Establishing Boundaries

• “If we all have the same struggles, then how do some people succeed while others spin their wheels? The answer is simple: the ones who succeed have set up healthy boundaries in their lives that help them discern where best to put their time, energy, and money--their most valuable resources.”
• “Boundaries are the lines we draw to contain what we want to cultivate and to protect what’s important. Try to think of your boundaries as a fence around your garden. Having a clear boundary not only helps you focus your efforts and have a high impact in a concentrated area but also keeps out unwanted pests and critters. Decide what you want to nourish and grow in your own garden, but also identify what fertilizes or nourishes your garden and what poses a potential threat to the things you're trying to keep safe.”
• “Values alone are only ideas, but when you use them to guard your boundaries, you give them purpose--you allow your values to shape your life, to define where and how you spend your time, energy, and money.”
• “Setting boundaries and identifying rules is the first active step in embracing being your own boss.”

Creativity and Productivity

• “Think about the last time you came up with a really big idea. I bet that it didn’t happen during your scheduled work hours with your eyes glued to your laptop. You probably struck gold while going for a walk, taking a shower, or after a nice long nap. Our brains don’t like feeling like caged animals--they are at their most creative when we let them out to play!” -Amy Kuretsky
• “Don’t trade sleep for work...Sleep is a necessary break for our body to do much-needed cleanup work. It’s during this time that our brains are able to form new connections and pathways, as well as get rid of old data. This deep clean helps us solidify any new learning and makes the much-needed space for new creative thoughts to arise.” -Amy Kuretsky

Questions to Ask Yourself About Priorities

• Is this the best use of my time?
• What’s most important right now?
• What do I want to be known for?
• What is my deadline? What needs to happen next?

Practical Tips to Protect What You Create

From a legal perspective, there are many potential pitfalls to avoid when choosing your business name. Below are some thoughts from the authors’ lawyer, Autumn Witt Boyd.

• “Avoid names that are descriptive, such as ‘Jane’s Healthy Cookies’ for a bakery, ‘The Complete Personal Branding Guide’ for a personal branding course, or ‘Intuitive Life Coaching’...In the U.S., these kinds of names are not protected by trademark law until you’ve used them for long enough that they are well recognized (usually for at least five years). So if someone copies the name, you can’t do anything legally to stop them until the brand is very well established.”
• “Location-based names, like ‘Chattanooga Pizza Company,’ fall into this category as well, as does using your last name, or ‘surname,’ so ‘Smith’s Web Design Shop’ is not the best choice. Names that are generic also can’t be protected because they just name the thing, such as ‘The Tire Store’ or ‘Smartphone.’ In the U.S., these kinds of names are never protected by trademark law, so if someone copies the name, you don’t have a legal way to make them stop or change their name.”
• “I do three (business name) searches for my clients: (1) A Google search for the same and similar names. (2) A search of the business registry database for the state where the business is located. (3) A search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark TESS database. Because trademark law is meant to prevent customer confusion, searching only for the exact name won’t ensure that you’re in the clear. You should search for alternate spellings and similar words that mean the same thing.”
• “Disclaimer: This is information only, and should not be relied upon as legal advice. All information is based on U.S. intellectual property laws.”