need to be thinking about to make sure we're headed win the right financial direction.  To learn more, visit the show notes at www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/14

So let’s say you’ve entered into a contract with someone and you want to make some changes to the contract after it’s been signed.  How do you actually do it? In this episode, I walk you step-by-step and show you to amend your contract.  If you're more of a visual learner, you'll want to download the free pdf I created so you can follow along with the examples I describe in the episode. You can grab it over in the show notes at www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/13.

A lawyer and a CPA walk into a bar....It's the set up for the perfect joke, right? But there will come a time when you'll need to consult a lawyer and a CPA at some point in running your business. In this episode, I'm talking to Amy Northard who's a CPA for creatives. She's breaking down all those questions we have about taxes, W9s, 1099s, quarterly taxes and much more! For the full show notes, head over to www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/12 And to sign up for the webinar mentioned in the episode, visit www.annettestepanian.com/freewebinars   

Whether you're an illustrator, a course creator, a photographer, or [fill in the blank] - you work hard to create your work.  So when you see someone copying your work - whether they're selling your work in an Etsy shop or lifting pieces of your course and reselling it as theirs.... you can't help but get upset.  In this episode, find out some of the options available to you when you find that someone is using your copyrighted work without permission.  For the full show notes, head over to www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/11

Megan Sette is the founder of M Collaborative, a boutique marketing consultancy that works with companies to make a greater social impact, online + offline. She is also a co-founder of The Heart Series Conference. You can read the full show notes at www.annettestephanian.com/podcast/10

If you regularly enter into contracts with clients or customers, then you'll want to listen to this Legal Quickie episode before you swipe right on your next contract. We're talking about why contracts are just like dating, how to think about your contracts just like you would any other relationship, and what terms you might include in your contracts to make sure you have a way to "break up" with your (nightmare) client. Grab the show notes and other resources at www.annettestepanian.com/podcast/9