Annette Stepanian | Lawyer for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

Annette Stepanian | Lawyer for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

Annette Stepanian | Lawyer for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

Annette Stepanian | Lawyer for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

Annette Stepanian | Lawyer for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

Mamas-to-be, this one if for you! Whether this is your first baby, or you’re adding another member to your family, pregnancy can be different every time. In this episode, I’m sharing my favorite tips, tricks, and advice from friends, family, and my own experience to help you with your first or next pregnancy (guys, share this with the ladies in you…

When was the last time you sat down and did a legal audit of your business? If you’re like most business owners, probably never. Likely, it’s low on your priority list. However, scheduling an annual review of all the legal aspects of your business is a great practice that can help protect you down the road - especially as your business continues to…

If you’re a contractor or business owner that does business in California, you may have heard about the new law on how to classify an Independent Contractor that goes into effect on January 1st, 2020. Confused? Overwhelmed? Not sure if the new law applies to you? Check out this episode, where we chat with employment lawyer and previous Office Talk …

Business horror story alert! Starting a new project with a new client is always exciting, especially when they’ve already paid you! But what if the project needs to be canceled? And worse off, what if the client asks for a refund? In this episode, I’m sharing a true story of a service provider who came across this exact situation, and unfortunately…

Have you ever wanted to take an extended break from your business? Maybe go on vacation, or a sabbatical, or even on maternity leave? Then this episode is for you! I’m sharing how I’m preparing for my upcoming maternity leave, including key ways I’m ensuring that my business can run without me. To learn more and get the show notes, visit: www.annet…

Is there a legal question that you’ve had knocking around in your mind for a while? Then this is the episode for you! We’re doing a round-up of recent legal questions entrepreneurs and business owners have been asking - the answer to YOUR question may be in here too. In particular: The answer to, “Should I register the trademark for the logo of my …

You never want to start out a relationship thinking about how it will end, right? Well, if you’re talking about your relationship with clients - whether you know it will be a short-term project or not - thinking about the end can save you a lot of stress and frustration! In this episode, we’re talking about terms and agreements for terminating a co…

Working on a new product, service, or business, but not quite ready to launch yet? If you’ve picked out a name that you’re super excited to use, but haven’t started using it yet, someone could start using that name before you. Is there anything you can do to prevent that? Absolutely! You can buy yourself some time by filing an Intent to Use Tradema…

You’ve been wracking your brain to come up with a catchy name for your new business, product, or service … then you finally land on the winner! Before you rush off to get a logo created, there’s one extra step you need to take, and it’s really important. In this episode, I’m talking about trademarks and why having a unique and distinctive name is s…

If you know me, you know I love a good ol’ burrito. The flour tortilla, the guac, the cheese…. mmmmmm! Well, believe it or not, building a legally sound business is just like building an epic burrito. Yup, you read that right... Hear me out…. For many business owners, focusing on contracts, copyrights, and other legal topics often fall at the botto…

When the topic of copyrights comes up, there are a lot of questions! Are a copyright and a trademark the same thing? Can I copyright an idea? How can I monetize my copyrighted content? In this episode, I’ll simplify copyrights using another food analogy and a Harry Potter reference. If you create content (think: written work, visual designs, photog…

A great way to grow your business and your audience is to monetize your existing content through licensing deals with other companies (totally a win-win!). Is a verbal agreement, maybe an email, enough in these situations? Absolutely not! A solid, detailed licensing agreement is what you need to ensure you retain ownership of your designs, while mo…

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve brought you a show! In this episode, you’ll get an update on what’s been brewing both on the business and personal side of things. I’m also getting a little personal in this episode by sharing some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the last few months as we embarked on our IVF journey. I hope this helps thos…

I’ve said it before, but where the heck did the year go? Are you also standing at the end of this year, wondering what you accomplished? This episode of Office Talk is particularly vulnerable for me because I’m sharing what this less-than-perfect year has brought me. I’m pretty goal-oriented but this year tells a different story. I’m reviewing my y…

