Blog
How to copyright your content
"Content creator" is one of those phrases that gets thrown around a lot. The phrase is in the news, companies are hiring them, and they are apparently making millions of dollars on social media. Everybody wants into the content creator game, which I know because...
Co-working spaces for women and people of color
Many entrepreneurs work in isolation, in coffee shops, or on the go. It is such a transient lifestyle that it can make zero sense to invest in a full-time office space for Monday-Friday. Enter the co-working space. Co-working spaces are shared office environments for...
Advice for content creators from Devale and Khadeen Ellis
One of my absolute favorite platforms across social media was created by Khadeen and Devale Ellis, a black millennial married couple with three kids. I first learned about them on an episode of the OWN Network show Black Love and began following them immediately. One...
How to protect and register your trademarks
Trademark law is pretty convoluted these days, which makes it hard to know where to start thinking about protection and registration. Without getting too complicated, I'd like to explain the three ways you can protect your trademarks (which can include all kinds of...
You can trademark almost anything
For many business owners and entrepreneurs, one of the first decisions is what to name the new business, service, or product you'll be selling. This name plays an important role in your business because it's one of the first things your customers or clients will come...
Why you need a separate business entity
Once you decide to start a business, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is how your business will operate. You could just start selling your products or services without taking any additional steps. If you have something to sell, there aren't many rules...
Choosing a name for your business
Did you know that Nike, Inc. used to be named "Blue Ribbon Sports"? Or that Google started out as "BackRub"? Imagine if we were going around today saying, "let me backrub that..." That would be weird. These iconic companies started out the same way many companies...
Registering your business: A directory
If you're going to start a business in the United States, you may think about incorporating or registering it. This means that: You file an application, which gives a state notice that you want to create a company, and The state reviews that application and, if you...
Why you should solve people’s problems
What's the last question, challenge or need you had in your life? For me, I needed a pair of water shoes for the beach. Like many people living in today's digital world, I went straight to Google and then to Amazon.com reviews. I didn't care too much about what the...
Don’t put off protecting your work
I love creatives and creators. They are constantly pushing boundaries, developing things the world has never seen, and sharing their talents with the rest of us. Some are so committed to sharing their work with the world via social media and other platforms that they...
My #SXSW2020 and #SXSWEDU Proposals
You have the power to get my South by Southwest® (SXSW®) panel proposals approved for SXSW 2020 and SXSW EDU 2020. Please, please click on each of the links below to vote, AND be sure to share with your networks so they can do...
What’s a Personal Brand?
When you google the term "personal brand," roughly 7,660,000,000 search results crop up. I'd say this makes the concept pretty popular among interneters. For years, I really didn't know how to define/quantify what it meant to have a personal brand--I knew I probably...
3 Lessons from Beyoncé #Beychella
As many of us were minding our own business in the wee hours of Wednesday morning on April 17, Mrs. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was preparing to come for all of our necks, edges, and lives with the release both a 137-minute documentary and concert film, titled...
#RunMeMyCheck: Nicki Minaj on knowing your value
I'm talkin' 'bout my brand and you talkin' 'bout your brands -- The difference is a lot of MMMMMMMMMMs to your couple hundred grand - Nicki Minaj, The Pinkprint Freestyle Nicki Minaj has built a nine-figure brand since stepping on the scene in 2004. In addition to...
Business Advice From Janice Bryant Howroyd
I am addicted to reading people’s biographies and histories. ADDICTED. I can spend hours on Wikipedia reading bios of all types. One bio I’ve been amazed by for years is that of Janice Bryant Howroyd. If you’ve never heard of her, learn more here and then Google...
The Art of the Hustle, c/o Kim Kimble
So, the internet shared with me that Kim Kardashian paid celebrity hair stylist Kim Kimble $2500 to teach her how to braid her daughter's hair in a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The entrepreneur in me rejoiced, because this is exactly...
Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Pastor Shirley Caesar
Unless you’ve been on a social media hiatus in the run-up to Thanksgiving, you’ve probably seen at least one #UNameItChallenge video meme. This meme is a mashup of: (1) gospel legend Shirley Caesar performing a live version of her iconic version of the gospel song...
