I’m super excited to come at you with another episode of the Dr. Ali Show! Today we are going to be talking about intellectual property. 

If you want to find out more how it is to protect your brand, identity, thoughts, ideas, concepts, words, phrases your genius that is inside of you – if you’re starting a business or going to be starting a business soon you’ll want to tune in!

The reason I want to tackle this topic is because I’ve been having a lot of conversation with clients who are sitting on ideas, who have amazing thoughts, we’re letting ourselves stop us – I remember wanting to start a martial arts program (I’m a black belt in jiu jitsu) and I have a son on the autism spectrum and I kept looking for a program for him because I knew how much martial arts made a difference in my life in learning self control, self discipline and learning how to really tap into my body and surrounding areas, and I knew with his levels of not being regulated that this would be the ideal program or exercise that would help his state of mind to help him navigate when he didn’t know how. Unfortunately, a lot of the program I saw had a lot of children inside and he has difficulties attending and weren’t a good match- as an audiologist and speech pathologist I wanted something were he could communicate with other kids in a nice small environment an they would help him in attending and regulating his body and socialize. I would look for programs and there were some but it didn’t fit everything I wanted, so I had this idea to create this program where he could learn and get what he needed. AS a parent and a mom we’re always looking at what can help. 

Of course, I was a punk. I walked around with this idea for a year or two…it kept coming back, I would try a different program and it just didn’t have everything I needed. It was one day I was having a conversation with a very close friend, and I was telling her about my idea “SoSmartKids”, the program I later created, and she told me, “Ali, this is genius, why aren’t you doing this?” and I was like “Well I don’t really have the space, I don’t know how, I don’t know if this is even possible? Would people even come to it?”

She was like “Why don’t you ask the person who owns our do-jo our fitness professor” and I said, “ummm” and I sat on that for a while because once again, I didn’t want to ASK. I was afraid of looking silly. I was thinking once again,  here we a re with this idea, and no one is going to see what this thing really is. I remember working out and training with another sensei and he was talking about his nephew having autism, and I said how do you feel if we had a program and I could help him with communication and socialization and we could do something with Zachary? And he was IN!

So confirmation again.

So how many of you are sitting out there with these ideas, with these beautiful intellectual property, with these concepts that sound amazing but a) yo don’t know how to go about it b) you’re scared c) you think people are going to laugh at you. 

This episode is to let you know that your ideas is how many amazing companies are formed. So, if you’re sitting on this genius that is inside of you, let me just share how does this help you. 

It helps you increasing visibility: Fast forward, I did end up starting so smart kids. I did go out there and do all the due diligence and it was an AMAZING experience. We helped hundreds of kids, we were using our skills and we were using what we were already loving to help someone else. Many people became to know us as helping people and families with Autism, they now knew us in this capacity. 

Fast forward, when I went to trademark “Aumazing” ,  I was always saying the word “Amazing”. And then I thought, I want Zachary to think of autism as something that is not something negative, so I held onto the word Aumazing and checked the trademark and it was available, and I had one of my amazing moms who was recently a speaker at my Mompreneurs on Fire event- the legally chic, Toni Moore. She was able to help me through the process. The trademark distinguished my brand and helped me stand out. So that idea that you’re sitting on there, protect it and be sure it’s available and it’s YOURS. 

Through the process, when you’re ready between the 0-3 years, find it out what you need to do to protect your idea, genius and creativity. 

The last reason is because we really want to get to a point now where w’ere avoiding risk. If someone else is using it, they can come after us. So start our business right ya’ll. For those of you who are sitting on your business ideas, I have a gazillion programs to help you get started. Once you have access to me, you get access to all my POWER friends. 

1. Be unique

It’s important more than ever to be unique and stand out among your competitors.  In order to attract more customers and investors alike, you have to offer something the market still hasn’t heard of. Your product or service has to be genuine enough to provoke wonder, curiosity, or even shock. The most important thing is that no one feels indifferent to your brand identity. 

Ask yourself, what makes my brand different? What is our competitive advantage? What can I offer in a better way, than my competitors?

2. Create a memorable logo

Once you decide what it is you’re selling or offering, it’s important to really take some time to think about your logo and how you can make it memorable. You can even do some surveys on websites like survey monkey to see which logo options stand out the most among your demographic. Remember: You want people to be able to see a post or graphic or ad from your business and know exactly where it’s coming from. 

