The Lowdown on Legal for Small Businesses with Laura Waits, Attorney

Episode 086: Vonda and Lori had a chance to meet with attorney Laura Waits and ask her some specific questions that many small business owners want to know.  They discuss subjects from the need for being specific in setting up your will and your small business entity, to the important question on hiring an employee or contract worker (freelance) for our peak seasons. A few Covid specific questions come up as well as some advise on finding the right professional attorney for your small business. Great information everyone should know.

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Laura Waits, Attorney ~ L P Waits Legal, LLC

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Now, if you say to them, okay, we've got some creative license here, how about you do this out of your house? I'm gonna pay you X, and they go out and buy the flowers, the vases, all of those things, that feels more like an independent contractor to me.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Welcome to the Business and Pleasure of Flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

And we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda. Hello, Miss Vonda. How are you today?

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Good morning, Lori. It's nice to have coffee with you again this morning. Yes, we also have a visitor.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

We have a special guest. It's another one of Lori's famous friends. Or at least they're famous. They're famous to me, right?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

You have so many really impressionable friends.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

I do. And here's the thing about that. Part of me is very grateful that I do, but then part of me is like, man, I'm kind of a loser. Like, I need to step up my game. Laura. You are anything but well, I'm like, I need to have higher aspirations. But anyway, our guest today has been a friend of mine since 1986. Freshman year of college, Laura Waits, or Laura Parker, as I still call her. I still have you in my phone as Laura Parker. But Laura Waits, and she is not only one of my dear friends, she is an attorney, and she has been so nice, right, to come on today and kind of talk about small businesses. And we put out the question, Laura, to our Flower Click members and said, Hey, if you ever could have a question asked to an attorney for free, because as you know, a lot of small businesses don't, what would that be? And so we got kind of an eclectic group of questions. And so we sent those to you and we're going to try to tackle those today. So Laura Waits, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

Thank you, Vonda and Lori. I am just so happy to be here with you guys and really thrilled to help answer the questions of your broad group and just encourage them in their small business journey.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Great. So before we get started on the important quest on these questions, everybody likes to know the backstory of people. Um, yes, we met in college, we were sorority sisters, we've known each other a long time. But you have a fascinating journey, as I will call it. And I know we could talk about it for three hours, but we're gonna try to condense it because after college, you did go to law school and then you practiced law and then you didn't, and you came back. So try to figure out the short version.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

If there is one. Okay, well, let's see. Yes, I went to law school after you and I met in college, and what a great experience. And then I practiced law for let's see, about 10 years, and then I started our family. We started our family. We have five kids, and somewhere in the middle there, we decided to move to Honduras in Central America. That's a long story, as you know. We have a love for cultures in general, but specifically the Latin American cultures, and so we wanted our kids to have a really broad base of experiences and really just be open-minded to other cultures and other languages and so forth. So we moved to the Mosquito Coast of Honduras, which is a beautiful area, pretty untouched, that is the home to the indigenous people group called the Mosquito Indians. And we lived and worked there for 10 years. At the end of 2019, moved back to the US, and I began to open a very small niche legal practice in Texas, where my goal is to make legal services accessible and simple for the everyday small business person and the everyday family.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

How's that overview for you, Lori? I love it. Well, I mean, there's so many things I wanted you to deep dive into, but nothing has to do with lawyer stuff. Anyway, your story's amazing. Your five kids are amazing while you were there. You fostered a child, Lil Kumi, who is one of my favorite humans on the planet. And um, you're just you mine too, Lori. Mine too. So cute. I I live for the moment. She Marco Polo's me. And yes, hello, Miss Lori. Miss Lori. I miss you. I love you. Like the very first time she ever sent me one. It was, I'm like, wow, I love her too. I've never touched her or met her, but I love her because she loves me.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

She doesn't love enough to share for the entire world, which really gives me some hope for the future, really. When I people like Kumi Joy.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah, she is 100% glass half-full trial. Yes, yes, always 100%. Always anyway. Okay, so told us a little bit of your story, and you said where your passion is kind of going now. Talk about that a little more. You do have a passion for small businesses, you've also been helping with immigration, you've been helping with wills, notories. I mean, you really came back and were like just going, hey, I can I'm a notary, you know, I can do wills. So, how did that evolve?

