Office Talk with Annette Stepanian
by Annette Stepanian
Listen in on candid conversations with game-changing entrepreneurs and host, Annette Stepanian, as they share insights on how they're designing a business and life on their terms. Also, Annette answers FAQs about law and your business in her Legal Quickie episodes.
Episodes
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Ep. 109: Using Customer Testimonials in Your Marketing
Do you want to use your customer's testimonials when marketing your products or services, but not sure about the legal implications? In this Legal Quickie episode, I cover the legal basics of using testimonials in your business - like on your website, in email copy, or paid social media ads.…
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Ep. 108: Does Email Marketing Still Work? With Lesley Clavijo
Is email marketing dead? Absolutely not! But some of the old strategies certainly are. In this episode, I'm chatting with email marketing strategist, Lesley Clavijo. We get super honest about email list size, why email marketing is still more important than social media, the truth behind lead...
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Ep. 107: How to Become a Better Public Speaker with Helena Bowen
From speaking on-stage to recording videos for social media, to team meetings, public speaking is a vital skill for any entrepreneur - and you too can learn how to become a better speaker! In this episode, I'm talking with speaking coach and speechwriter, Helena Bowen. We talk about some (very…
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Ep. 106: How to Close More Sales with Lindsey Nickel
If hearing the word "sell" makes you shudder, you're not alone! Sales calls and closing sales can be the most difficult part of being a business owner for most of us, but it doesn't have to be. In this episode, I'm chatting with long-time wedding planner and wedding business strategist, Lindsey...
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Ep. 105: Pro Tips for Maximizing Profits in Your Event Rental Business with Allison Howell
Running an event rental business comes with its own unique challenges, especially with managing your inventory! In this episode, I'm chatting with long-time event rental pro and co-founder of RW Elephant, Allison Howell. Allison's insights about inventory management, pricing, and how to stay...
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Ep. 104: My Favorite Pregnancy Tips
Mamas-to-be, this one if for you! Whether this is your first baby, or you're adding another member to your family, pregnancy can be different every time. In this episode, I'm sharing my favorite tips, tricks, and advice from friends, family, and my own experience to help you with your first or…
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Ep. 103: Doing an Annual Legal Review for Your Small Business
When was the last time you sat down and did a legal audit of your business? If you're like most business owners, probably never. Likely, it's low on your priority list. However, scheduling an annual review of all the legal aspects of your business is a great practice that can help protect you…
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Ep. 102: California Law Update: Should I Classify Workers as Employees or Independent Contractors?
If you're a contractor or business owner that does business in California, you may have heard about the new law on how to classify an Independent Contractor that goes into effect on January 1st, 2020. Confused? Overwhelmed? Not sure if the new law applies to you? Check out this episode, where we...
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Ep. 101: This Easy-To-Fix Mistake Cost Her Nearly $25,000
Business horror story alert! Starting a new project with a new client is always exciting, especially when they've already paid you! But what if the project needs to be canceled? And worse off, what if the client asks for a refund? In this episode, I'm sharing a true story of a service provider…
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Ep. 100: How I'm Getting My Business Ready for Maternity Leave
Have you ever wanted to take an extended break from your business? Maybe go on vacation, or a sabbatical, or even on maternity leave? Then this episode is for you! I'm sharing how I'm preparing for my upcoming maternity leave, including key ways I'm ensuring that my business can run without me.…
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Ep. 099: Legal Roundup: Your FAQs Answered
Is there a legal question that you've had knocking around in your mind for a while? Then this is the episode for you! We're doing a round-up of recent legal questions entrepreneurs and business owners have been asking - the answer to YOUR question may be in here too. In particular: The answer to,...
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Ep. 098: How to Get Out of a Contract
You never want to start out a relationship thinking about how it will end, right? Well, if you're talking about your relationship with clients - whether you know it will be a short-term project or not - thinking about the end can save you a lot of stress and frustration! In this episode, we're...
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Ep. 097: What is an Intent to Use Trademark Application?