 Some companies choose to do this later, but you’ll have the highest chances of success if you differentiate yourself from the others early on.

3. Define your ideal customer

 Ask yourself: who are the people that are going to buy my service or product?

It’s extremely important to do the research necessary to figure out who your target demograhpic is. 

What age group?

Where are they located?

Why do they need it?

How long will it be of use?

If you can answer these questions, you are on the right path. The answers will help you with both short and long-term plans, i.e. you will be able to create profit if you know what exactly your customers are aiming for.

4. Let your customers become your brand ambassador

Speaking of customers, they should be viewed as something far beyond regular “buyers.” You ought to think of them as the brand ambassadors, because each and every one of them is a walking representative of your brand.

Therefore, establishing a friendly rapport is essential, as well as keeping them happy and satisfied. Ensure that you always entice your clients to use more of your services by offering special discounts, loyalty programs, and so on. Generally, people love belonging to a club and getting recognition for what they do, even if it’s just a simple purchase.

5. Do everything with quality

The key to building an outstanding brand is quality, and it’s not negotiable. Whatever you are offering, you should stand behind your product with pride. Of course, that implies that the quality should match the price.

Wow people with your excellent offer, and they will keep coming back for more. Amidst a plethora of poor-quality products, yours will be a breath of fresh air, and remembered more easily.

6. Be consistent

If you really wish to break into a market, it is absolutely necessary that your brand strategy is consistent. At the very beginning, you cannot afford to have minor alterations every now and then – those would be the sign of weaknesses.

In addition, you aren’t that famous yet, so it’s hard to believe in a brand which is constantly changing its attitude. What you say on your website has to match your Facebook page. Stay true to yourself, and the people will begin to swarm in once they see you mean business.

7. Use social media

Now that we have mentioned social media, let’s discuss it further. It can’t be denied that Instagram, Facebook, and similar social networks have immense power when it comes to promoting brand awareness. Don’t be too lazy or penny pinching to hire a specialist and dedicate yourself to brand advertising via social media. Your big break is probably a few likes away, no matter how simple it sounds.

How to find Black businesses to support

If you want to support Black-owned businesses but don’t know where to start, you can find numerous resources online, compiled by various organizations and media outlets. Black small business owners have also begun compiling and sharing lists of resources aiming to keep the African American entrepreneur community alive. These are some methods you can use to locate and frequent Black-owned businesses.

1. Buy directly from Black-owned businesses.

It can be difficult to make online purchases directly from Black vendors on major retail platforms like Amazon, since it’s not always immediately apparent which third party is selling which item. Sites like WeBuyBlack, Support Black Owned and Nile help consumers connect directly with Black-owned brands locally and online.

2. Check out Black business groups.

Aside from general lists of Black businesses, some organizations highlight specific corners of the Black-owned market. Through sites and apps like The Black Business List, the African American Literature Book Club and EatOkra, users can locate and frequent Black-owned businesses.

3. Use social media to find local Black-owned businesses.

Social media and mobile apps can also help you locate Black-owned businesses to support. For instance, Black Nation and Official Black Wall Street are apps that let you search for all kinds of businesses, browse detailed listings for those businesses and search for special offers. On Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms, you can search for hashtags like #BlackOwnedBusiness, #SupportBlackArt and #SupportBlackBusiness to find even more Black-owned businesses.

We have all hit slumps where it seems we have lost our motivation.

Sadly, too many of us stay derailed from moving forward because we allow our motivation to wane. Then we become stuck in a rut.

But this does NOT have to be your reality. How we choose to respond when we experience a dip in our motivation will determine if we experience success or a setback. There are three steps you can start today to help recharge your motivation and get back on track.

Remember why you started:

To jumpstart our motivation, we need to remember why we wanted to start in the first place. When we forget why we began, it can be easy to throw in the towel when the journey gets tough. We start to focus on all the reasons why we can’t move forward causing us to lose sight of the vision God gave us to move forward. Do you remember why you started your work out routine, decided to go back to school, or go after your dream? What were the prayers you prayed? What did God tell you to do to do? What is your why?

Recruit support

 Sometimes moving forward with our goals alone can be challenging, even for the most organized and productive. It’s even harder when your energy level is low, and life gets busy. Recruiting others to help along the journey as support and accountability can provide the additional umph to recharging our motivation.