SPEAKER_02 5:40

The wills and the small business side, I went with what I've known and what I've done, years and years of experience. So it's like riding a bicycle, that aspect. I have um lots and lots of business experience, particularly nonprofit as well. We started a nonprofit and built and grew it. So I handled both the business side and the legal side. And then I have a passion for small businesses and entrepreneurs. I love creative thinkers. So those two areas were just a natural fit for me when I decided to move back into small practice. The area that emerged from my experience in Honduras and from my Spanish language skills is the area of immigration. So that's a very complex area of the law, but it's a very necessary as work to provide documentation for as many people who possibly can. I just felt like that would be something that I'm passionate about and a deep need in our country. So I went through some training to get up to speed on the current immigration laws. And that area is just is really straight from the heart for me.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Yeah. Yeah, it is your passion. One of the things when usually when you're driving on the because you have to drive quite a ways to go to those places. I always look forward to those days because you'll usually Marco Polo me on your way home, and just just the stories and the the passion I hear in your voice, it really does re-energize you, even though that might sound weird to some people, because sometimes it's very sad.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

It can be sad, but it is a glimpse into the beautiful pieces and parts of our country when we welcome um individuals who have been persecuted in their country for a variety of reasons, for political, religious reasons. It's just a glimpse into what we can be when we work together as a country to welcome people to our shores.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Okay. All right, love all of that.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

All right, let's get going on the questions, Vonda. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Yeah, well, I'm gonna just circle back around since you just talked about wills, and that that is, you know, as a small business owner, should there be a clause in my will, right, that appoints somebody to make business decisions? I know that when I owned the flower shop, we were really careful with this because our kids were younger at the time, and there was really nobody who we would go, oh, well, somebody could take over this business if both of us died. So is there a special type of clause, or what would you recommend in that to keep my business operating in the case that something would happen to me?

SPEAKER_02 8:11

So I love that question so much because what we're really talking about is creating something that outlives us, right? In life, when we do, when we build something, we want it to outlast us, right? Because that shows the impact of what we're doing and it leaves a legacy as well. And in order to do that properly, Vonda, just like you said, we're gonna need several pieces in place. So one of those is to consider is what happens if we are temporarily or permanently disabled.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

Ooh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:43

So at that point, we're talking about a power of attorney, so a financial power of attorney. And then the next piece is if we if we pass away unexpectedly, what happens to our business? And yet, that is where the will is so important. So wills and powers of attorney are state-based. So those laws are gonna be fluctuating depending on what state you reside in. So I work in Texas, and it's very clear putting together a will in Texas or a power of attorney, those are fairly simple processes. But the very first thing that you're gonna want to consider, even before the will, is how is your business formed? What is your business formation? What is your business entity? Because that is also going to factor in how your passes through your will, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

So you're talking about am I an LLC, am I incorporated, or am I a sole proprietor?

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Exactly. And that piece is so foundational for several reasons. One is the one you talked about, Vonda, as far as that future longevity and protection. One is also protection of your personal assets. If you're operating as a sole proprietor, all of your personal assets are open if you are ever sued or if you're unable to pay your debts. So the most important part of today, honestly, if there's only one takeaway from today, it would be that one. Evaluate your business structure, your business entity. And those are also state-based legal topics. So most states at this point have the LLC designation. It's very popular. And what it allows is for protection of your assets, none of your personal assets are going to be open in lawsuit purposes, but it also allows for it to be taxed, not as a typical corporation. So you're not paying that double taxation. It allows it to be passed through taxation similar to a partnership. So there are multiple advantages of an LLC.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Laura, LLC, just to identify that, that's a limited liability corporation, correct? Limited liability company, yes. Company, okay, because some people might not even know what is an LLC.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Absolutely Is there a difference between LLC and incorporated?