Working on a new product, service, or business, but not quite ready to launch yet? If you've picked out a name that you're super excited to use, but haven't started using it yet, someone could start using that name before you. Is there anything you can do to prevent that? Absolutely! You can buy...
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Ep. 096: Trademarks & Picking a Name for Your Business
You've been wracking your brain to come up with a catchy name for your new business, product, or service … then you finally land on the winner! Before you rush off to get a logo created, there's one extra step you need to take, and it's really important. In this episode, I'm talking about...
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Ep. 095: 5 Legal Tips for Small Business Owners
If you know me, you know I love a good ol' burrito. The flour tortilla, the guac, the cheese…. mmmmmm! Well, believe it or not, building a legally sound business is just like building an epic burrito. Yup, you read that right... Hear me out…. For many business owners, focusing on contracts,...
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Ep. 094: Understanding Copyrights
When the topic of copyrights comes up, there are a lot of questions! Are a copyright and a trademark the same thing? Can I copyright an idea? How can I monetize my copyrighted content? In this episode, I'll simplify copyrights using another food analogy and a Harry Potter reference. If you create...
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Ep. 093: How Licensing Works
A great way to grow your business and your audience is to monetize your existing content through licensing deals with other companies (totally a win-win!). Is a verbal agreement, maybe an email, enough in these situations? Absolutely not! A solid, detailed licensing agreement is what you need to...
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Ep. 092: My IVF Story
It's been a hot minute since I've brought you a show! In this episode, you'll get an update on what's been brewing both on the business and personal side of things. I'm also getting a little personal in this episode by sharing some of the biggest lessons I've learned over the last few months as…
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Ep. 091: Getting past your goals for a fresh start
I've said it before, but where the heck did the year go? Are you also standing at the end of this year, wondering what you accomplished? This episode of Office Talk is particularly vulnerable for me because I'm sharing what this less-than-perfect year has brought me. I'm pretty goal-oriented but...
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Ep. 090: Why you need to question your questions with John G. Miller
If you find yourself frustrated in your business (or in your life), you may not be asking the right questions. In this episode of Office Talk, I'm chatting with John G. Miller, author of QBQ! The Question Behind the Question (among others). Most of us ask externally-focused questions like, "Why…
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Ep. 089: How to Scale Your Creative Business with Kristy Rice
I met Kristy Rice of Momental Designs at Be Sage Conference in 2017 I found her to be a force of creativity and energy. I've been so impressed with how she's really transformed her creativity into a successful business. Kristy has a unique business because she took her own unique art skills and...
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Ep. 088: How to Protect Yourself and Your Online Program
Launching a group program is a great way to move from a 1-to-1 business model to 1-to-many. In fact, online courses have become a $300 billion industry. It's huge, and I'm seeing more and more business owners creating courses and other group programs--and just killing it. If making this shift or...
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Ep. 087: 10 Ways to Uplevel Your Business
If you're like most business owners, you're looking for ways to grow in the new year. I don't blame you! It takes planning and thoughtfulness if you want to grow in the right ways. In this episode, I asked 10 business owners this question: What's the best piece of advice you'd give someone…
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Ep. 086: How To Use Systems To Gain Back Time and Make Room For Creativity with Chelsea B. Foster
Systems are a hot topic this time of year, as people look at their goals and wonder how in the heck they're ever going to meet them. In this episode, I welcomed Chelsea Foster to the podcast to tell you that it is, in fact, possible. But first, you need to pull yourself out of the day-in, day-out...
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Ep. 085: 3 Strategies for Hitting Your Year-End Goals
It's the most wonderful time of the year...Back to school time! But it's also a busy time because I think we have our heads in 2019 already. We start thinking about what's coming up next year and how the heck we're going to meet our year-end goals to finish off this year right. If you're trying…
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Ep. 084: A Look at the State of the Wedding Industry
Keeping your finger on the pulse of what's happening in your industry is so important if you want to serve your audience well. Personally, because I work with a lot of wedding and events industry professionals, I'm always trying to keep up with what's going on so I can better understand and serve...