Choose one or two people who can hold you accountable to take your next steps.  

Mompreneurs on Fire is our organization you can join today: https://www.facebook.com/mompreneursonfiretribe/

Make a decision not an excuse

 Discipline will always trump motivation. Sure, you may need the motivation to start, but discipline helps you finish. If we wait until we are motivated to do the homework, complete the workout, or attend the small group, none of those things may happen. Instead, choose to get it done instead of waiting until you “feel” like it. Your future you will thank you for not allowing excuses from becoming the barrier that keeps you from becoming your best self.

Entrepreneur Blocks: Unhealed Trauma in Your Business and Life with Marjorie

Heow do you process the unhealed traumas that show back up in your business and in your life?

In today’s episode of The Dr. Ali Griffith Show, we unpack and rebuild with our Business Expert Malorie Nicole. 

Malorie shows up in the world today trying to help people as best at they can break the blind spots and barriers that they are not aware of that are stopping them from fully showing up in business and leadership roles.

The people who come to Malorie usually are already has worked with a life coach similar to Dr. Ali, and already has an established business and are not feeling the way they want to feel- alignment is off, they are not feeling fulfilled – struggling with perfectionism, or have this business they now can’t step away from and they’ve lost themselves a little bit.

It’s so important that we’re addressing the mindset work and it doesn’t get caught up in our business success.

One of the biggest challenges that she hears from her clients is just feeling like they created something that they’re no longer that excited about.  A lot of the time this has nothing to do with the business- but when they work on themselves and heal that- the business is no longer an issue.

Watch the full podcast to hear from Malorie on how she works through these issues with clients!

Starting a new school year always brings a mixture of excitement and anxiety, and that’s at the best of times. This year’s return to school will look and feel a whole lot different for students, as well as for teachers and parents.

As working parents with our side hustle, it can be new, and challenging to get our focus back this year. That’s why I thought I would share some tips on for getting  the kids back to school AND getting back to business. That is why I’ve decided to create a blog with some tips on how to get back to business.

#1 BE KIND TO YOURSELF

First and foremost, I want to stress that it’s OKAY to go through the emotions- nervous, anxious, unsure what to do  — we are experiencing unprecedented times. This does not make you a bad mom, or a bad employee or a bad entrepreneur. We have no playbook for living through this and certainly no idea of what the future is going to bring and you should take a step back right now, pat yourself on the back for doing the best you can given this. Fear of the unknown is normal. Our brains are designed to protect us from threats, both real and perceived. That’s our natural drive for self-preservation, and it kicks in whenever we feel uncertain, insecure or anxious. Who hasn’t felt that way at some point during all of this?

#2 FIND A SAFE SPACE AND SUPPORT SYSTEM

I always recommend surrounding yourself with like minded individuals who have the same priorities, or challenges so you can bounce ideas off each other and provide a level of support. That’s why we have a few Facebook groups to help with this (feel free to join using the links below!):

Mompreneurs on Fire 

Au-mazing Tribe: Autism Support with Dr. Ali Griffith

Positive Power Movers with Dr. Ali

#3 FOCUS ON CREATING YOUR NEW ROUTINE

It’s important to take a step back and re-evaluate the routine you once knew. Do you need to consider a priority shift in your day? Maybe take a look at what is gobbling up too much of your time, and start focusing on what your new routine will look like. This may mean it will take some time to get used to the new routine- but habits aren’t formed over night. Start by sitting down, creating a new routine that is going to work for you with the way things are now. Are your kids being homeschooled now instead of going in? Build that time in. Are you getting fatigued from all the social media and news panic around the pandemic? Look at moderating how much time you spend doing that versus consuming more positive news, or focusing that energy on your business.

#4 ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL

It’s a process to figure out what works for you, don’t be afraid to try different ways to seek support and build your own resiliency. Many people find that peer-to-peer support is enough, where others find benefit when used alongside more intensive supports.

#5 WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Knowing that others are experiencing the same challenges and having someone empathize can be a relief and a huge comfort. Sharing feelings and thoughts and having someone listen, is immensely valuable for supporting our mental health. As we navigate the next “new normal,” lean in to your community of support to gain reassurance and encouragement.