What Would Sheila Say? // Teaching Licensed + Certified Professionals How to Start and Run a Business with Clarity, Confidenc Sheila M. Wilkinson, LMSW, Esq.

Today, we’re talking about SIMPLICITY, your SECOND best friend. Y’all already know what your first best friend is, but if you’re not sure, listen in and find out! 
Before we dive in, I just want to remind y’all that I have something that is going to make your life soooo much easier, and yes, SIMPLER and more STREAMLINED, and those are the strategies, the EMAIL AND TEXT SCRIPTS that I've been using for years and have just made available to the public - just for you. 
They’re scripts for professionals and business owners and freelancers, and they're free for you to download from my site! You can find them at sheilawilkinson.com/links 
The Scripts are really about being able to communicate with people in a respectful, ethical, and professional way, in a way that clarifies what you expect from others - and what they can expect from you. And the clearer you are, the simpler your relationships will be. It’s when we are not clear, not up front, not showing up the way we need to show up - that we lose ourselves, and things get hairy.
I can’t wait to see your screenshots of today’s episode, tagging me with your biggest takeaway. And don’t forget to go grab those scripts! 
Y’all ready? BIG, but simple, takeaways are coming.
At the end, as always, I leave you with a bit of homework to start taking action today. Y’all ready? Let’s do this!
Resources from the Show 
About The Scripts! If you struggle to find the right words to tell a client no, or you need time to get back to them, or even if you're going on vacation and want to be left alone, then these simple strategies for better boundaries are going to be  your new best friend! Learn more about how these swipe copy and paste email script templates can start improving your life TODAY!
>>> 
My mission is to help service-based professionals figure out exactly what they want, realize it’s 100% within reach, and create a simple, actionable plan that will get them there. I’d love to support you, too! Here are some ways you can start creating your rich, happy life today!
FREE RESOURCES
Start setting clear expectations with clients with this Contracts Guide!
Build a healthier lifestyle and add more joy in your life in this Masterclass!
LOW-COST RESOURCES
Start fixing your top 3 most frustrating situations TODAY in this Managing Expectations Mini-Course! ($19) 
Start getting Boundaries *and* Balance in this Workshop ($29) - especially as you head into the new year!
Tag me, follow me, and DM me with your thoughts and questions:
Instagram @sheilamwilkinson and Facebook @lawyercoachsheila
Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts here
Not on Apple Podcasts? No worries! Rate and Review on our site and make sure to leave a question for a future episode!
Learn more about me here: https://sheilawilkinson.com
Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Links & More: https://sheilawilkinson.com/links

Today, we are revisiting what it means to have a reputation, what it means to have a brand, and what it means to have communications and clear expectations with people. And fun, fun - this is the start of four episodes about getting work and getting clients!
I wanted to start with your brand and your reputation because I think a lot of people think, “oh, I wanna go get all these clients and I need this work and I need all these things!” and we don't often stop to think about what the experience will be and how we wanna show up. And that, I think, is really something worth revisiting. So, before you start getting work and clients, let's focus on your brand and your reputation, shall we?
In this episode, we’re talking about:
why your brand already exists
how blemishes and your reputation can precede you and what to do about it
what to consider when you're crafting your brand and how that ties into your reputation, your values, your mission
One of the things that I think is really important is that it doesn't matter how much amazing work you do - if you're not out there, people don't know you, they don't know you exist. 
And it doesn't matter how much amazing work you do if you are not a nice person. People aren’t gonna wanna work with you, right? 
People want to know what you stand for, who you are as a person, why you do what you do. And so my hope is that you’ll look deeper today for a little more clarity.
I'd love to know what resonates with you today. Feel free to reach out to me and make sure you go grab those free scripts to help you start boundaries and clean up your reputation and brand today! Link is below in the Resources section!
At the end, as always, I leave you with a bit of homework to start taking action today. Y’all ready? Let’s do this!
Resources from the Show 
If you struggle to find the right words to tell a client no, or you need time to get back to them, or even if you're going on vacation and want to be left alone, then these simple strategies for better boundaries are going to be  your new best friend! Learn more about how these swipe copy and paste email script templates can start improving your life TODAY!
>>> 
My mission is to help service-based professionals figure out exactly what they want, realize it’s 100% within reach, and create a simple, actionable plan that will get them there. I’d love to support you, too! Here are some ways you can start creating your rich, happy life today!
FREE RESOURCES
Start setting clear expectations with clients with this Contracts Guide!
Build a healthier lifestyle and add more joy in your life in this Masterclass!
LOW-COST RESOURCES
Start fixing your top 3 most frustrating situations TODAY in this Managing Expectations Mini-Course! ($19) 
Start getting Boundaries *and* Balance in this Workshop ($29) - especially as you head into the new year!
Tag me, follow me, and DM me with your thoughts and questions:
Instagram @sheilamwilkinson and Facebook @lawyercoachsheila
Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts here
Not on Apple Podcasts? No worries! Rate and Review on our site and make sure to leave a question for a future episode!
Learn more about me here: https://sheilawilkinson.com
Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Links & More: https://sheilawilkinson.com/links

