LayRoots

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February Newsletter – From One Human to Another.

A monthly newsletter for idea-people.
 
Lawyer-Humans helping idea-people become business-people

What’s New in the Ley Household

We had a pretty kickass Indian wedding at the beginning of the month, if we do say so ourselves. New Orleans is just a great place to celebrate…pretty much anything…because people there value good food, good music, & good times; plus they harbor a non-judgmental attitude.  There was bow fishing, a paint fight, dancing on pool tables, a horse parade, a second line band, and an amped-up dance party (to name a few of the highlights).

It didn’t hurt that the very same weekend, the SEAHAWKS completely shut down the Broncos in the Super Bowl…Was that even a fair fight?  Colin and I have decided that we are a good luck charm for cities we live in winning the Super Bowl.  You’re welcome, Seattle!

Other than that, we are a firm divided!  Colin’s been shredding the gnar up in Seattle, enjoying the fresh powder.  Shreya, on the other hand, has been working hard for some clients down in Tejas…while enjoying the plentiful Lone Stars with chips and salsa.   When in Rome…
What Are We Thinking About This Month?

Ah, February, love is in the air…and bitter, bitter cold.  As an outpouring of all the love in the world, we have been thinking a lot about adding value to our clients’ lives and also finding little ways to make them feel special.  We are formulating and thinking of new packages that address their needs as a human being and not just a legal client.  Feel free to ask us about it next time you see one of us!

Why are we thinking about how to add value to our clients’ lives?  Aside from simply being awesome, last time we said that sales drive business.  Great.  Well, now, how do we keep that sold client…well, sold!

New packages are great, but let’s improve what we already have, too! One of the things that we have been working on is creating a predictable system – no one wants to be surprised by their legal services.  It’s usually something that is driving stress or worry.  So, we will tell you when you can expect to hear from us or how often, and we will do our damnedest to deliver on that.

How do you show love to your employees and clients?

“Ley Lessons”

Keep your business on the up-‘n’-up

  • Don’t “right-click/save” images off of the internet for use on your marketing materials or website to save a few bucks.
  • If you hired an independent contractor to create the website/marketing materials…it can still be your butt on the line if an image wasn’t acquired legally.

There are a few really good reasons this has come up this month.  First, there have been quite a few people that have contacted us recently because they received “demand letters” from sites like Getty Images.  Second, we hired a badass photographer for the wedding and so this issue has been more top-of-mind.  Third, this is a personal pet peeve of Colin’s because his images have been reused and distributed without attribution to him and it makes him upset.

Corporations like Getty Images or individual photographers can receive a minimum of $750 per act of infringement – but it could be a lot more depending on if they can prove “damages.” Meaning…you made big bucks by using their image, and the artist or owner didn’t see a dime.  Not only could you have to pay back-licensing fees, but you also lose out on the money you’ve spent printing, creating, and/or distributing your marketing materials.

Why would YOU get in trouble if you hired someone to put your website/marketing materials together?  Well, you’re the one distributing it.  Your name is on the website or brochure.  You are, therefore, responsible.  Can you then turn around and demand the money from the company or independent contractor that you hired?  Yeah, maybe.  But as a busy business owner, you probably don’t want to deal with that mess.

So, now we’ve scared you.  You want to take down all of the pictures everywhere that you’ve ever used.  ::insert super hero music:: We have some tips on how to use images so that you’re prepared if someone comes after you.

  1. Use a Work-For-Hire contract for any work you get done and retain a copy of the signed agreement
  2. Ask for, keep, and review invoices for stock images or photography used
  3. If you hire a photographer, make sure their contract says that you have a license to use the images commercially

These are just three (3) things to think about when using images on your site or marketing materials. This issue can get complicated and annoying to deal with – don’t hesitate to contact your friendly, neighborhood lawyer-human with questions.
Contact Info & Administrative Announcements

We have some new blog posts up! Check them out.  Get to know us better.  Tell us what you think.
www.layroots.com/blog/ OR www.coachingindustrylegalcounsel.com/blog/

Don’t want to do that and prefer to speak to a real life Lawyer-Human?  That’s cool.  Give us a call at (206) 219-9559.  Or email us if that’s your thing atshreya@layroots.com or colin@layroots.com.

Websites: www.layroots.com  & www.coachingindustrylegalcounsel.com

We’re planning out some cool stuff and planning to appear at some cool events around the country – so stay tuned for more announcements and watch out for us Lawyer-Humans!  WE’RE EVERYWHERE and sometimes…you can’t even tell us apart from regular humans.

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January Newsletter from Shreya & Colin

In case you missed it…here it is.  And if you DID miss it…why did you miss it??  Sign up for our list and we’ll get it to you every month.

What Are We Thinking About This Month?