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Yes. There's a difference in the way that they are taxed and treated. They have similar protections in terms of protecting personal liability, but there are differences in the way that the income is taxed and funneled to your personal taxes, then.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

So your suggestion is if you're a sole proprietor, you might really need to move that to an LLC.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

Yes. And my recommendation protect yourself. Absolutely, because we do not know what's coming tomorrow, right? And the commitments that we're making today basically COVID showed us that all of the things that we relied on in the past are all just not stable at this point. So my recommendation would be, depending on which state you live in, and I'm going to continue to recommend this throughout, is find a legal professional that can be part of your business, a partner to your business. And I know that immediately probably triggers anxiety because I've talked to small business owners, my friends who are small business owners as well. And everybody, when they think of partnering with attorney, they're thinking retainer, cash. Yeah, expensive. I can't afford an attorney. Right. So my suggestion would be look for someone who is excited about partnering with business, who has some business sense, who is creative, and will offer you a flat fee on everything that you do. So that you know up front, we're not talking about an open retainer, we're not talking about billing hourly. What we're talking about is a flat fee for a particular package, a particular set of legal, either whether it be a 30-minute consultation, two contract reviews, preparation of your will, or filing your LLC. Look for someone who is willing to partner with you and give you that flat fee option.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense because I know I've had some legal things done and they'll say, okay, if you're looking at incorporation documents, it's going to be X amount. Now, if we find that we have to put in more hours to research for such and such, we're looking at this. But before we go to that next step, we will let you know we've gone beyond what the flat fee was. So I think that transparency too, because when you get into legal fees, wow, some people are just like, you feel like, how did that get so expensive? Absolutely. Like not knowing up front. Is that kind of what you're saying, Laura? Is just absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

And I would look at legal services just like you look at any of your other service providers. You're looking for that relationship and you're looking for a fair price. Everybody's willing to pay a fair price for what we give and receive. We know we I believe in value and human value and expertise and that type of thing. But legal services are just like any other service that you would seek as a small business owner.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Except for it's scary. It's scary for a small business owner to look at legal services because one, you don't want to think, oh, I don't want to have to deal with it, right? Then all these dollar signs go off in your head as a small business owner. And it's an expense that you don't really want. But as you said, we need to. We need to be aware of that and to have somebody kind of in our back pocket that we can go to to ask those questions that could save us really hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run if we don't do our due diligence.

SPEAKER_02 14:20

That's so true, Vonda. And that's why that just like any other relationship, that relationship between the small business owner and their attorney is so important. To be honest, if there's a challenge in the budget for the legal services and if they need something, and how can we work together to make this business successful? So that's my view as a small business attorney. My goal is to make the businesses I'm working with successful, protected, and as we talked about before, able to leave a legacy.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

I love that.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

All right, we're gonna go to the next question, if that's okay. Absolutely. All right. This question came in more than once. Okay, if I need to hire someone to work during peak times, mostly just so you know, in this industry, like holidays, especially Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, peak wedding season, uh, if I need to hire someone to work at those peak times, do I need to add them to my payroll or can they just be a contract worker?

SPEAKER_02 15:23

Okay, so this discussion, employee versus independent contractor, really boils down to federal tax questions. Because if you're an employee, you're gonna have the employment tax burden as a small business owner, right? And if you treat the person as an independent contractor, you're going to provide them just with their tax documentation of what you pay them. The way the IRS evaluates this is the level of control that you, as the small business owner, have over the person. So with our employees, we're gonna have lots of control. We're gonna control, yes, the end result, but we're also gonna control the how, the what, the where, and the when, right? That's what we're gonna do with our employees. If we want to treat someone as an independent contractor and not pay payroll taxes for them, we cannot have that same level of control over their day-to-day and how they do the job. We can have control over the result, we can put a result out there, but the more control we have over how that person finishes the task, the more they move into the employee category and the and we will really be responsible for employment taxes at that point. Does that make sense, Vonda and Lori?

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Yeah, it does. I'm just trying to put a thought process on that. So if I have somebody come in and they're gonna work Valentine's Day, for instance, and I put an order in front of them, or let's say 50 orders in front of them, and I need to have those completed at the time that they're there. Now, each of the orders has, you know, pictures or whatever that they're supposed to be doing. Now, if I come in and I say to them, that's just not really what I'm thinking about. That's not what I want it to look like, even because they're not doing it as instructed. Am I now talking to them as an employee? Or since the result isn't what I anticipated, are they not fulfilling their contract correctly?