If you find yourself frustrated in your business (or in your life), you may not be asking the right questions. In this episode of Office Talk, I’m chatting with John G. Miller, author of QBQ! The Question Behind the Question (among others). Most of us ask externally-focused questions like, “Why are we going through this shift?” and “Why does this a…

I met Kristy Rice of Momental Designs at Be Sage Conference in 2017 I found her to be a force of creativity and energy. I’ve been so impressed with how she’s really transformed her creativity into a successful business. Kristy has a unique business because she took her own unique art skills and turned it into a scalable business with multiple reven…

Launching a group program is a great way to move from a 1-to-1 business model to 1-to-many. In fact, online courses have become a $300 billion industry. It’s huge, and I’m seeing more and more business owners creating courses and other group programs--and just killing it. If making this shift or leap is one of your goals, I encourage you to make it…

If you’re like most business owners, you’re looking for ways to grow in the new year. I don’t blame you! It takes planning and thoughtfulness if you want to grow in the right ways. In this episode, I asked 10 business owners this question: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give someone looking to elevate their businesses in the new year? As a r…

Systems are a hot topic this time of year, as people look at their goals and wonder how in the heck they’re ever going to meet them. In this episode, I welcomed Chelsea Foster to the podcast to tell you that it is, in fact, possible. But first, you need to pull yourself out of the day-in, day-out mundane to figure out how to streamline, automate an…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year...Back to school time! But it’s also a busy time because I think we have our heads in 2019 already. We start thinking about what’s coming up next year and how the heck we’re going to meet our year-end goals to finish off this year right. If you’re trying to negotiate your goals because you don’t want to do t…

Keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your industry is so important if you want to serve your audience well. Personally, because I work with a lot of wedding and events industry professionals, I’m always trying to keep up with what’s going on so I can better understand and serve my clients. In this episode, I’m diving into this ye…

Who doesn’t want more profit in their business? (I see you over there raising your hand). We’ve all heard the saying, “You have to spend money to make money.” No matter what industry you’re in, it’s pretty darn true. You need to be willing to invest in your business if you want your business to grow. It’s not always easy, or comfortable. But luckil…

What isn’t working in your wedding planning business? Sometimes you’re too close and emotionally attached to it to know exactly where you should make changes. But something might just feel “off” to you. One thing that trips up most newer business owners, no matter the industry, is that they treat their business like a passion project or hobby. If y…

Where did the summer go? (Where did the year go!?) If you’ve been pushing, pushing, pushing to meet those year-end goals, you might be feeling burned out right now. Things start to get messy when you’re constantly in hustle mode and that’s not good for you, your business, your clients or your life. If you know me at all, you know how important tidi…

If you’ve ever thought of turning your passion into your full-time job, then you’re going to love this episode with Maghon Taylor! Maghon is the “she” behind All She Wrote Notes - the business she’s built around teaching her hand-lettering skills to other aspiring artists. As you’ll hear, Maghon launched her business on her iPhone one night after w…

Have you ever wanted to get paid to be creative? In this episode of the Office Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Bonnie Christine Forkner - an artist, a fabric designer and a teacher who has made a living creating her art and she’s sharing her story of how she got there with you! You’ll hear Bonnie’s evolution about how she went from working in her m…

In this episode, I’m shaking things up a bit and have not just one, but two guests! Leah Weinberg, the founder of Color Pop Events is an event and wedding planner based in New York City and Debbie Orwat is a former planner and venue owner, and currently runs Planner’s Lounge - an online resource for wedding and event planners. I asked them on to sh…

In this episode I’m talking to one of my favorite people that I have come across since starting my business, Alisha Johns of Lish Creative. If you’ve ever checked out my website or the cover art for this podcast, most of those pictures have been taken by Alisha. Lish Creative is a content agency for vibrant beauty and lifestyle brands, and since fo…

In this real girl-to-girl conversation, I’m speaking with Jill Stanton, one-half of the Screw The 9 to 5 community - which helps new and existing entrepreneurs solve problems related to life and business through actionable insights and simple “how to’s.” Jill is sharing what it’s taken them to get their business to where it is today and how she see…

