The Legalpreneur Podcast
Navigating the legal side of your business can be intimidating and expensive. Each week, join Andrea Sager, former big law attorney turned lover of all things small businesses, as she explains the legal necessities for small business owners. Whether you want to start a business, just launched a business, or have been in business for years, you will learn from Andrea and the world's most elite entrepreneurs on how to legally protect your business; and just how simple it can be.
The Legalpreneur Podcast
22 - Growing a Business In Challenging Times with Valentina Gomez Bravo
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Andrea Sager Law
Award-winning brand strategist Valentina Gomez Bravo has found amazing success blending creativity and business during her 17-year career. Yet, it hasn’t always been easy. This week, Valentina joins me to chat about the challenging moments of her career, from leaving a beloved business due to injury, to moving her branding agency, Bunker 58, to an entirely new country during a time of political strife.
In this episode, we’ll cover:
- Why Valentina decided to create a branding firm to service small businesses
- Valentina’s courageous and difficult decision to bring her life and business to the US from Venezuela
- The steps that Bunker 58 takes to educate their digital branding clients about infringement mistakes
- Why your brand is never too small to avoid infringement allegations
- The benefits of building a multi-national team
- Valentina’s nightmare experience when she found out that her speaking presentation had been stolen, graphics and all, by a competitor
- Why working with an attorney was not nearly as scary as she originally thought it would be
For more about Valentina and Bunker 58, Visit www.bunker58.com and find Valentina on Instagram @valentinagomezb
What were your key takeaways from this episode? Take a screenshot, add it to your Instagram Stories, tag @andreasagerlaw and @valentinagomezb and let us know!
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Announcing the Legalpreneur Pro Bono Grant!
In an effort to support small businesses throughout this trying time, my law firm Andrea Sager Law has developed the Legalpreneur Pro Bono Grant. Over the next 5 weeks will be giving away free trademark search and application packages to two small businesses - an $1800 value!
If you own a small business and are interested in this support, then go to andreasager.com/probono to learn more and apply. We would be so grateful to help support you in this time.
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Disclaimer:
The Legalpreneur Podcast is advertising/marketing material. It is not legal advice. Please consult with your attorney on these topics. Copyright Andrea Sager Law 2020
LEP 22 Valentina Gomez.mp3
[00:00:03] Welcome to the Legalpreneur podcast. I'm your host, Andrea Sager, and I'm dedicated to covering common legal issues for small business owners and just how some of the world's most elite entrepreneurs have handled legal issues themselves. And true attorney fashion. The information in this episode is not legal advice. This is for informational purposes only. And you should always consult with your attorney before implementing any of the information. Now onto the show.
[00:00:33] Welcome back to another episode of the Legalpreneur podcast. Today's episode is with the amazing award winning brand, Strategics Valentina Gomez Bravo. She is from Venezuela and she's absolutely epic at what she does. She takes us back to the very beginning of her career and talks about her time in Venezuela and how she actually did some work for one of the hottest boy bands to come out of Venezuela. We really get into some good stuff because she has a branding firm and she's had this for quite a while and she talks about how she does actually counsel her clients through intellectual property issues. She talks about how she built a national team, and that means she has employees on multiple continents. And she talked about how she used to have a business in Venezuela and then she decided to basically pick up everything from Venezuela and move to the U.S.. So I know it's such a hard decision. And luckily, Valentino did decide to join us here in the U.S. So we are all lucky to know her and her firm, Bunker 58. So make sure you listen to everything that she has to say.
[00:01:47] Her experience, everything she's been through is just absolutely amazing. And I'm so honored to have her here on the podcast today. Now, don't forget to text me eight, three, two, two, two, five three one six four to get Legalpreneur text alerts. You will learn about all kinds of exclusives. So so make sure to sign up for text alerts. And we only have a few more weeks left of the pro bono grant. So if you have not won a free trademark application from my firm, make sure to go to www.AndreaSager.com/probono to enter to win one of 10 free trademark applications. That's over an eighteen hundred dollar value. So that is something you are interested in. If you have a business, I hope that's something you are interested in, because if you're a business owner, you should be seeking to protect your brand. So make sure you go check that out. And of course, don't forget to screenshot this episode and share it to Facebook. Tag myself and Valentina on Instagram. Let us know what you like most about the episode. All right. Here we go.
[00:02:49] So welcome to the show, Valentina. Thank you for having me.
[00:02:53] Of course, now I am so excited for this.
[00:02:55] Go ahead. Start by telling the audience a little bit about you, your business. And tell us where you're from. Because I know you're not from the U.S., so I know that the audience will be inspired to hear how you're not from here and you're just absolutely killing it.
[00:03:09] Thanks. So, originally from Venezuela, I've been here in the States for about six years. I started this whole branding world 17 years ago when I was in college and I got my first job and a record label. So, you know, picture being 19 and getting to work with a very famous boy band at the time and also getting paid for it, doing marketing and strategic marketing for the band. So it was like every teenager's dream job. So it was the best time. And after working there and then working with several other big companies like Red Bull and stuff like that, I realized this is what I wanted to do. And they fell in love with business work, with brands like Pepsi and Gatorade and Splenda and got to do really cool commercials. So I was having, you know, the time of my life. And at the time I was also I had an artistic life.
[00:04:08] I used to be a professional dancer as well. So balancing, you know, a creative life and love a business made me realize that I was ready to start my own business. So after a few years working in advertising and doing really well things, I decided to start my own dance studio. And that was my first business.