In today’s Episode (42), we are wrapping up the initial series on property and intellectual property, and I am really excited about helping you understand local, state, federal, and international a bit better, and how each plays an important role in protecting yourself, your property, and particularly, your intellectual property. 
I’m going to walk you through where to find each of these kinds of laws, how they are similar to each other - and a bit different than what you might think they are. 
And, since I am in Louisiana, I will talk about Louisiana law from a state law standpoint, but the places that I tell you about to look for the law are going to be the same if you’re in a different state, so don’t freak out - just use the same logic for looking it up. There are a handful of links in the show notes, so go use those!
As always, there’s a ton we could go deep about, but right now, we are focusing on the foundations of law. Just like most of what we talk about, the law is a lot more straightforward than you think it is - or lawyers want you to believe it is. What I want to do is to help educate you about where to go looking for that information, and so that you know enough about it to know when you need help.
At the end, as always, I leave you with a bit of homework to start taking action today. Y’all ready? Let’s do this!
>>> 
My mission is to help service-based professionals figure out exactly what they want, realize it’s 100% within reach, and create a simple, actionable plan that will get them there. I’d love to support you, too! Here are some ways you can start creating your rich, happy life today!
FREE RESOURCES
Start setting clear expectations with clients with this Contracts Guide!
If you struggle to find the right words to tell a client no, or that you need time to get back to them, or even if you're going on vacation and want to be left alone, then these simple strategies for better boundaries are going to be  your new best friend! Grab these swipe copy and paste email script templates today!
Build a healthier lifestyle and add more joy in your life in this Masterclass!
LOW-COST RESOURCES
Start fixing your top 3 most frustrating situations TODAY in this Managing Expectations Mini-Course! ($19) 
Start getting Boundaries *and* Balance in this Workshop ($29) - especially as you head into the new year!
Tag me, follow me, and DM me with your thoughts and questions:
Instagram @sheilamwilkinson and Facebook @lawyercoachsheila
Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts here
Not on Apple Podcasts? No worries! Rate and Review on our site and make sure to leave a question for a future episode!
Learn more about me here: https://sheilawilkinson.com
Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Links & More: https://sheilawilkinson.com/links
Resources from the Show (All Copyrights belong to their respective owners)
Map of the Legal Systems of the World (Option 1, more complicated)
Map of the Legal Systems of the World (Option 2, simpler to see overall - and here’s the legend to Map 2, making it easier to understand)
Louisiana State Legislature: legis.la.gov
State Legislature Websites - For U.S. States and Territories: https://www.congress.gov/state-legislature-websites 
Congress.gov provides legislative information from the House and Senate of the United States Congress. Use the links below to visit similar websites for the U.S. states and territories. Also see state government resources.
Cornell Law’s Legal Information Institute
Municipal Codes + Ordinances

In today’s Episode (41), we’re continuing the discussion about intellectual property, and particularly, intellectual property rights related to PATENTS. This is the last major type of intellectual property that we’ll discuss for now, so let’s dig in! If you’re new to the series, you might pop back a couple of episodes to listen after today’s episode.
As I’ve said before - this is not legal advice, and this is NOT exhaustive. This is just the basics - to help you understand the basics - it’s the bare minimum. All of the information you could ever need is on the US Patent and Trademark Office’s website, which I link below the show notes, and there’s also a really informative 45-minute video that I’m linking, too - it’s super fun, you’ll love it. 
My concern is to get introduced to Patents, so you know when you need help, to know when to ask for help, to go to a lawyer and get advice, guidance, and protect yourself. In this episode, I specifically touch on the three types of patents: design patents, utility patents, and plant patents. 
There’s a lot here that I could talk about, but there’s only so much I want to go into right now - we can go deeper in the future. Right now, today, we are focusing on the foundations, and you’ll be happy to know that patents are a lot more straightforward than you think. My purpose is to help you understand the basics of patents, and when you should protect them, as well!
At the end, as always, I leave you with a bit of homework to start taking action today. Y’all ready? Let’s do this!
>>> 
My mission is to help licensed and certified, service-based professionals figure out exactly what they want, realize it’s 100% within reach, and create a simple, actionable plan that will get them there. I’d love to support you! Here are some ways you can start creating your rich, happy life today!
FREE RESOURCES
Start setting clear expectations with clients with this Contracts Guide!
Simple Scripts for Better Boundaries (swipe copy and paste email templates!)
Build a healthier lifestyle and add more joy in your life in this Masterclass!
LOW-COST RESOURCES
Start fixing your top 3 most frustrating situations TODAY in this Managing Expectations Mini-Course! ($19) 
Start getting Boundaries *and* Balance in this Workshop ($29)
Tag me, follow me, and DM me with your thoughts and questions:
Instagram @sheilamwilkinson and Facebook @lawyercoachsheila
Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts here
Not on Apple Podcasts? No worries! Rate and Review on our site and make sure to leave a question for a future episode!
Learn more about me here: https://sheilawilkinson.com
More Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Links & More: https://sheilawilkinson.com/links
Resources from the Show:
US Patent and Trademark Office
That 45-minute Overview of Intellectual Property video from the USPTO I mentioned:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXyCyWg6x98&ab_channel=USPTOvideo
Vanessa D’Souza, Patent and Trademark Attorney in New Orleans https://neworleanspatents.com/vanessa-m-dsouza-patent-attorney/