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Ep. 083: 3 Business Investments for a More Profitable Year
Who doesn't want more profit in their business? (I see you over there raising your hand). We've all heard the saying, "You have to spend money to make money." No matter what industry you're in, it's pretty darn true. You need to be willing to invest in your business if you want your business to...
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Ep. 082: How To Fix The 5 Biggest Mistakes In Your Wedding Planning Biz
What isn't working in your wedding planning business? Sometimes you're too close and emotionally attached to it to know exactly where you should make changes. But something might just feel "off" to you. One thing that trips up most newer business owners, no matter the industry, is that they treat...
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Ep. 081: 3 Things to Ask Yourself if You're Feeling Burned Out
Where did the summer go? (Where did the year go!?) If you've been pushing, pushing, pushing to meet those year-end goals, you might be feeling burned out right now. Things start to get messy when you're constantly in hustle mode and that's not good for you, your business, your clients or your…
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Ep. 080: Maghon Taylor: How She Made Her Handwriting Her Message
If you've ever thought of turning your passion into your full-time job, then you're going to love this episode with Maghon Taylor! Maghon is the "she" behind All She Wrote Notes - the business she's built around teaching her hand-lettering skills to other aspiring artists. As you'll hear, Maghon...
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Ep.078: Bonnie Christine Forkner: How to Get Paid to be Creative by Licensing Your Artwork
Have you ever wanted to get paid to be creative? In this episode of the Office Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Bonnie Christine Forkner - an artist, a fabric designer and a teacher who has made a living creating her art and she's sharing her story of how she got there with you! You'll hear…
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Ep. 077: What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Wedding Planning Business with Leah Weinberg and Debbie Orwat
In this episode, I'm shaking things up a bit and have not just one, but two guests! Leah Weinberg, the founder of Color Pop Events is an event and wedding planner based in New York City and Debbie Orwat is a former planner and venue owner, and currently runs Planner's Lounge - an online resource...
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Ep. 076: Alisha Johns: Building a Brand with Smart (and Colorful) Content
In this episode I'm talking to one of my favorite people that I have come across since starting my business, Alisha Johns of Lish Creative. If you've ever checked out my website or the cover art for this podcast, most of those pictures have been taken by Alisha. Lish Creative is a content agency...
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Ep. 075: Jill Stanton: Behind the Scenes of Screw the 9 to 5
In this real girl-to-girl conversation, I'm speaking with Jill Stanton, one-half of the Screw The 9 to 5 community - which helps new and existing entrepreneurs solve problems related to life and business through actionable insights and simple "how to's." Jill is sharing what it's taken them to…
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Ep. 074: GDPR for Your Small Business
You may have been hearing the term "GDPR" a lot over the past few months and wondering what exactly is this talk all about? In this episode, my goal is to break down GDPR - to give you some basic background context to what this law is all about, why it's important to understand, and what it means...
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Ep. 073: How to Start and Operate a Venue Business with Lindsay Lucas
In this episode, I'm joined by Lindsay Lucas of Lean on Me Consultants for a bit of a niche topic, but it's a trend I'm seeing in the events industry - starting and operating a venue business. Lindsay consults with folks to help build strong foundation for their venue businesses and teaches them...
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Ep. 072: Spring Cleaning Your Life and Business: 3 Questions to Help Get Rid of the Clutter and Make Room for Magic
In this week's episode, I'm talking about two of my favorite things: spring cleaning and your business. As we approach the spring season, that usually brings on an urge to do some spring cleaning around the house. But we can take that same approach and spring clean our business too! I'm sharing…
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Ep. 071: What is a patent and do I need one? (with Karima Gulick)
Do you have the next blockbuster idea? Are you itching to get your products in front of the likes of Mr. Wonderful and Mark Cuban on Shark Tank? Well, I can't tell you how to get on the show, but I can tell you that if you have a product, invention, method, or something that you think is a pretty...