[00:04:27] I didn't even know that. So it's good to know.
[00:04:29] Oh, yeah. It was the best. I mean, you never. It's like, you know, that double life, you know, office during the day. And then I just left the agency running to rehearsal and shows on the weekends and things like that. So it was interesting and there was a lot of fun. But I realized that I wanted more. And I wanted to have more control over my career and have more control over my future would look like. So staying in the agency world where I had a Very low ceiling to where I was at the time. I'm like, I don't see myself doing the two jobs for the rest of my life. And I wanted to dance more. So that's what prompted starting my first business. And I got together with a bunch of dancer friends and we started, you know, a dance studio that eventually grew up into being five dance studios. We had our own production company. We had our own clothing line. We did, you know, sports apparel, costumes for shows. We did our own photography. So we had, like, a little dance world put together. And I was having the time of my life. I was dancing six hours a day, running a business on the other side of it, getting to be creative and artistic and do all the things I loved. So, you know, you can't complain. And in your mid 20s. So it was perfect
[00:05:55] So the downside of that, though, is I got injured for the zillionth time and I had to retire from physically dance.
[00:06:03] Oh no, that's. Oh my gosh. I can't imagine that.
[00:06:07] It was a horrible year. I was super depressed because I left everything to become a full time dancer. And all of my businesses revolved around dance. And that's the one thing I couldn't do anymore.
[00:06:20] So it was an adjustment. I had, of course, a lot of free time now because of all the hours that I used to dance. So I just ran the business side of it. But it wasn't the same. And talking to friends, they were like, just go back to advertising. You've been doing it for so long and you love it. Why not go back to that? And you already have business building experience. So, you know, think about it. And it really made sense because when I started our dance companies, we didn't have a person or company that we could go to that was ask good at the big agencies. But without the huge ticket, pricing wise. So when because we tried freelancers and they really weren't that good. So we're like, OK, what do we do? And then I found this gap where there are no really good agencies at a price point that small business owners can't afford. So I just had to become that. And I got together with a lot of artists, friends and designers and developers. And that's how my agency was formed seven years ago, trying to fill that void and giving small business owners really good work without the big agency price to it.
[00:07:25] I love that because that's pretty much exactly why I started my firm. And how I really found a niche for myself is because small businesses needed legal protection. But the big firm that I was that they didn't want to serve the small businesses. I wanted to bring in clients all the time to my firm in that either the rates were too high or the firm basically just said, no, we don't want them as clients. And, you know, I had that defining moment of, OK, well, if my firm doesn't want to serve them, then I will go serve them myself. So that's pretty much what happened with me. And it sounds like pretty much the same thing happened with you. So that's really cool. So I'm curious, when did you decide to come to the United States?
[00:08:14] So for those of you who don't know and some might know, Venezuela has been in a really difficult political economic situation for the past 20 years. So everything started getting more and more complicated politically, economically, socially. It was very unsafe. My family had already left the country at that point. They got jobs here in the US. My brother's been here four years, so I was sort of the only one left from my immediate family trying to, you know, hold down the fort. I refused to leave for a very long time, decide to believe that we could turn things around. But doing business got more complicated for us. On the apparel side, getting manufacturing done was a nightmare. Prices change all the time. It wasn't safe anymore. So I really started getting worried about my future. Like, you know, that typical question. Where do you see yourself in five years? And I drew a blank every time. Oh, gosh. Because with the situation the way it was, even though I really wanted to stick it out and be part of the change, I felt like I owed it to my future self. If I wanted to have any kind of a life that I envisioned for myself. I needed to find an alternative. I didn't see myself accomplishing those things over there. Sadly. So it wasn't an easy decision, you know, picking up your life in a couple of suitcases and starting over almost at 30 was a very scary decision to make.
[00:09:50] But I wasn't married. I was single. I didn't have any kids. So I felt like if there was ever a time to gamble, it was now before I had more things to take care of. So I decided to take a chance. Came here for a couple months to, you know, just get a breather and see where things were at and see what I could do, you know, take my mind off what was going on at the time and did my research. Got some legal advice and Sager that I could bring my agency here and start a life here. Slowly but surely. And that's what that's what I did. I decided to open an office for my agency here. My team was still back home. We had an office there. We had clients there. So I was sort of the first one to leave and see how we could make this work. And the first couple of years, we still had the office back home. All of my dance businesses, though, I didn't have to sell on clothes. My partners didn't want somebody overseas. We started having, you know, management differences. So I thought it was best to just, you know, part ways. The only thing that I got to keep was my agency. And that's what I had and I said, you know what? I just have to make it happen. And that's what I did.
[00:11:06] Yeah. Now, that's amazing. That's. That takes a lot of courage. No one I know that could not have been easy at all. And then you decided to just part ways with your existing partners and basically everything you knew in Venezuela and then you came to the U.S. and you've been killing it.
[00:11:27] So go ahead and tell everybody what your agency does now and brag on yourself and tell her about the awards that you recently won.
