Valerie's Biz Talk posts

Small Business Legal Services for...

Hello!

I practice small business and estate planning law in Seattle. I'd love to offer my legal services in trade for the following:

1. Massage
2. Weekly housekeeping (green products, please)
3. Florist for my wedding (October 2, 2009)
4. Personal training (West Seattle)

Thanks

WANTED: A florist to do the flowers for my wedding. OFFERED: Small business & estate planning legal services

I'm planning a fall wedding and one of the best parts of this experience has been bartering for different "pieces" of the celebration. The next piece I need to get in place is flowers - bouquets for the ladies, boutonnieres for the men, corsages for the moms, and "crowns" for the 3 flower girls.

Are there any florists on Biznik interested in a full or partial trade for small business and/or estate planning legal services? If so, please give me a shout!

Legal Services in Exchange for Housecleaning & Personal Training

Hello, barter club members!

I am in need of a housecleaning service and a personal trainer. Both will need to travel to West Seattle. I'd like to trade for small business legal services and estate planning services. Please let me know if you or someone you know is interested. Thanks!

OFFERED: Legal Services; WANTED: Housecleaning & Personal Training

I am in need of both a housecleaning service and a personal trainer. Both need to be located in (or willing to travel to) West Seattle. I'd like to offer business or estate planning legal services as a trade. Please let me know if you're interested!

New Members Page

I've noticed a marked decline in the number of folks viewing my profile since the new Members Page was introduced. It got me thinking that I'd like to know what changes (if any) others have noticed, and how you all like the new page. Any other feedback?

Setting Rates

All,

I remember discussions on Biznik about setting rates - how to do so, determining market rate, value v. time, etc. I also remember (though I could be making this up!) an event that walked indies through a process for setting their rates. Can anyone point me to a description of this event, and/or the discussion threads about this topic?

Thanks!

Valerie

Farris Law Launch Party

Hi, all!

Many of you have heard through the grapvevine or otherwise that I'm starting my own firm - Farris Law, PLLC. My official launch date is October 1, and my launch PARTY is going to be on September 30 at 6pm in West Seattle. I hope many of you can come out to the Beveridge Place Pub for this open-house style party, munch on some finger foods, drink great beer while supporting a local business, and join me in celebrating my new firm!

Also, I am organizing a raffle to benefit a local charity and if you would like to donate an item to include in the raffle, please contact me! I'd love to start my time as a solopreneur by gifting something of great value to my local community.

Hope to see you there! Please let me know if you think you'll be able to come, either in this thread or by e-mail.

Cheers,

Valerie www.farrislawpllc.com - coming soon!

BizJam - What's your Hope?

I'm sure we all have differing thoughts on what we hope to get out of BizJam. So my question is: what are YOU hoping to get out of attending BizJam this year?

A related question for those who attended last year: what was your most valuable take-away from the conference last year?

BizJam call for volunteers!

There's been lots of talk about this year's BizJam conference. I can't wait! I know many of you might be on the fence about whether to come. I also know that for some, the cost can be an issue, or maybe you're a skeptic who won't invest in a conference like this without a preview.

Well, here's your chance: BizJam requires a certain number of volunteers, and if you are one of them, YOU WILL GET IN FREE on the day you volunteer. That means you could receive a value of up to $390 (the cost of attending both days) for FREE.

BizJam volunteers also receive an invitation to the BizJam VIP Party on July 8.

Don't get me wrong - there are definitely responsibilities involved, too. Gone are the days of "volunteering" (you know what I mean) just to get in the door and then, well, do nothing.

But if you're looking for a lower-cost way to attend, an opportunity to "preview" the event for next year, and/or the chance to participate in all the amazing networking that will take place, this might be just the thing for you.

Elizabeth Lee, Amanda Nokes, and I are hosting an informational event on Monday, June 16 at 6pm in West Seattle for any who might be interested in knowing what volunteering at BizJam will look like. We hope you'll attend, and if you have questions, concerns, thoughts, or ideas, please feel free to post them here!

West Seattle Lunch Event

Hi, all,

Just a heads-up as this event is somewhat last-minute. I've added a lunch event on Alki Beach in West Seattle for this Thursday, April 24th. I hope some of you can make it!

Please let me know if there are any questions about time, venue, etc.

Best,

Valerie

"New Events"?

Is there any way that each time we log in (either to our welcome page, or to the events page) see what events have been newly posted in the last 24-48 hours? I'm always interested to know, and would love not having to go through 2-3 pages of events to find out!

Thanks,

Valerie

Networking at Safeco Field!

Hi, all,

Just a heads-up that I've posted a networking event for the April 25 Mariner's game v. Oakland! I've limited attendance to 10 people for now, but if I get lots of RSVPs or comments about more folks wanting to come, I'll get group tickets and open it up to more people.

Hope to see some of you there!

Let's Talk about Lawyers

In my encounters with folks through Biznik and beyond, a common theme emerges when they discover I'm a lawyer. People have all sorts of preconceived ideas about what lawyers are "like," and I guess I don't really fit that mold!

I'm also hearing lots of people say they are intimidated by the process of finding a lawyer, or just by lawyers in general.

What are you general assumptions or ideas about lawyers? What tools would be useful to you as you look for a lawyer to represent your small business?

I'm hoping to gather lots of useful questions and answers to put into a future article about "how to find a lawyer without losing your mind," or something along those lines.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Networking in West Seattle!

Hi all,

I am hosting a Networking event in West Seattle this Thursday. Since it's somewhat last-minute, I thought I'd post here and let y'all know.

RSVP (and get the details) here: http://biznik.com/events/2008/2/21/networking-in-west-seattle.

Hope to see some of you there!

Cheers,

Valerie

Know a good CPA?

Hey, y'all,

I hope this is the right forum to post this question. Does anyone work with a thorough and reasonably priced CPA you would recommend? I'm on the hunt (as I'm sure others are as well, this time of year!) for someone in West Seattle or Edmonds preferably, though I'm willing to go a bit further afield if need be.

Thanks in advance!

Best,

Valerie

Estate Planning for Small Business Owners

How does being the owner of a small business impact your estate plan - and should it? This is a question many indie professionals I meet have never considered. I'm considering offering a seminar and/or putting together an informational packet - does anyone out there have a comment on the need for this?

Taking it one step further, how many of (be honest, now) don't even have basic estate planning documents in place? Many folks avoid dealing with this because it's a tough topic to tackle for a lot of us. As an attorney practicing in the area of estate planning, how can I help facilitate the beginning of what most view as an intimidating, not-fun conversation?

Thanks for any feedback!

Hello all...from Seattle!

Hi there,

Just want to introduce myself to the Biznik community! I've recently moved to a firm where I am building my own practice (lawyer, here) - you can read the details on my profile!

Hope to meet some of you soon.

Cheers,

Valerie