With renewed energy to continue building our business, we are thinking about the things that drive business – both our business and the businesses of our clients.  I am going to confess something to you…we have been feeling a tad disorganized.  With the holidays and traveling and family obligations…our business objectives and focus got a bit muddled.  Did we continue to do the work that we needed to do?  Sure!  Of course we did, but we have learned is that it’s important to do the things that will drive your business 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years from now today.  Does that even make sense?

What I mean is that the actions we take today will shape the kind of business that we will have in the future.  Like the cupcake(s) I have been eating and the exercising that I have not been doing will affect my shape in two weeks (but completely worth it, amiright?).

Sales drive business – I think we can universally agree that is the case for all businesses.

Okay.  One thing that I have noticed in our own business and in many potential clients’ businesses is sales are prevented or slowed down when you are wasting your time on shit that you shouldn’t be wasting your time on.  For instance, doing your own taxes.  Yeah, we did that.  We failed…we got audited…we ended up having to hire a tax professional.  Not only did we waste time bumbling through the tax system…we also had to go through a whole process for fixing the mess we made.  We could have saved so much time and money just hiring someone in the first place.

Hiring someone who knew what they were doing not only saved us money in the end (they found so many ways for us to minimize our owed taxes!) but it also freed up our TIME to do the thing(s) that drive business for us – marketing and sales.  I would say the money saved was a nice cherry on top, but the time saved is the real treat.  By freeing up your time by not doing the things that someone else can do better and faster than you, how much revenue do you think that you could add to your business?

What’s New in the Ley Household

We are pretty frickin’ excited that the ski area closest to us has FINALLY opened up.  Time to try out those new snowboards!  Cross your fingers that one of us doesn’t break a wrist or Shreya doesn’t get ANOTHER black eye (ask her about the first time she stood up on a surfboard)…

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Also, this is something of an odd situation, but we’re getting married (again) so that’s been taking up more time than we thought it would.

“Pump the brakes, yo.  I thought you were already married?”

Yeah, you right.  We ran away to the courthouse…which was awesome and intimate and perfect.  However, one set of parents (ahem, Shreya’s) did not approve and wanted to throw the big Indian wedding to make things “official.” So, that’s happening now.  Be prepared for some colorful pictures from New Orleans coming your way.

Ley Lessons…

  • Do your homework on any independent contractors
  • Get a signed agreement
  • Make sure there are provisions in there that protect your intellectual property

We have been guilty of this.  So, we are not judging.  We are trying to help you not make the same mistakes we have.

Because we are attorneys, we are annoyingly sticklers for signed agreements.  However, just having a signed agreement is not good enough – due diligence is key!

Why is due diligence key?  Because hiring someone, even an independent contractor, is supposed to free up your time to do things that matter to drive your business (see above) and is supposed to help your business run more smoothly.  When you hire someone that is not the right fit or (worse) not trustworthy, it can be a huge drag on your productivity and take away your precious time.

Even if you have contracts in place that cover your ass, do you really want to spend the time to defend them?  And do you want to have to go through the process of finding someone new before the work that you need to get done is done up to your standards and ON SCHEDULE? 

This is your professional reputation after all!

So, what do I recommend?

  1. Come up with criteria for what you are looking for in a person that you work with and for what you need professionally
  2. Write out a clear and concise description of what projects and functions you need the person for
  3. Ask for references and check them
  4. Ask for samples of past work (where applicable) and actually look at them
  5. Ask them LOTS of questions that get to the heart of the criteria you set

This is just a sample of five (5) areas that you can focus on when hiring your next independent contractor.  Depending on your personal needs and the project needs – there could be a lot more things to look into!

Every state has different criteria for what constitutes a fulltime employee versus an independent contractor.  There could be issues with insurance and depending on the sensitivity of your business – you may want to take extra steps to ensure that the person is trustworthy.  Bottom line: Know what you want and need and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

It’s easier to do the work up front than it is to untangle a mess.

Contact Info & Administrative Announcements

We have some videos up!  Check them out.  Shreya spoke at our business coach’s “Mini Law School” about joint ventures and doing your due diligence.  Check it out.  Get to know us better.  Tell us what you think.   This guy digs it

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www.mysuccessfuljointventure.com

Don’t want to do that and prefer to speak to a real life Lawyer Human?  That’s cool.  Give Shreya or Colin a call at (206) 219-9559 or (206) 395-6539.  Or email them if that’s your thing at shreya@layroots.com or colin@coachingindustrylegalcounsel.com.

Websites: www.layroots.com  & www.coachingindustrylegalcounsel.com

We’re planning out some cool stuff and planning to appear at some cool events around the country – so stay tuned for more announcements and watch out for us Lawyer Humans!  WE’RE EVERYWHERE and sometimes…you can’t even tell us apart from regular humans.