[00:11:39] So, yeah, it's hard to brag about yourself. Let me tell you that. But I'm getting better at it. So my address is called Bunker 58. We are a branding and design studio dedicated to working with small businesses, entrepreneurs and influencers to find a way to monetize their message and take their purpose, make money with it and actually make a difference in our world. For us, it's very important to work with people that do what they do for something more than just money. And that are looking to make this place we live in a little better for everybody else. We are a team of seven. Most of my team is the same team that I started with seven years ago, which I'm very lucky to be able to say. Yeah, that's incredible. It's and they're the best at what they do. And I've met incredible people here as well that we've been able to add to the team. So we're a very diverse team. We all speak English and Spanish. So our agency is able to offer our services both in English and Spanish. So we do everything from brand strategy. And that could be even coming up with your business name to actually creating your brand identity, working on your logos. What that's gonna look like, what you're messaging is going to be how you're going to position yourself in the marketplace, creating your Web site and taking that message into the online world.
[00:13:01] And also doing social media management and content creation and graphic design. So everything around building the brand to take your business where you want it to go, we are able to cover. We also do everything from conception to growth of your brand and your business is something that we've devoted our work to. Our biggest thing is how creative the team is. And since we all live in different parts of the world now, because we all left the ones that were from Venezuela, we all left. So we all live in different countries that have very different experience, which makes it great for our clients because we get to bring everything that we've learned from different places in the world to our work. So it's very exciting. And recently we got great validation. We won for American Advertising Awards and we're still ecstatic and celebrating our clients and the work we do with them. We won awards for our best West Side, best logo, best brand identity. So it's a very exciting time. The team is super happy, of course, the clients are super happy and it's good to, you know, get validated that you're doing good. So it's been exciting for us.
[00:14:13] Yeah, that's incredible. It's not every day that you get these huge awards. So I definitely wanted to celebrate you for that.
[00:14:20] Thank you so much.
[00:14:21] So let's go back to when you were 19 year old little Valentina when you're working with the boy band. Did you have any outlook on attorneys like when you were working for the agency back then? Did you work with attorneys? Did they have any attorneys that they worked with? What did you think about attorneys, if you had any thoughts about them? You know, way back when.
[00:14:47] So my first experience with that was, of course, with the boy, with the boy band and the record label. Every time we did any agreement with any brand, there was, you know, a contract involved that we had to go through it and make changes and make sure that whatever the brand wanted was in line with whatever the band wanted. So that was my first, you know, touchpoint. And of course, you would meet the lawyers for these huge companies. Same with working at the agencies. Our client always said, oh, we have to run everything through legal like what are we saying? What pictures are we saying? What can we say this? Can we use this imagery? Are we maybe taking into account what the competition is doing as well and that we don't sound like them or we don't look like them? So there was always a conversation around copyrights and trademarks and messaging and what we're allowed to say or not to say legally with these huge companies. So it was it felt so corporate at the time that these lawyers were like untouchable people that I never spoke to on the creative side. So I just got like orders from them type say. I had a list of don'ts and dos that I had to take into account where when creating campaigns for these brands. So it felt like a huge deal and something that was a little bit scary, to be honest, at the time.
[00:16:07] Yeah. And on this show, I actually talked to quite a few people about not using photos that don't belong to you and making sure, obviously, that you're not committing copyright infringement. Trademark infringement. So as a Web site builder, designer doing all the branding stuff, what steps do you and your agency take to make sure that either you're not infringing or the client isn't providing you with stuff that is infringing? Because I'm sure I'm sure that you've probably had the instance where the client has provided you with photos that they didn't actually even have the right to use. Has that happened?
[00:16:47] Oh, yeah, for sure. It's a lot of the challenges that we've come across as business owners and also because of the nature of the work that we do is we work with a lot of content, either for Web site development or for social media management. And the client always provides that for us or most of the time. So we do have, for example, in our contracts, we have it's felt that we are not responsible if the client is not using the right imagery, they are responsible for that. And we do do our due diligence of, you know, double checking what they're giving us and what they're sending now. Because the first time it happened, we just got a cease and desist letter from a huge sports company. We worked with a gym and they sent us all their content in the picture. So it's amazing. And we never at the time thought to double check where the pictures came from. Right. Yeah. And till we got a letter. Well, we did it. Our client did. And then they came and said, what's this about? And I'm like, oh, my God. Where did you get these pictures from? Even though we give them guidelines of where to find photos, we always recommend to just taking your own. You know, it's the best thing to do. Right. But small businesses tend to have a budget.
[00:18:04] Exactly. That sometimes doesn't include professional photography. So then we give them image guidelines that they could purchase images and licenses from. But of course, people go and Google things and sometimes they don't know that there's a little tool where they can say within their search to only bring up results of images that are copyright free or that are able to be used with or without editing and things like that. So there are many ways to avoid the no nose of photos, but sometimes people just don't know exactly. So we have that happen. And we just took it down. Communicated with the company. And it didn't go any further than that. So but that's not the case for everybody. So our client, I'm lucky that they were just okay with us taking it down. Sometimes it goes further. And that's when I always make it very clear to my clients that this is not oh, they're never going to find out because we're a very little company in Texas, for example, you have big brands that have copyrighted content and that have trademark content will be searching to protect their content. So it doesn't matter how little you think you are. The Internet is an open place for everybody. If they want to find you, they will find you.
[00:19:21] Yes, exactly. And we do the same thing for our clients. We are out there looking actively, looking for people, using our clients photos without permission, using designs with any copyrighted works. If they're being used without permission. We're actively searching for those people that are using it without permission. And we will get it removed from the Internet. We will send you a cease and desist letter. And it's important to know how easy it is to find these things. So you think, oh, I'm just, you know, this little business, I'm just going to use this photo. Trust me, it is easy to find photos that are being used without permission and not just that, also content.