© 👉🏽 If you’re not sure whether you have a copyright, whether you can use someone else’s work, and if so, how much, then you’re in the right place!
We’re continuing the discussion about intellectual property, and particularly, intellectual property rights related to copyrights. 
This is not legal advice and this is NOT exhaustive. This is just a starter kit of sorts to help you start to get your legs under you, to help you start to understand the concept of copyright, fair use, plagiarism and infringement. 
All of the information you could ever need is on the US Copyright Office’s website, which I will link below. The truth is, we could have an entire podcast solely based on the Copyright Act and US Copyright law - there are 480 some odd pages of it! But we won’t do that, because my concern is only that you get introduced to the concepts, so you know when you need help, to go to a lawyer and get advice, guidance, and protect yourself. 
And, since today is a continuation of our discussion about intellectual property, my hope is that you’re starting to catch on to all the nuances of intellectual property and how it fits into the larger arena of property rights as a whole. If you’re new to the series, you might pop back a couple of episodes to listen after today’s episode.
My purpose for today’s episode is to help you understand not only what copyrights are, but when you should protect them, as well (even if you don’t own it!).
At the end, as always, I leave you with a bit of homework to start taking action today. Y’all ready? Let’s do this!
>>> 
My mission is to help service-based professionals figure out exactly what they want, realize it’s 100% within reach, and create a simple, actionable plan that will get them there. I’d love to support you, too! Here are some ways you can start creating your rich, happy life today!
FREE RESOURCES
Start setting clear expectations with clients with this Contracts Guide! Simple Scripts for Better Boundaries (swipe copy and paste email templates!) Build a healthier lifestyle and add more joy in your life in this Masterclass! LOW-COST RESOURCES
Start fixing your top 3 most frustrating situations TODAY in this Managing Expectations Mini-Course! ($19)  Start getting Boundaries *and* Balance in this Workshop ($29) - especially as you head into the new year! Tag me, follow me, and DM me with your thoughts and questions:
Instagram @sheilamwilkinson and Facebook @lawyercoachsheila Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts here
Not on Apple Podcasts? No worries! Rate and Review on our site and make sure to leave a question for a future episode! Learn more about me here: https://sheilawilkinson.com
Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Links & More: https://sheilawilkinson.com/links
 
Resources from the Show:
Fair Use Stanford Image I mentioned  US Copyright Office - https://www.copyright.gov Title 17 of the United States Code - https://www.copyright.gov/title17/  Includes Appendices of Transitional and Related Statutory Provisions, as well as Related United States Code Provisions and Related International Provisions PDF of the Copyright Laws, as of October 2022 https://www.copyright.gov/title17/title17.pdf

Today’s episode is all about what it means to set your business apart from your competition, and we’re coming at it from the context of a Trade Name and then a category of Intellectual Property called Marks (which includes Trademarks, Service Marks, and Sound Marks).
I’m going to explain the difference between each of these, how they fit into the puzzle piece of your brand (like a dba) and when you can and cannot use the ™ and ® (trademark and registered symbols)!
Since today is a continuation of our discussion about intellectual property, my hope is that you’re starting to catch on to all the nuances of intellectual property and how it fits into the larger arena of property rights as a whole. If you’re new to the series, you might pop back a couple of episodes to listen after today’s episode.
My purpose for today’s episode is to help you understand not only what each of these types of intellectual property are, but when you should protect them, as well.
At the end, as always, I leave you with a bit of homework to start taking action today. Y’all ready? Let’s do this!
>>> 
My mission is to help service-based professionals figure out exactly what they want, realize it’s 100% within reach, and create a simple, actionable plan that will get them there. I’d love to support you, too! Here are some ways you can start creating your rich, happy life today!
FREE RESOURCES
Start setting clear expectations with clients with this Contracts Guide! Simple Scripts for Better Boundaries (swipe copy and paste email templates!) Build a healthier lifestyle and add more joy in your life in this Masterclass! LOW-COST RESOURCES
Start fixing your top 3 most frustrating situations TODAY in this Managing Expectations Mini-Course! ($19)  Start getting Boundaries *and* Balance in this Workshop ($29) - especially as you head into the new year! Tag me, follow me, and DM me with your thoughts and questions:
Instagram @sheilamwilkinson and Facebook @lawyercoachsheila Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts here
Not on Apple Podcasts? No worries! Rate and Review on our site and make sure to leave a question for a future episode! Learn more about me here: https://sheilawilkinson.com
🎉 Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Links & More: https://sheilawilkinson.com/links
 
Resources from the Show:
USPTO Famous Sound Marks - https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/soundmarks/trademark-sound-mark-examples