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Ep. 070: Chit-Chat with Annette & Kinsey - February Round Up
In this week's episode, we're shaking things up a little bit! It's a new flavor of episodes that I'm bringing you and it's with my friend and fellow podcast host, Kinsey Roberts. If you don't know Kinsey, she's the wonderfully charming host of She Creates Business, A Podcast for Wedding Pros.…
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Ep. 069: Legal Quickie: The Most Common Questions from Photographers - Answered
If you've been listening to the podcast over the last few weeks, you'll have noticed that I've been answering the most common questions I get from professionals in a number of different industries. In this week's episode, I'm sharing your FAQs from photographers. Regardless of what industry…
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Ep. 068: Legal Quickie: The Most Common Questions from Graphic, Web, and Print Designers - Answered
In this week's episode, we're diving into the most common questions I get from designers. So if you're a graphic designer, a web designer, a print designer -- you're going to want to have a listen. And if you're not, listen up anyway! There might be a nugget in there for you! To learn more and…
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Ep. 067: Legal Quickie: The Most Common Questions from Event and Wedding Pros - Answered
To learn more and get the show notes, visit: www.annettestepanian.com/officetalk Disclaimer: This content is for your educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring an attorney. It does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between you and Annette...
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Ep. 066: Legal Quickie: What you need to know before you hire your first employee with Jennifer Wiegley
I'm really excited about today's Office Talk interview because we're diving into a topic that I get so many questions about! I'm joined by fellow lawyer, Jenny Wiegley as we walk through what you need to do when you're ready to hire your very first employee. Based here in California, Jenny has...
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Ep. 65: What's coming your way in 2018 + how to handle contract revision requests from potential clients
HAPPY NEW YEAR! To kick off the new year, in this brand new episode I'm sharing what's coming your way in 2018 with this podcast, webinars, and events. I'm also sharing my thoughts on how to handle when a potential client comes to you requesting changes to your contract. I'm super pumped about…
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Ep. 064: Katie Doherty and Phil Van Nostrand: Diversifying Their Revenue Streams to Live Their Best Life
On today's episode I'm speaking with Katie Doherty and Phil Van Nostrand of La Rousse Shoppe, a company that sells beautiful glass photo boxes. You're going to hear how the two of them took their background as long-time photographers to develop a business that, in about two years, is generating...
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Ep. 063: Myrna Daramy: The ABCs of SEO
You may have heard that Google is making changes (in fact, they're making changes all the time), but there are some big ones coming to their algorithm as it relates to searchability and search results. As we head into the new year, I want to make sure that you have all of the information and the...
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Ep. 062: Tonya Dalton: Designing a Productive and Fulfilling Life One Day at a Time
If you've ever thought to yourself: "I have so much to do and not enough time to do it," then I think you're really going to love this episode of the Office Talk podcast! Tonya Dalton, the owner of Inkwell Press and I are geeking out over how we can better structure our days, our to-do lists, and...
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Ep. 061: Michelle Loretta: How Get the Most Out of Attending Conferences
If you've ever thought about attending a live event or conference, it can get quite overwhelming trying to decide amongst the many events taking place. And given the costs involved for things like tickets, flights and hotels - not to mention the time away from work and family - it can be quite a...
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Ep. 060: Legal Quickie: What Your Contracts Says About You
As a business owner, we often spend a lot of time thinking about how to brand our businesses. We think through the details of our website, We fuss over our logos, We take a million pictures before we get that perfect Instagram shot… Yet one piece of brand collateral that often doesn't get thought...
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Ep. 059: Brady Hahn: How to Create Content that Creates Connection
It's been said that we all have a story, but do you know how to tell yours? How could effectively telling your own story help you better connect with your audience? Your clients? Your customers? Someone who knows all about the value of storytelling when building a brand and business is Brady…
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About this show
Listen in on candid conversations with game-changing entrepreneurs and host, Annette Stepanian, as they share insights on how they're designing a business and life on their terms. Also, Annette answers FAQs about law and your business in her Legal Quickie episodes.
Hosted by
Annette Stepanian
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