[00:20:00] We've also had a presentation. I do a lot of speaking engagements and I do a lot of trainings and workshops. And I had somebody that attended one of my trainings called me to tell me that she saw something that looked exactly like what I've talked about in my talking, somebody else's Web site. Oh, my gosh. You know, they wanted to give me a heads up to say they thought it was way too familiar. Thank you for those people in the world. I wasn't actively looking to see if somebody was going to steal my my speaking. So I was like, OK, cool. Give it a look. And actually, I did. I went in and I was slow. It was literally like they transcribed my presentation.
[00:20:42] Oh, my gosh. So what did you do?
[00:20:45] The images even looked the same like they we used gradients in all of our branding. The gradients were there. It was. Well, it took me a minute. I was shocked. Number one, cause I was like, I'm not super famous. So why is this happening to me? That was my first thought. Not worrying. What is this? And then with somebody that does something similar to what we do. So I figured, you know, I'm extremely empathetic. So I always try to put myself in the other person's shoes. So it's like I get why it would happen. But at the same time, what did you do it? Like, it's still not OK.
[00:21:19] It's so easy. When your audience knows that you are not being authentic, it's so easy for your audience to know that.
[00:21:27] Exactly. And also, this person realized that because they hear me talking about that all the time. The person that told me it's not my first event that she's been to. So she's listened to me several times. So she already knows what I talk about and the way I approach branding. So for her, it was this is way too similar. And I had never heard this before until she saw me. So she was like, this has to be a situation of somebody copying her work. And she was totally right. And so, of course, after the shock, then I started Googling. Right. Like, what do I do? Like, how do I send a letter? So, of course, my first thought was I need to talk to a lawyer. And it was scary because my first encounters with lawyers since I opened my agency were just registering my LLC and like getting my contracts in place. And that was it. Like, I didn't have anybody that I could talk to on a regular basis. It was just very straightforward. I got my bases covered and then I'm good. That's what I thought at the time. But then this happened and I was like, oh, no. I don't harm a person that I can call on and ask questions and protect my staff, so I just started asking somebody, please give me a phone number I need to have, you know, I was losing my keys.
[00:22:42] I got so scared that my talks are a product of the year. I've been doing this for 17 years. So everything I've researched in 17 years and I've come up with my own process as a mouth. So I was like, this is my baby. My baby's being stolen. Oh, my God. So, you know, the first thing after I panicked and I'm like, I'm going to sue them and I'm going to do all this. And I was like, already coming up with my. I felt like the evil queen making a plan. And then I realized, you know, the person I talked to at the time was like, just call them and ask them to take it down. And I was like, Huh? I didn't think about that. I don't know. That's the best way to go. Sounds like I talked to, like, ten people, you know, and that's like, you know what? I'm just going to send a little email and just explain what's going on. And thankfully, the person that was doing it, she knew what she was doing. So as soon as I reached out, she knew what was going to happen after that conversation. So she just said to take it down, she apologized and blah, blah.
[00:23:48] And I was lucky that it didn't go any further than that because I know I could have gotten ugly. So that's when I started thinking, this cannot happen again. I need to be prepared. Have it already happened once?
[00:24:01] The odds of that happening again increase, you know that the more exposure you get, the more people know you. I've been speaking a lot lately, so I'm like, this is bound to repeat itself. So that's when I realized, you know what? I do need somebody that I can call and then to register and have my trademarks and copyrights and have everything in place because that mentality of I'm a small business, I don't need that right now. Hit me in the face. That it wasn't the case when this actually happened.
[00:24:32] Exactly. Yeah. And that's what a lot of people a lot of people at the same train of thought that you do, it's just like, oh, I'm a small business. I'm barely making this money or I'm just small potatoes. Nobody's gonna care about me. That's not the case. People don't want infringement happening. And when it happens to you, they get the same hot head that you do. I get people all the time like they'll find some guy that sold their photo or their design or their speech and they like, oh, my God, send them a letter. I want a million dollars. And I'm like, hold up there. Hold up real quick. And the first thing I ask them is, OK. Have you spoken with them at all? And like, well, no. And then if I do some digging and I find out Suzy Homemaker that just started her business yesterday, I tell them work, you're not gonna get a dime out of this woman. Your best bet is to just reach out yourself. And then if she ignores you or if they continue doing it, then I can send a letter. But initially, you don't want to spend several hundred dollars with me sending a letter when you can just reach out and chances are they'll remove it themselves.
[00:25:42] Right. Which is what happened to me. And I get it. People as entrepreneurs, we just get scared if we don't have proper guidance. And it's your work ethic. Creative specifically is so personal. So it's like a personal attack that you'd like. Oh, good. But you're right. I mean, and that's what the way I thought at the beginning. Like, I'm not ready for something like this. It's better to have it and not need it. Need it and not have it.
[00:26:09] Exactly. Yep. Exactly. So do you work regularly with an attorney now?
[00:26:15] I just for now, just been doing consulting and just getting some work done. And, you know, you're helping me out with some trademarks and things. I'm super excited of all the things that we're going to start protecting, but we're getting more we're getting more projects going out there. And also, my clients ask me all the time, like, what do I need to do to protect this new brand that we created together? And it's also comforting for me to be able to say, I have somebody that you can work with that I trust because it's also a trust thing.