How to copyright your content
"Content creator" is one of those phrases that gets thrown around a lot. The phrase is in the news, companies are hiring them, and they are apparently making millions of dollars on social media. Everybody wants into the content creator game, which I know because...
Co-working spaces for women and people of color
Many entrepreneurs work in isolation, in coffee shops, or on the go. It is such a transient lifestyle that it can make zero sense to invest in a full-time office space for Monday-Friday. Enter the co-working space. Co-working spaces are shared office environments for...
Advice for content creators from Devale and Khadeen Ellis
One of my absolute favorite platforms across social media was created by Khadeen and Devale Ellis, a black millennial married couple with three kids. I first learned about them on an episode of the OWN Network show Black Love and began following them immediately. One...
How to protect and register your trademarks
Trademark law is pretty convoluted these days, which makes it hard to know where to start thinking about protection and registration. Without getting too complicated, I'd like to explain the three ways you can protect your trademarks (which can include all kinds of...
You can trademark almost anything
For many business owners and entrepreneurs, one of the first decisions is what to name the new business, service, or product you'll be selling. This name plays an important role in your business because it's one of the first things your customers or clients will come...
Why you need a separate business entity
Once you decide to start a business, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is how your business will operate. You could just start selling your products or services without taking any additional steps. If you have something to sell, there aren't many rules...
Choosing a name for your business
Did you know that Nike, Inc. used to be named "Blue Ribbon Sports"? Or that Google started out as "BackRub"? Imagine if we were going around today saying, "let me backrub that..." That would be weird. These iconic companies started out the same way many companies...
Registering your business: A directory
If you're going to start a business in the United States, you may think about incorporating or registering it. This means that: You file an application, which gives a state notice that you want to create a company, and The state reviews that application and, if you...
Why you should solve people’s problems
What's the last question, challenge or need you had in your life? For me, I needed a pair of water shoes for the beach. Like many people living in today's digital world, I went straight to Google and then to Amazon.com reviews. I didn't care too much about what the...
Don’t put off protecting your work
I love creatives and creators. They are constantly pushing boundaries, developing things the world has never seen, and sharing their talents with the rest of us. Some are so committed to sharing their work with the world via social media and other platforms that they...
My #SXSW2020 and #SXSWEDU Proposals
You have the power to get my South by Southwest® (SXSW®) panel proposals approved for SXSW 2020 and SXSW EDU 2020. Please, please click on each of the links below to vote, AND be sure to share with your networks so they can do...
What’s a Personal Brand?
When you google the term "personal brand," roughly 7,660,000,000 search results crop up. I'd say this makes the concept pretty popular among interneters. For years, I really didn't know how to define/quantify what it meant to have a personal brand--I knew I probably...
3 Lessons from Beyoncé #Beychella
As many of us were minding our own business in the wee hours of Wednesday morning on April 17, Mrs. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was preparing to come for all of our necks, edges, and lives with the release both a 137-minute documentary and concert film, titled...
#RunMeMyCheck: Nicki Minaj on knowing your value
I'm talkin' 'bout my brand and you talkin' 'bout your brands -- The difference is a lot of MMMMMMMMMMs to your couple hundred grand - Nicki Minaj, The Pinkprint Freestyle Nicki Minaj has built a nine-figure brand since stepping on the scene in 2004. In addition to...
Business Advice From Janice Bryant Howroyd
I am addicted to reading people’s biographies and histories. ADDICTED. I can spend hours on Wikipedia reading bios of all types. One bio I’ve been amazed by for years is that of Janice Bryant Howroyd. If you’ve never heard of her, learn more here and then Google...
The Art of the Hustle, c/o Kim Kimble
So, the internet shared with me that Kim Kardashian paid celebrity hair stylist Kim Kimble $2500 to teach her how to braid her daughter's hair in a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The entrepreneur in me rejoiced, because this is exactly...
Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Pastor Shirley Caesar
Unless you’ve been on a social media hiatus in the run-up to Thanksgiving, you’ve probably seen at least one #UNameItChallenge video meme. This meme is a mashup of: (1) gospel legend Shirley Caesar performing a live version of her iconic version of the gospel song...