You may have been hearing the term “GDPR” a lot over the past few months and wondering what exactly is this talk all about? In this episode, my goal is to break down GDPR - to give you some basic background context to what this law is all about, why it’s important to understand, and what it means for your small business. To learn more and get the s…

In this episode, I’m joined by Lindsay Lucas of Lean on Me Consultants for a bit of a niche topic, but it’s a trend I’m seeing in the events industry - starting and operating a venue business. Lindsay consults with folks to help build strong foundation for their venue businesses and teaches them how to run their businesses efficiently, profitably a…

In this week’s episode, I’m talking about two of my favorite things: spring cleaning and your business. As we approach the spring season, that usually brings on an urge to do some spring cleaning around the house. But we can take that same approach and spring clean our business too! I’m sharing the three questions that you can ask yourself to free …

Do you have the next blockbuster idea? Are you itching to get your products in front of the likes of Mr. Wonderful and Mark Cuban on Shark Tank? Well, I can’t tell you how to get on the show, but I can tell you that if you have a product, invention, method, or something that you think is a pretty unique idea and you pitch it to the sharks - they al…

In this week’s episode, we’re shaking things up a little bit! It’s a new flavor of episodes that I’m bringing you and it’s with my friend and fellow podcast host, Kinsey Roberts. If you don’t know Kinsey, she’s the wonderfully charming host of She Creates Business, A Podcast for Wedding Pros. Over the last few years, we’ve developed a friendship an…

If you’ve been listening to the podcast over the last few weeks, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been answering the most common questions I get from professionals in a number of different industries. In this week’s episode, I’m sharing your FAQs from photographers. Regardless of what industry you’re in, don’t skip over these episodes. They all includ…

In this week’s episode, we’re diving into the most common questions I get from designers. So if you’re a graphic designer, a web designer, a print designer -- you’re going to want to have a listen. And if you’re not, listen up anyway! There might be a nugget in there for you! To learn more and get the show notes, visit: www.annettestepanian.com/off…

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 …

I’m really excited about today’s Office Talk interview because we’re diving into a topic that I get so many questions about! I’m joined by fellow lawyer, Jenny Wiegley as we walk through what you need to do when you’re ready to hire your very first employee. Based here in California, Jenny has specialized in employment law for her entire career, an…

HAPPY NEW YEAR! To kick off the new year, in this brand new episode I’m sharing what’s coming your way in 2018 with this podcast, webinars, and events. I’m also sharing my thoughts on how to handle when a potential client comes to you requesting changes to your contract. I’m super pumped about this new year and I can’t wait to make this our best ye…

On today's episode I'm speaking with Katie Doherty and Phil Van Nostrand of La Rousse Shoppe, a company that sells beautiful glass photo boxes. You're going to hear how the two of them took their background as long-time photographers to develop a business that, in about two years, is generating over $200,000 in sales annually. All this while taking…

You may have heard that Google is making changes (in fact, they’re making changes all the time), but there are some big ones coming to their algorithm as it relates to searchability and search results. As we head into the new year, I want to make sure that you have all of the information and the best tips on how to stay ahead of these changes. Caus…

If you’ve ever thought to yourself: “I have so much to do and not enough time to do it,” then I think you’re really going to love this episode of the Office Talk podcast! Tonya Dalton, the owner of Inkwell Press and I are geeking out over how we can better structure our days, our to-do lists, and our lives so that we reduce the overwhelm and up the…

If you’ve ever thought about attending a live event or conference, it can get quite overwhelming trying to decide amongst the many events taking place. And given the costs involved for things like tickets, flights and hotels - not to mention the time away from work and family - it can be quite a financial investment. So how can you ensure that you’…

As a business owner, we often spend a lot of time thinking about how to brand our businesses. We think through the details of our website, We fuss over our logos, We take a million pictures before we get that perfect Instagram shot… Yet one piece of brand collateral that often doesn’t get thought of that way - are your contracts. (Yes, I said contr…

It's been said that we all have a story, but do you know how to tell yours? How could effectively telling your own story help you better connect with your audience? Your clients? Your customers? Someone who knows all about the value of storytelling when building a brand and business is Brady Hahn, founder of Insight Collective and my guest for this…