[00:26:47] Exactly. Yes. Yep.
[00:26:49] With who you're going to work with before. I would just send my clients, you know, on their own. And I guess I would highly recommend that you copyright and trademark everything that we created for you. I'm not a lawyer, so I don't provide that service. But yes, it's something that you should do. But not everybody takes it seriously. Yeah, especially when, like when you're starting. My case was, like you said, the brand new business owner. She didn't know any better. It happened. So it's you know, it's best to avoid saying with images for Web site for social media. We might say nobody pays attention. But, you know, not only think that somebody will notice, but also think of if this was you creating the content that you are using and appropriating.
[00:27:33] How would you feel? Exactly. If it was your stuff that was being used in a way that it shouldn't be used.
[00:27:40] So I know it sounds scary and I would tell everybody I know lawyers sounds scary, but when you're owning a business, it's part of the job to have everything in place, to have proper contracts to even if you have a client that doesn't want to pay. You still need a lawyer to help you get your money back. It's not just for setting up your company or fighting a huge copyright infringe. It's about your day to day. You never know when something's going to happen and you need to be protected. Whether it's collecting bad debt, whether it is an issue with a client that wants to terminate their contract, whether it is you wanting to terminate the contract with a client that's not working. All of those things, it's best to have somebody to help you then to try to figure them out on your own. Mistakes for a small business can destroy you.
[00:28:34] Finance. Oh, yeah, absolutely. It's unfortunate. But and I think especially with online businesses today, it's you know, they see the shiny object.
[00:28:45] Oh, it's so easy to make money online. I can just jump into it and do this. And then they don't think about all of the supplemental side of business that keeps you in business, that keeps your money for you. And that includes legal stuff, you know, accounting stuff. So it's important to make sure that you are covering all of your bases when you're in business. Yes, it's easy to make money online. But guess what? It's also easy to lose it all, because if you're not protecting yourself, it's equally just as easy to lose everything.
[00:29:17] Yeah. And also protecting your clients. All of our work is protected. It also goes to our clients peace of mind that they are working with somebody that will be there for them if anything happens. It's like an overall umbrella that covers all your stuff and it helps you stay safe. It is. And it's not as scary as it feels sometimes, right?
[00:29:42] Yeah. No, I love it. I love it. OK. So thank you so much for all of this. Let's wrap it up with a pretty bow. And can you give the listeners one business tip? I know you say you've been in business for 17 years. You've had this business for seven years. What is one business tip that you can give the listeners? Doesn't have to be anything related to legal. Just one business suit that you have been able to rely on while you've been in business.
[00:30:10] I would say trust your gut. Always. That's a good one. It's amazing how sometimes there's so much noise out there and we get bombarded with courses we should take and people we should listen to. And there's advice everywhere on how to make your business better and how to make more money in how to get all the clients and how to do all the things. And even though we want all the market, all the clients, everything. We are not for everybody. Everybody is not a client for us. Not every business opportunity that comes your way for partners is the right one. Not every publicity opportunity is the best. So trust your God and stick to what you really want to do, what your company values are, what you really stand for. And if you get that pit feeling in your stomach, follow it. It's rarely wrong.
[00:31:05] Yes, I couldn't agree more. I love that. I love. Nobody's ever said that. But I think that is 100 percent true. So thank you so much. Please tell the listeners where we can find out more about you, your agency. Where can we find you on Instagram?
[00:31:21] Of course, our Web site is www.bunker58.com. And we're on all social media channels. We are @Bunker58. And me personally, you can find me as Valentina Gomez or Valentina Gomez be everywhere on social as well. So if you have any questions you want to talk business. I'm always open to sharing in helping others because I know what it feels like.
[00:31:50] I love that. Thank you so much. This was amazing. Listeners, make sure you screen shot this episode. Share it to your Instagram stories and tag both of us. Please let us know what you liked most about this episode. We would truly appreciate the feedback. Thank you, guys. See you next time.
[00:32:10] If you found this information helpful, I would be so grateful if you could share it with a fellow business owner. And it doesn't cost anything to rate, review or subscribe to the show. Your support helps me reach more listeners, which allows me to support more business owners and their entrepreneurial journey. I'll see you next episode.
[00:00:03] Welcome to the Legalpreneur podcast. I'm your host, Andrea Sager, and I'm dedicated to covering common legal issues for small business owners and just how some of the world's most elite entrepreneurs have handled legal issues themselves. And true attorney fashion. The information in this episode is not legal advice. This is for informational purposes only. And you should always consult with your attorney before implementing any of the information. Now onto the show.
[00:00:33] Welcome back to another episode of the Legalpreneur podcast. Today's episode is with the amazing award winning brand, Strategics Valentina Gomez Bravo. She is from Venezuela and she's absolutely epic at what she does. She takes us back to the very beginning of her career and talks about her time in Venezuela and how she actually did some work for one of the hottest boy bands to come out of Venezuela. We really get into some good stuff because she has a branding firm and she's had this for quite a while and she talks about how she does actually counsel her clients through intellectual property issues. She talks about how she built a national team, and that means she has employees on multiple continents. And she talked about how she used to have a business in Venezuela and then she decided to basically pick up everything from Venezuela and move to the U.S.. So I know it's such a hard decision. And luckily, Valentino did decide to join us here in the U.S. So we are all lucky to know her and her firm, Bunker 58. So make sure you listen to everything that she has to say.