SPEAKER_02 17:28

I feel like those leaned more toward employee. When we're putting an actual picture in front, we're providing all the items to make that and we want it made a particular way without any of their creative flair going in, then I think we're leaning more and more toward employee, and we want to be really careful in that way so that we we treat them as a temporary employee. That's perfectly fine for them to be a temporary employee, but we are we're calculating that tax burden into what we're paying. Now, if you say to them, okay, we've got some creative license here, how about you do this out of your house? I'm gonna pay you X, and they go out and buy the flowers, the vases, all of those things. That feels more like an independent contractor to me because you're not controlling the where, the what, and they have a window of time to complete it. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Yeah, it does. And so then now I'm gonna ask you on bringing somebody in to help me with a big event, right? So again, we still provide the flowers, the containers, and everything. And we say, here you go. I need 50 center pieces, and each one of them has this flower in it. Go. Is that the same thing then? Because a lot of times shops will pay that person as an independent contractor to come in and do the work. Now, to me, that's kind of gray because we're giving them the product and we're giving them an end result, but we're not telling them how to do it.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

It is a gray area, you know, because that points us back to this partnership as well, because it is fairly situational. You're gonna want to evaluate each and every situation the best that you can. And there may be some traditional practices, depending on the industry that you're in, where they have been treated as independent contractors in the past. But when you really take a closer look, perhaps we need to reevaluate that and think through if there are any potential financial consequences to that decision.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

And isn't it have something to do with the amount of time? So if I tell you you have to be here at eight o'clock and you have to work till 10 o'clock at night, then you're an employee because these are certain guidelines. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_02 19:47

Yes, the more that you're dictating as a small business owner, the more we're leaning the pendulum toward the employee.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

Okay. That's super helpful. Oh my gosh, Lori, we get that question so many times.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

We do. That's that's really good. And it kind of goes on with this is another one that's it's a tough one. I have part-time employees. Do I need to offer them benefits? I've been hearing this one a lot. Right now, we're having a hard time in this industry, and I think in a lot of industries, retaining employees. And part of that is there are other places that are big box stores, big, you know, whatever, and they can offer their part-time employees some sort of benefit. And a small business owner, I mean, that's a lot of money. So, is that something that they're gonna need to start doing?

SPEAKER_02 20:38

That type of thing is also a state law question, and I also think it's a business question based on your ability. And we're we're going back to this relationship thing too, right? What we're doing is relationship with our employees, right? So if you're offering your full-time employees benefits and you've got part-time people that are working 10 hours, then you know that's one thing. But if you've got part-time people that are working 30 hours, right, you don't want to for a variety of reasons. First one is you want relationship with your employees to grow. You want them to trust you. And one of the ways we do that is by treating people fairly. So if you've got a full-time person and you offer them this set of benefits, and you've got a part-time person who works 20 hours, and you decide, okay, well, I'm gonna prorate those benefits. I'm gonna prorate that to half of the benefits that my full-time person works. I'm gonna open up a part-time position at 20 hours a week. That's one potential way that you can do it, but again, you're gonna want to look at your state law. And here we are back at that same combo as far as your legal service provider or your legal partner. Yeah. Can help you sort through those.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

What do we want to offer that's fair, attractive, and affordable for the small business owner, too?

SPEAKER_02 21:57

But affordable, yes, affordable because it has to be. Affordable, right? Small business, right? It has to be affordable.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

