What is the most important thing for success?
A big bank account? Tons of capital?
Genius level IQ?  A Harvard MBA?
Working 120 hours per week?

None of these.  The most important element for success is mindset.  How you think and what you think about is critical for success.

Do you spend your time allowing your mind to wander willy nilly?  Are you preoccupied with daily minutiae?  Spending time on Facebook, Twitter and browsing the internet procrastinating?  Your mind is doing you a disservice.

You must focus on the things that matter.  Set goals and focus your mind entirely on obtaining those goals.    If you focus on fluff or negativity all the time, you'll get back negativity and fluff.  If you focus on success and positive outcomes, you will get success and positive outcomes in return.

Currently, I offer three flat fee small business legal packages:



The Right Start (TM)
If you're just starting a business and don't know where to start, make sure you get the Right Start (TM).  For a hugely discounted rate, you get any business legal services completed within a 90 day time frame.  Instead of waiting six, 12, or even 18 months into your business to get around to drafting proper contracts and registering your trademarks and copyrights, you can get everything out of the way in 90 days. 
You'll have peace of mind knowing you have the proper contracts in place.
You'll sleep at night knowing your intellectual property is protected.
You'll have a real business people take seriously.
The work is done properly by an attorney and you save thousands. 

1: Right Start (TM) Start Up Package:  Call 215-482-0285 or email for pricing
Pick and choose the services:
Set up of LLC (if advised)
EIN
Operating Agreement
Trademark name search
Trademark counseling
Unlimited contract reviews
Contract drafting
Independent Contractor Agreement
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Non Compete/Non Solicitation
Confidentiality Agreement
Consulting Contract
Unlimited email support
Weekly 30 minute phone conference to discuss any business legal questions

2.  Trademark Registration:  $700 + federal filing fee (typically $325)
Comprehensive trademark search
Counseling re: strength of the proposed mark
Preparation and filing of trademark application

3.  General Counsel:  Call or email for pricing
Industries:
Restaurants
Bars
Multi-location Retail
Fitness
Manufacturers

Interested in a program?  Contact me today!

I am very excited to be a Supporting Organization of the 2014 PA Conference for Women!  This is a great event filled with amazing speakers, valuable workshops for women and a superb networking opportunity for all women.  Below is i

The Pennsylvania Conference for Women
The 11th Annual Pennsylvania Conference for Women will be Thurs., Oct. 16, 2014, at The Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.  The Conference will feature nationally recognized speakers like Robin Roberts, co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America”; Jane Pauley, award-winning anchor and author; Candy Chang, artist, designer and urban planner; Lisa Belkin, senior national correspondent, Yahoo News; and Jenny Bowen, founder and CEO of Half the Sky Foundation.
The Conference features motivational keynote speeches, engaging workshops and panel discussions that cover a vast range of topics specifically designed for women, including healthcare, leadership, managing change, finding work life balance and personal finance. Register online at PAConferenceForWomen.org.
Registration includes access to all keynote and breakout sessions, the Career Pavilion, Health & Wellness Pavilion and the exhibit hall.

Next week on July 16th, join Sustainable Business Network (SBN) at City CoHo for
SBN Networking Event: Connect to Local Capital

Wednesday, July 16th, 6:00-8:00 PM
CityCoHo, 2401 Walnut Street, Phila, PA 19103

Join SBN for the opportunity to chat with an array of representatives from local community development financial institutions, banks, loan funds, and venture capital firms to learn about funding possibilities for your business.
 
Attending Representatives:
The Women’s Opportunities Resource Center (WORC)
 Finanta
Kiva Zip
The Merchants Fund
The United Bank of Philadelphia
The Untours Foundation
Ben Franklin Technology Partners
The Enterprise Center
Entrepreneur Works
The Philadelphia Industrial Development (PIDC)
Harvey Sacks, Ameriprise Financial

Thinking about going into business with a friend or family member?  The first thing you need to do is establish the terms of your relationship.

First, determine who will do what.  Is the relationship equal in terms of contributions?  Is it equal in terms of who will do the work?  Who will make the business decisions? If both partners make decisions, who will break a "tie" if there is a stalemate?

If you will form a LLC for your business, you need to have in place an Operating Agreement.  That is the document where you will write down all of these answers and establish all the basics of your relationship.  A business relationship is similar to a marriage.  In the beginning, everyone is starry eyed and enthusiastic.  Over time, resentments may build and damage the relationship.  Similar to a prenup, the Operating Agreement will dictate what happens if someone wants out.

If you actually know me or my story, you'll know that my first business involved me making a product and getting it distributed across the country.  It was such a total cluster*uck much of the time, but I really, truly loved my business.  At least for awhile. 

You see, I was just so damn desperate to find a way out of a job I hated that I probably would've taken off running with any viable idea I had.  That in itself is not a bad thing, in fact I think a key trait of an entrepreneur is having no fear to just take a risk, get something out there and go with it.  No, my problem was that I certainly got something out there and went with it, but I needed to take some time after jumping in to look at my numbers, develop a marketing plan and just PLAN my business.  When I got three years into my business and finally realized my numbers were just not working, it was nothing short of devastating. 

What is my point?  Along the way, I met a ton of other people making cool things and distributing them.  And everyone was struggling with the same problems.  I really love the people I met, I love their products, I love their businesses and I think what they're doing is just so freaking awesome.  For people who are thinking about getting into a business making and distributing products, or those already in business who need some guidance, I bring you Philly Maker Week.

Much like Philly Beer Week or Tech Week, Philly Maker Week will take place September 17 to 21 and feature different events across the city that feature informative talks hosted by some of Philly's coolest makers.  If you've ever wondered who is behind a certain Philly brand, how someone expanded their business into hundreds of stores, or how someone got their branding down so well, there will be an event for you during Philly Maker Week.

I've got some great folks partnering with me on this, I'm not sure if I can announce our collaboration yet, but I'll keep you posted. 

Super thanks to Sarah Shaak Creative for the great logo.