[00:01:47] Her experience, everything she's been through is just absolutely amazing. And I'm so honored to have her here on the podcast today. Now, don't forget to text me eight, three, two, two, two, five three one six four to get Legalpreneur text alerts. You will learn about all kinds of exclusives. So so make sure to sign up for text alerts. And we only have a few more weeks left of the pro bono grant. So if you have not won a free trademark application from my firm, make sure to go to www.AndreaSager.com/probono to enter to win one of 10 free trademark applications. That's over an eighteen hundred dollar value. So that is something you are interested in. If you have a business, I hope that's something you are interested in, because if you're a business owner, you should be seeking to protect your brand. So make sure you go check that out. And of course, don't forget to screenshot this episode and share it to Facebook. Tag myself and Valentina on Instagram. Let us know what you like most about the episode. All right. Here we go.
[00:02:49] So welcome to the show, Valentina. Thank you for having me.
[00:02:53] Of course, now I am so excited for this.
[00:02:55] Go ahead. Start by telling the audience a little bit about you, your business. And tell us where you're from. Because I know you're not from the U.S., so I know that the audience will be inspired to hear how you're not from here and you're just absolutely killing it.
[00:03:09] Thanks. So, originally from Venezuela, I've been here in the States for about six years. I started this whole branding world 17 years ago when I was in college and I got my first job and a record label. So, you know, picture being 19 and getting to work with a very famous boy band at the time and also getting paid for it, doing marketing and strategic marketing for the band. So it was like every teenager's dream job. So it was the best time. And after working there and then working with several other big companies like Red Bull and stuff like that, I realized this is what I wanted to do. And they fell in love with business work, with brands like Pepsi and Gatorade and Splenda and got to do really cool commercials. So I was having, you know, the time of my life. And at the time I was also I had an artistic life.
[00:04:08] I used to be a professional dancer as well. So balancing, you know, a creative life and love a business made me realize that I was ready to start my own business. So after a few years working in advertising and doing really well things, I decided to start my own dance studio. And that was my first business.
[00:04:27] I didn't even know that. So it's good to know.
[00:04:29] Oh, yeah. It was the best. I mean, you never. It's like, you know, that double life, you know, office during the day. And then I just left the agency running to rehearsal and shows on the weekends and things like that. So it was interesting and there was a lot of fun. But I realized that I wanted more. And I wanted to have more control over my career and have more control over my future would look like. So staying in the agency world where I had a Very low ceiling to where I was at the time. I'm like, I don't see myself doing the two jobs for the rest of my life. And I wanted to dance more. So that's what prompted starting my first business. And I got together with a bunch of dancer friends and we started, you know, a dance studio that eventually grew up into being five dance studios. We had our own production company. We had our own clothing line. We did, you know, sports apparel, costumes for shows. We did our own photography. So we had, like, a little dance world put together. And I was having the time of my life. I was dancing six hours a day, running a business on the other side of it, getting to be creative and artistic and do all the things I loved. So, you know, you can't complain. And in your mid 20s. So it was perfect
[00:05:55] So the downside of that, though, is I got injured for the zillionth time and I had to retire from physically dance.
[00:06:03] Oh no, that's. Oh my gosh. I can't imagine that.
[00:06:07] It was a horrible year. I was super depressed because I left everything to become a full time dancer. And all of my businesses revolved around dance. And that's the one thing I couldn't do anymore.
[00:06:20] So it was an adjustment. I had, of course, a lot of free time now because of all the hours that I used to dance. So I just ran the business side of it. But it wasn't the same. And talking to friends, they were like, just go back to advertising. You've been doing it for so long and you love it. Why not go back to that? And you already have business building experience. So, you know, think about it. And it really made sense because when I started our dance companies, we didn't have a person or company that we could go to that was ask good at the big agencies. But without the huge ticket, pricing wise. So when because we tried freelancers and they really weren't that good. So we're like, OK, what do we do? And then I found this gap where there are no really good agencies at a price point that small business owners can't afford. So I just had to become that. And I got together with a lot of artists, friends and designers and developers. And that's how my agency was formed seven years ago, trying to fill that void and giving small business owners really good work without the big agency price to it.
[00:07:25] I love that because that's pretty much exactly why I started my firm. And how I really found a niche for myself is because small businesses needed legal protection. But the big firm that I was that they didn't want to serve the small businesses. I wanted to bring in clients all the time to my firm in that either the rates were too high or the firm basically just said, no, we don't want them as clients. And, you know, I had that defining moment of, OK, well, if my firm doesn't want to serve them, then I will go serve them myself. So that's pretty much what happened with me. And it sounds like pretty much the same thing happened with you. So that's really cool. So I'm curious, when did you decide to come to the United States?
[00:08:14] So for those of you who don't know and some might know, Venezuela has been in a really difficult political economic situation for the past 20 years. So everything started getting more and more complicated politically, economically, socially. It was very unsafe. My family had already left the country at that point. They got jobs here in the US. My brother's been here four years, so I was sort of the only one left from my immediate family trying to, you know, hold down the fort. I refused to leave for a very long time, decide to believe that we could turn things around. But doing business got more complicated for us. On the apparel side, getting manufacturing done was a nightmare. Prices change all the time. It wasn't safe anymore. So I really started getting worried about my future. Like, you know, that typical question. Where do you see yourself in five years? And I drew a blank every time. Oh, gosh. Because with the situation the way it was, even though I really wanted to stick it out and be part of the change, I felt like I owed it to my future self. If I wanted to have any kind of a life that I envisioned for myself. I needed to find an alternative. I didn't see myself accomplishing those things over there. Sadly. So it wasn't an easy decision, you know, picking up your life in a couple of suitcases and starting over almost at 30 was a very scary decision to make.