I think that's the hard part with the small business in a flower shop, especially. And I know it's everywhere else. Okay. So when Lori is gone on vacation for two weeks, I have to make sure there's somebody else to do the work for them. And so that's why it's a financial decision, too, on a part-time. And I'm not picking on Lori because Lori works. I want to be I want to be on vacation for two weeks. Lori doesn't get a two-week ticket. Two weeks doesn't get that employer has to be able to cover that time. And it so then that week they're paying double time, really, for somebody to be there. And so it gets financially almost a burden sometimes for these small businesses. And what happens typically is the owner is doing all the extra work and then they're like exhausted, and then they're like, I don't know why I gave benefits because it's making me crazy. You know, it's like that cycle, but we know we have to treat our employees really well because we can't do it without them and we wouldn't want to because they're our biggest benefit.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Well, and it's a huge retention tool, right? We have people on our staff, Honda. I mean, they needed benefits, right? And so thankfully, we were able to offer that type of thing. I'm lucky I can do it through my husband. It's never been a huge thing for me, but you know what? Someday it sure might be, right? That's right. And you never know. And so it's hard, but I do agree because the people I've talked to about it, every state is a little bit different on their laws as far as benefits and what that looks like, and how how many employees you have, or how many you don't have, and how many hours they have to work to be considered full-time or part-time. So I like your idea at the very beginning about finding an attorney that has a passion for small businesses. You mentioned COVID earlier, you know, we hear that name, it's just a new word in our vocabulary now and will always be. There's a lot of unusual safety issues that we have to be concerned about. One question that I've been hearing from a lot of our meetings we have with our members as a group is can we mandate vaccines for our employees? Do we make them wear masks? Um, can we fire someone who doesn't? So my answer is always have you turned on the news? Even at the federal level, they're arguing about who's allowed to do what? I don't know. The I don't know that anyone has an answer, but what I like is you know the law. So youth put bias aside, and this is what the law says. Um, and I know you can only really talk about the state of Texas, which is being pretty lenient right now. How do you answer that question for a small business owner?

SPEAKER_02 24:48

So, as you said, Lori, I mean, we're in uncharted territory in terms of also the legalities of mandating things that potentially violate constitutional rights. So we're gonna see cases bubbling up from even the orders that are happening now or the lack of. Right now, though, as a small business owner, you have some freedom within your doors and your area to require max, especially if you're dealing with forward-facing with customers. When we're talking about the vaccine, we're talking about something completely different. And as we know, as a society, we have certain exceptions for vaccines in general. We have religious exceptions, we have medical exceptions, and that typically exists at every state level. So we're still going to we're gonna run into those freedoms and you know it's a balance, it's a balance in that way. So my suggestion for today is because tomorrow things could be different, right? Does your business have any government contracts that could be impacted? And I'm not sure if the floral industry even has like that in terms of government contracts on a state level or the federal level. Right now, those are the people that are going to be impacted if they're receiving funds from either the state or the federal government, and depending on which political party is running your state, it's gonna skew either way. So that would be the question number one. If the answer to that is no, then I would say, let's have some seriously open conversations with our staff, because if you're talking about walk-in customers, then you really want to protect your customer at all costs. If you're same at a wedding venue, right, you really need that COVID policy in your contract and some clarity on how every bride is going to handle their wedding up front, right? You really want to know that up front for the protection of your staff when they're present at that event. So I would have as many open conversations with my staff as possible. You could also start by giving them the option to test at regular intervals. You could also provide that as an employer if you're moving in that direction. So we're talking about taking interpretal steps. In the ideal world, our whole staff is on the same page, but we live in a time where maybe that may not be possible. We're gonna just have to talk openly about protecting the client because the client is how we pay our employees that keep our doors open. So we want our clients and customers to feel really comfortable coming into our space. You know, maybe that means that we provide a certain level of air purification, that we provide masks for our staff, we provide that testing as we talked about. And I know this sound this all sounds very general, but as I said, we're in uncharted waters here.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

So the thing, Laura, is that most flower shops, 80 to 90 percent of their business comes in over the internet and goes out on a delivery. So a lot of this that we're talking about is like you're saying, staff and staff. Some people vaccinated, some others, are they wearing masks? Are they not? Are we testing them? So that's kind of internal. Now, then the other dimension of that is those 15 to 20 percent who are walking in our door. Can we require them to wear a mask before they come into our business? As a business owner, can I say on my door, masks required?

SPEAKER_02 28:26

Okay, so that's gonna be a state issue as well, but a small business owner can say these things in Texas.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 28:32

Um, are you gonna turn people away though if they don't have a mask on? And that is the policy decision that you're going to need to make as a business, right? Are you going to enforce that or are you going to highly suggest it?

