Own Your Genius with LaConya Murray

Don’t sell yourself short. Many business owners question whether or not they should advance their business structure because of their size. “Why do I need an LLC if my business isn’t big yet? How do I protect my business, a trademark, or something else? Do I really need an operating agreement if it’s just me?” Just because you are operating solo doesn’t mean you operate without a strategy. Your bu...

We may disagree about when is too soon to start blasting Christmas music there is no denying that when the time comes, Mariah Carey is on top of the playlist.  After almost 30 years on the charts, the pop diva earns 2.5 million dollars from her hit,  All I Want For Christmas. It's no wonder she's been dubbed the Queen of Christmas.  During today's episode of the Own Your Genius podc...

A contract is more than a piece of paper. Business contracts can protect your business and personal assets but must be executed properly to be effective. Contracts voice the terms and clauses of an agreement between two or more parties and can be the defining line of who owns what and what business rights are in motion.  Short summary: contracts are IMPORTANT.   Every person involve...

Take your time.  Just like in dating, it’s important to take your time when properly vetting an attorney to hire to help with your business matters. It’s your business so BE PICKY!!! What’s your communication preference? How much experience do you expect the attorney to have? When do you expect to be contacted? These questions barely scrape the surface of what’s entailed in the process of pro...

Don't sleep on copyrights. It is vital for entrepreneurs to protect their intellectual property. It matters, so treat it as such! As a business owner, it is important to know the different types of protection available for your intellectual property and the jurisdiction and exceptions to each form of protection. While trademarks and patents are more mainstream forms of intellectual protection, cop...

Money isn't the only way to measure how far you've come.  Setting goals and having aspirations is a beautiful aspect of growth, whether it be business related or personal. Sometimes, not meeting those goals according to the timeline planned for invites feelings of discouragement and disappointment. It is important to acknowledge the importance of steps between the destination. The little wins...

Terms and conditions can be the lifesaver you didn't know you needed. Any Marvel fans in the building?  This episode gives a few spoilers of the tv show, She-Hulk, to provide insight into the benefits of having terms and conditions on your website, so be sure you're prepared before listening to this week's podcast. Terms and conditions are safety measures for business operations. They communicate...

Your business matters too much to keep making the same trademark mistakes. These can have a long term effect on your business. Not completing a thorough trademark clearance search? Still waiting until after branding is complete to consult a business or trademark attorney?  Cut. It. Out. Listen to Attorney LaConya Murray spill some legal tea over the Afrochella vs Coachella trademark situation and...

Be smart with your money.  Today's guest speaker is Fola-Sade Ayegbusi. She is a Maryland Accountant, EA of the IRS, Ex-Insurance Broker, Speaker, and Small Business Growth Strategist. She helps entrepreneurs and small business owners save over $25 million dollars in lost revenue, tax assessments, penalties, and interests over the last 12 months. She aims to motivate entrepreneurs who st...

Mental health matters.  Dr. Reba Peoples is a board-certified psychiatrist, functional medicine practitioner, and Imara Health and Wellness founder. As a psychiatrist, she knows the importance of recognizing and understanding the impact history, culture, and neuroscience have on the perspective of how we view and navigate the world. Listen as she and Attorney LaConya Murray discuss various as...

 With all the talk going around convincing entrepreneurs to invest in a limited liability company, it only seems fair to define some common terms associated with an LLC. The internet has made limited liability companies so popular that many new business owners choose this option without exploring other options or knowing why a limited liability company may be their best choice. Proper researc...

Podcast are increasingly growing in popularity. According to nealschaufer.com 33% of Americans listen to podcast and 45% of podcast listeners have a household medium income of $250,000 or more. This explains why more businesses are choosing this medium to share their content. If you are starting a podcast or already have one, don't miss this month's episode of Murray's Law. Attorney Murray will gi...

Protect your business like it matters to you. Only a registered trademark can protect you from experiencing the entrepreneurial tragedy of having to rebrand due to the lack of protection for your intellectual property.  An LLC does not protect your brand. Owning the domain name does not guarantee you a win in a case of infringement. The Legal Tea of the conflict between Nostalgia Cosmetics an...

There is a time and a place for pettiness. Trademark registration ain’t it! When you’re growing your brand, it is important to be informed of common law stipulations and trademark availability. This helps prevent petty legal situations like the one between 'Bring It' dance coach Dianna Williams and the HBCU Southern University.  Listen to this week’s podcast as Attorney LaConya Murray uses the cur...

Class is in session!  Filing your own trademark is not impossible, but when paperwork comes around, you have to know which class you are registering your mark as. What is a class? What qualifies as a good?  What qualifies as a service? You need to know! If you don't, you could end up limiting how you can use your mark and have to redo the entire trademarking process. Want to save your ti...

Trademarks don’t protect ideas. It's important for business owners to know how to protect their intellectual property, ideas included. Getting excited and jumping the gun on sharing valuable information can have long term consequences and cause you to miss opportunities. Steve Harvey’s Little Big Time podcast shares a prime example. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray explains how to protect your bu...

Write. It. Down.  What are you agreeing to when you sign a contract? What rights are you signing over? What services are you promising to provide?  Contracts, as discussed in last month’s podcast , have the power to make or break a business. It is important to know what you are signing and agreeing to. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray breaks down what every contract should consist of to...

Should you build a brand around your name?  It’s the beginning of a new year and many are stepping into a season of innovation and entrepreneurship. Whether to build a personal brand or a separate brand is one of the most common questions buzzing around. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray gives the inside scoop on the dangers of building a personal brand and explains the best ways to protect y...

What is a trademark? How long is the trademark process? Is there any way to speed up the process? Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray discusses this month's topic and answers your general questions from the Genius Insider relating to business or law.  Would you like to submit your own questions to be answered during next week's Murray's Law? Submit here.  Let’s continue the conversation over in the...

Every Path Looks Different. Jasmine Powers is the CEO of Join the Citizens, an agency providing multimedia content and strategy for companies recruiting and aiming to keep diverse talent. She is sought out for product launches, sales enablement, and demand gen for entertainment, nonprofit, education, finance, tech, and e-commerce brands. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray talks with this Compton, C...

Who was first? The recent buzz around the three way claim for a skincare industry trademark has the media in frenzy and wanting to know more about trademarks. Kim Kardashian, Lori Harvey, and the business Beauty Concept LLC have all filed trademarks for a variation of the word ’Skin’ to represent their skincare and beauty businesses. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray detangles the trademark situat...

Run your business like you care about it. Too often business owners are forced to rebrand due to not reading contracts and their lack of knowledge pertaining to intellectual property. Listen, you spend too much time and invest too much money in your brand to lose it over a lack of understanding or communication. Listen as Attorney Murray explains what you need to know in order to prevent you from...

‘Should I add a cyber security clause to independent contractor agreements when hiring vendors?’ ‘What kind of language should I use in my business contracts?’ Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray answers your general questions from the Genius Insider relating to business or law. Would you like to submit your own questions to be answered during next week's Murray's Law? Submit here .  Let’s cont...

You have options people. Determining the type of business structure you need requires knowledge concerning the risks and requirements associated with each choice. It is important to know the what, the when, and the how pertaining to establishing a business structure that best suits you. Listen as Attorney Murray explains how to choose the right business structure for your business to strive. Menti...

LLC’s are not always the answer. In today’s age of technology and sharing information, it is vital that you check the legitimacy of the “facts” you come across on social media. There is a lot of misleading information circulating around regarding the different aspects of entrepreneurship. Listen as Attorney Murray dispels the myths behind the memes regarding LLC’s. Mentioned in this episode: the P...