[00:09:50] But I wasn't married. I was single. I didn't have any kids. So I felt like if there was ever a time to gamble, it was now before I had more things to take care of. So I decided to take a chance. Came here for a couple months to, you know, just get a breather and see where things were at and see what I could do, you know, take my mind off what was going on at the time and did my research. Got some legal advice and Sager that I could bring my agency here and start a life here. Slowly but surely. And that's what that's what I did. I decided to open an office for my agency here. My team was still back home. We had an office there. We had clients there. So I was sort of the first one to leave and see how we could make this work. And the first couple of years, we still had the office back home. All of my dance businesses, though, I didn't have to sell on clothes. My partners didn't want somebody overseas. We started having, you know, management differences. So I thought it was best to just, you know, part ways. The only thing that I got to keep was my agency. And that's what I had and I said, you know what? I just have to make it happen. And that's what I did.
[00:11:06] Yeah. Now, that's amazing. That's. That takes a lot of courage. No one I know that could not have been easy at all. And then you decided to just part ways with your existing partners and basically everything you knew in Venezuela and then you came to the U.S. and you've been killing it.
[00:11:27] So go ahead and tell everybody what your agency does now and brag on yourself and tell her about the awards that you recently won.
[00:11:39] So, yeah, it's hard to brag about yourself. Let me tell you that. But I'm getting better at it. So my address is called Bunker 58. We are a branding and design studio dedicated to working with small businesses, entrepreneurs and influencers to find a way to monetize their message and take their purpose, make money with it and actually make a difference in our world. For us, it's very important to work with people that do what they do for something more than just money. And that are looking to make this place we live in a little better for everybody else. We are a team of seven. Most of my team is the same team that I started with seven years ago, which I'm very lucky to be able to say. Yeah, that's incredible. It's and they're the best at what they do. And I've met incredible people here as well that we've been able to add to the team. So we're a very diverse team. We all speak English and Spanish. So our agency is able to offer our services both in English and Spanish. So we do everything from brand strategy. And that could be even coming up with your business name to actually creating your brand identity, working on your logos. What that's gonna look like, what you're messaging is going to be how you're going to position yourself in the marketplace, creating your Web site and taking that message into the online world.
[00:13:01] And also doing social media management and content creation and graphic design. So everything around building the brand to take your business where you want it to go, we are able to cover. We also do everything from conception to growth of your brand and your business is something that we've devoted our work to. Our biggest thing is how creative the team is. And since we all live in different parts of the world now, because we all left the ones that were from Venezuela, we all left. So we all live in different countries that have very different experience, which makes it great for our clients because we get to bring everything that we've learned from different places in the world to our work. So it's very exciting. And recently we got great validation. We won for American Advertising Awards and we're still ecstatic and celebrating our clients and the work we do with them. We won awards for our best West Side, best logo, best brand identity. So it's a very exciting time. The team is super happy, of course, the clients are super happy and it's good to, you know, get validated that you're doing good. So it's been exciting for us.
[00:14:13] Yeah, that's incredible. It's not every day that you get these huge awards. So I definitely wanted to celebrate you for that.
[00:14:20] Thank you so much.
[00:14:21] So let's go back to when you were 19 year old little Valentina when you're working with the boy band. Did you have any outlook on attorneys like when you were working for the agency back then? Did you work with attorneys? Did they have any attorneys that they worked with? What did you think about attorneys, if you had any thoughts about them? You know, way back when.
[00:14:47] So my first experience with that was, of course, with the boy, with the boy band and the record label. Every time we did any agreement with any brand, there was, you know, a contract involved that we had to go through it and make changes and make sure that whatever the brand wanted was in line with whatever the band wanted. So that was my first, you know, touchpoint. And of course, you would meet the lawyers for these huge companies. Same with working at the agencies. Our client always said, oh, we have to run everything through legal like what are we saying? What pictures are we saying? What can we say this? Can we use this imagery? Are we maybe taking into account what the competition is doing as well and that we don't sound like them or we don't look like them? So there was always a conversation around copyrights and trademarks and messaging and what we're allowed to say or not to say legally with these huge companies. So it was it felt so corporate at the time that these lawyers were like untouchable people that I never spoke to on the creative side. So I just got like orders from them type say. I had a list of don'ts and dos that I had to take into account where when creating campaigns for these brands. So it felt like a huge deal and something that was a little bit scary, to be honest, at the time.
[00:16:07] Yeah. And on this show, I actually talked to quite a few people about not using photos that don't belong to you and making sure, obviously, that you're not committing copyright infringement. Trademark infringement. So as a Web site builder, designer doing all the branding stuff, what steps do you and your agency take to make sure that either you're not infringing or the client isn't providing you with stuff that is infringing? Because I'm sure I'm sure that you've probably had the instance where the client has provided you with photos that they didn't actually even have the right to use. Has that happened?