SPEAKER_00 28:50

And that's a really good question. There was a shop that I talked to in Michigan who their policy for that store was if you're going to become in our store, you have to wear a mask. And it was a store policy, obviously not enforced by the state. And then somebody came in without a mask, and there was a fight. I mean, he said there was a fight because he's like, I'm not wearing a mask. And they're like, you know, we're gonna have to ask you to leave. And it was kind of a bad confrontation, and so the business owner then decided they were just locking the door, they were not reopening the store for several months because the risk for somebody coming in to the rest of the staff was so great that you know, it's like I have to protect my staff, number one, because you know, 90% of my business is coming out the back door, then risk somebody coming in and infecting my productivity. It's like you're saying, you know, state to state, but also, you know, what are you going to say as the small business owner?

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Right. I love that part that you're really highlighting the protection of the staff there and as a human factor, and then also as a liability long term for your business. If one of your staff got really, really sick and it came through your front door, yeah, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

And then it takes and the the thing is again, right now, no flower shop that I'm aware of can afford to lose a staff member right now because they're already short staffed. Right. And if it gets one, it might likely affect another and another. And so, you know, one thing I noticed again, Laura, you and I are both here in the state of Texas, and there are no laws, but one of the stores, and it's a big box store, they have a we require masks, we have the signs, and you walk in, and there's a person standing there, and they have free masks. And I was watching them because I'm that I'm a rule follower. I'm like, oh, they still have masks, but I'm vaccinated. Oh well, I'll do it because I want to follow the rules, no big deal, and I don't have to wear makeup, so I just wear my mask. But I noticed the woman standing there was so good at her job because she knew she can't enforce this. But when people came in, she says hello to everyone. And the people that don't have a mask, after she says hello, she offered, would you like a mask? And I watched for a while because it was 50-50. About 50% were like, Oh, yeah, do you guys need masks? Sure, you know, and then the ones that were like, No, I'm like, Oh, I know you, I know the person you are, but she did such a great job, she didn't let it get to her. I even went over and I was like, You're amazing. Like, you're and she goes, What are you gonna do? All we can do is offer. But I think again, you're not gonna get everyone. And if you don't want to risk a fight, like Vonda was saying, I don't know any of my shop owners that want to deal with that. But maybe if you just offer it sometimes, even if someone doesn't really want to, they don't want the confrontation either. So they're like, Yeah, okay, put it on. Fine, that's all you can do.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

I love that, Lori. I love that word, and that goes back to everything we've been talking about today caring for your staff and your customer and putting that person with the really empathetic personality there to build kindness and to spread your brand because really it's going to share the feeling. And I love that idea.

SPEAKER_01 32:26

No, I was very impressed, and it was a TJ Maxx. I mean, it was a you know, they're all over the world. But the other thing I noticed, they have a lot of high school kids that work there that are doing all the stocking. And I thought, you know, these kids aren't vaccinated. Right. And it showed me they care about their employees, they're looking out for their employees, right? And customers that want to feel safe in the store. So that's always an option. If you don't want to be combative, you can always try and offer them. So I love it. Okay, we are running out of time, but I feel like Vonda, I don't know about you, but I feel like we need to have her on like once a year at least.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

I think so. I think it's great. Next year, the COVID questions might go away. Home might go away, right?

SPEAKER_01 33:13

We got a whole new thing. Who knows? Right. Who knows what it's gonna be? Before you go, you talked about find somebody local in your state who can be fair, who can be a partner. You're starting to do that in our great state of Texas, right? I want you to talk a little bit about it.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Okay, so I was visiting with some of my small business friends, as I talked about a little bit earlier, and they said one of their biggest areas of challenge or pain, because pain is where we have the challenges and struggles, one of their challenges that wasn't being met was that exact thing. They needed legal advice, but they had a lot of preconceived ideas that attorneys were expensive, out of reach of the typical small business owner. I really wanted to flip that narrative. And so this fall, I am launching Texas small groups of business owners who come together on a quarterly basis, and we get on a Zoom call and we talk about pertinent legal issues and we dive a little bit deeper than we're we're diving today. It would be a flat quarterly fee, and it would include the Zoom call as well as two 30-minute consultations, each quarter, review of a business document, some collection letters, that kind of thing, but really a flat fee package, small business owner who is looking to partner with a Texas attorney who loves small business and loves entrepreneurial-minded individuals. That's what we're looking to kick off this fall. We're looking to launch that.

