#shontavia

Trademark law is complicated! Just picking out some words or designing a logo isn’t enough! Here’s what you have to have, at a minimum. . . #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle #thursdaythoughts https://www.instagram.com/p/B9oxZjWl1jD/?igshid=jomee8piolcv

Not gmail. Not hotmail. Definitely not bellsouth.net. A domain name and email address are cheap enough that they should be at the top of your shopping list. 📧 @haroldph talked about this during our interview. He had a professional email address and phone numbers before he had a building and while it was still a side hustle. 📧 If you haven’t taken these steps, go ahead and make it happen! 📧 #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajjohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle #tiptuedsay https://www.instagram.com/p/B9RsIzCFkTP/?igshid=1wl7uhkf06fgr

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing @haroldph, the founder and CEO of @bandwagonfanclub on today’s episode of the #shontaviashow. BANDWAGON has raised more than $2 million and has attracted the attention of folks like Google for Startups & @arlanwashere. Harold has even pitched Mark Cuban. . . During one powerful moment during our conversation, Harold talked about side hustling while working in corporate America. Even though this was very early on, he talked about how he acted like a successful startup founder back when it was just a dream. . . I loved the way he described this! Sometimes you gotta act your way into what you want. 💪🏾💪🏾 . . What steps can you take to begin acting like you’re already part of the future you’re working toward?? #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle #makeithappenmonday #mondaywisdom https://www.instagram.com/p/B9PS99JlxG0/?igshid=1miu40izxc28x

Robert F. Smith, the wealthiest African-American on the planet, went viral a while back for paying off the student loans of 400 Morehouse graduates. Some folks had never heard of him before, but he’s been in the private equity and financial sectors since 2000. So, we can learn a lot from his views of future of money and business. . . . According to Smith, anyone in business HAS to focus on their IP. Swipe to check out his suggestions. ➡️➡️➡️. . . . How much IP “currency” have you created that you need to save, spend and grow? . . . #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle #friday https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Hu4BblXsi/?igshid=12tj2v4lwmomb

Have you ever thought of @Oprah Winfrey’s company as an intellectual property company? She’s literally built a billion dollar enterprise by having a strong IP strategy for the past 30+ years. . . What will you build with your content? Drop a comment with the one thing you’ve created that needs to be protected! 💡 💡 💡 . . #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle #thursdaythoughts #intellectualproperty #patent #patents #trademark #trademarks #copyright #copyrights https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FbmYNFjh8/?igshid=13ciz4k40ogo7

Do you own what you post on social media? What about all of the other stuff you’re creating? . . Each of these examples ended with the original creator not getting the credit (or financial benefits) they deserved, at least at first. . . As a creator, one critical component of your work is intellectual property. The law allows you to protect many of the things that come out of your brain, but you have to have a strategy! . . Do you think about everything you create as part of your property? Do you take steps to protect it? . . #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle #wednesdaywisdom https://www.instagram.com/p/B9CNarnlRXQ/?igshid=sf3v4bd6idsl

One of the first choices you’ll make as a new business owner is what kind of structure your company will have. Even if you don’t file any kind of application, you’ve made a choice to operate as something called a “sole proprietor.” . . If you want to protect your personal assets (house,car, bank accounts) from any kind of potential liability/problems that arise as you operate your business, you’ll want to consider registering an LLC or incorporating a corporation. . . The LLC will provide liability protection & you can choose whether to file separate taxes or, if you’re the only LLC member, you can submit tour tax documents with your personal tax return. LLCs don’t offer stocks, and this can make it harder to raise money. But, there are few formal requirements to keeping your LLC status. . . The corporation also provides liability protection—to owners and shareholders— but it is always a separate, tax paying entity. Corporations can offer stocks to others, which is helpful for raising money. But, you are required to have a certain number of meetings to keep your corporate status. . . For more on this, plus some info about sole proprietorships and nonprofits, check out episode 13 of the #ShontaviaShow. . . #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle https://www.instagram.com/p/B84h-67Fsoc/?igshid=1vl3kh41p6qmb

I had the distinct pleasure of sharing some thoughts about vision at the 3rd @ejcmove Vision Board Party yesterday. It was an incredible event! . . . And yes. I’m wearing my Shirley Chisholm for President ‘72 shirt. She once said “You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas”. . . #visionboard #visionchallenge #makeithappen #shontavia #shontaviajohnson #inspiration #business #entrepreneurship #motivation #entrepreneur #sidehustle https://www.instagram.com/p/B8RZcgmFd4t/?igshid=wonmqj4phrl1