SPEAKER_00 34:47

I love that. What a great opportunity. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 34:50

Yeah, I'm so excited about that. And one thing to, I'm putting myself in a small business owner mind if I was part of your group. One thing that I would appreciate also, especially in this weird timing, is like a random update on hey, here's a new law that might affect a small business. You might look into this. Here's what I would recommend. Because I don't know what when new laws come about. I'm I'm making flowers, right? Or I'm doing my thing. I don't keep track of that. But someone that I knew was watching out for me, right? You know, even if it was just a once-a-month quick newsletter, not telling you how to run your business, but it's an idea, Lori.

SPEAKER_02 35:36

But you know, I do like love to give you ideas. She is the idea woman. You have to know that and I love receiving ideas because that's how we grow, right? That is how we grow, right?

SPEAKER_01 35:46

Because they don't understand laws change a lot, and we have no idea. Us normal people don't even know. So, anyway, just my idea. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 35:58

Just a small business legal update. That's part of the as part of here's here's what's new. You also get an update on what's new or things to think about, or tip of the day, or tip of the month, or something along those lines. I love it, Lori.

SPEAKER_01 36:11

And then you know, I'll help you brainstorm any day, Laura. You know, I love to do that. So okay, my last question, and it is sometimes the most important question. I already know your answer because this is what 80% of our conversations are about. And I have some stuff getting ready to mail to you in a baggie and paper towels. So, what is inspiring you right now, Miss Laura?

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Well, okay, Lori. So, right now I am inspired by green growing tropical plants. Yes. Over the last 18 months, I have become a collector of several different tropical plants: Poyas, philodendrons, monsteras, a few that are a little bit more rare, a few that are not so rare. And I love propagating green plants. I love sending green love out into the world and sharing my baby props. And so that's bringing me a lot of joy and inspiration right now. Because, hey, if there's something we can reunite around, it's growing things, right? It's growing green and beautiful things. So that's what's inspiring me right now, Lori.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

And I want to say you're a weirdo, but you're not. I'm so excited because here's the thing: you did not have a green thumb prior to this. Like you've never just like Vonda's loved flowers and stuff since she's age 14. That wasn't you. No, but you know what?

SPEAKER_02 37:38

I come from a long line of green thumbs. Both of my grandfathers were very into propagation. Oh, wow. One of my grandfathers had kept bees. So when I really started thinking about it, I thought, this is so incredibly ingrained in who I am, even though I've never really grown anything before. But a lot of it was the transition as our oldest children began to leave the nest. And it was just a natural caretaking thing that began in that way. And then as a connection to my to my grandparents, and now it's grown into something.

SPEAKER_01 38:16

It's a business. You have a lot, I mean, you have an Etsy store.

SPEAKER_02 38:20

I have a side gig. It's so fun. And honestly, if I never made a scent on that side, it would it brings me such joy to connect to other plant lovers across the United States. We are setting up a greenhouse, a small greenhouse here at the house. Because my Hoya collection is coming in for the winter, and I'm propagating Hoyas like crazy. It's it's so fun. It's so fun.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

We could talk about Hoyas for an entire hour as well, Lori. And I don't even know what that is. Vonda's shaking her head like she knows. I don't like here.

SPEAKER_00 38:58

Do you? Usually it blooms a couple times at a year.

SPEAKER_02 39:02

There are over 500 species of Hoyas. Who knew? Right. I'm just getting started. I have about 20 different species. I'm literally just getting started.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

Vonda, this is my life. These are my conversations.

SPEAKER_00 39:13

I have I love it, Lori. You have the best friends. I do. I've got just awesome.

SPEAKER_01 39:18

Party pants for it. They're all so smart. Laura, thank you. This was so much fun. I could talk to you for hours, of course. Thank you, Vonda.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

Thank you, Lori, for inviting me.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

Such great information. Thanks for sharing it. I know everybody will get a lot out of this. So thanks, Laura.

SPEAKER_01 39:34

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did, make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the business and pleasure of flowers to your Google morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa. We look forward to seeing you next week.

SPEAKER_00 39:55

So please come back and join us and discover how a bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset can take you to new levels in your life and business.