[00:16:47] Oh, yeah, for sure. It's a lot of the challenges that we've come across as business owners and also because of the nature of the work that we do is we work with a lot of content, either for Web site development or for social media management. And the client always provides that for us or most of the time. So we do have, for example, in our contracts, we have it's felt that we are not responsible if the client is not using the right imagery, they are responsible for that. And we do do our due diligence of, you know, double checking what they're giving us and what they're sending now. Because the first time it happened, we just got a cease and desist letter from a huge sports company. We worked with a gym and they sent us all their content in the picture. So it's amazing. And we never at the time thought to double check where the pictures came from. Right. Yeah. And till we got a letter. Well, we did it. Our client did. And then they came and said, what's this about? And I'm like, oh, my God. Where did you get these pictures from? Even though we give them guidelines of where to find photos, we always recommend to just taking your own. You know, it's the best thing to do. Right. But small businesses tend to have a budget.
[00:18:04] Exactly. That sometimes doesn't include professional photography. So then we give them image guidelines that they could purchase images and licenses from. But of course, people go and Google things and sometimes they don't know that there's a little tool where they can say within their search to only bring up results of images that are copyright free or that are able to be used with or without editing and things like that. So there are many ways to avoid the no nose of photos, but sometimes people just don't know exactly. So we have that happen. And we just took it down. Communicated with the company. And it didn't go any further than that. So but that's not the case for everybody. So our client, I'm lucky that they were just okay with us taking it down. Sometimes it goes further. And that's when I always make it very clear to my clients that this is not oh, they're never going to find out because we're a very little company in Texas, for example, you have big brands that have copyrighted content and that have trademark content will be searching to protect their content. So it doesn't matter how little you think you are. The Internet is an open place for everybody. If they want to find you, they will find you.
[00:19:21] Yes, exactly. And we do the same thing for our clients. We are out there looking actively, looking for people, using our clients photos without permission, using designs with any copyrighted works. If they're being used without permission. We're actively searching for those people that are using it without permission. And we will get it removed from the Internet. We will send you a cease and desist letter. And it's important to know how easy it is to find these things. So you think, oh, I'm just, you know, this little business, I'm just going to use this photo. Trust me, it is easy to find photos that are being used without permission and not just that, also content.
[00:20:00] We've also had a presentation. I do a lot of speaking engagements and I do a lot of trainings and workshops. And I had somebody that attended one of my trainings called me to tell me that she saw something that looked exactly like what I've talked about in my talking, somebody else's Web site. Oh, my gosh. You know, they wanted to give me a heads up to say they thought it was way too familiar. Thank you for those people in the world. I wasn't actively looking to see if somebody was going to steal my my speaking. So I was like, OK, cool. Give it a look. And actually, I did. I went in and I was slow. It was literally like they transcribed my presentation.
[00:20:42] Oh, my gosh. So what did you do?
[00:20:45] The images even looked the same like they we used gradients in all of our branding. The gradients were there. It was. Well, it took me a minute. I was shocked. Number one, cause I was like, I'm not super famous. So why is this happening to me? That was my first thought. Not worrying. What is this? And then with somebody that does something similar to what we do. So I figured, you know, I'm extremely empathetic. So I always try to put myself in the other person's shoes. So it's like I get why it would happen. But at the same time, what did you do it? Like, it's still not OK.
[00:21:19] It's so easy. When your audience knows that you are not being authentic, it's so easy for your audience to know that.
[00:21:27] Exactly. And also, this person realized that because they hear me talking about that all the time. The person that told me it's not my first event that she's been to. So she's listened to me several times. So she already knows what I talk about and the way I approach branding. So for her, it was this is way too similar. And I had never heard this before until she saw me. So she was like, this has to be a situation of somebody copying her work. And she was totally right. And so, of course, after the shock, then I started Googling. Right. Like, what do I do? Like, how do I send a letter? So, of course, my first thought was I need to talk to a lawyer. And it was scary because my first encounters with lawyers since I opened my agency were just registering my LLC and like getting my contracts in place. And that was it. Like, I didn't have anybody that I could talk to on a regular basis. It was just very straightforward. I got my bases covered and then I'm good. That's what I thought at the time. But then this happened and I was like, oh, no. I don't harm a person that I can call on and ask questions and protect my staff, so I just started asking somebody, please give me a phone number I need to have, you know, I was losing my keys.
[00:22:42] I got so scared that my talks are a product of the year. I've been doing this for 17 years. So everything I've researched in 17 years and I've come up with my own process as a mouth. So I was like, this is my baby. My baby's being stolen. Oh, my God. So, you know, the first thing after I panicked and I'm like, I'm going to sue them and I'm going to do all this. And I was like, already coming up with my. I felt like the evil queen making a plan. And then I realized, you know, the person I talked to at the time was like, just call them and ask them to take it down. And I was like, Huh? I didn't think about that. I don't know. That's the best way to go. Sounds like I talked to, like, ten people, you know, and that's like, you know what? I'm just going to send a little email and just explain what's going on. And thankfully, the person that was doing it, she knew what she was doing. So as soon as I reached out, she knew what was going to happen after that conversation. So she just said to take it down, she apologized and blah, blah.
[00:23:48] And I was lucky that it didn't go any further than that because I know I could have gotten ugly. So that's when I started thinking, this cannot happen again. I need to be prepared. Have it already happened once?
[00:24:01] The odds of that happening again increase, you know that the more exposure you get, the more people know you. I've been speaking a lot lately, so I'm like, this is bound to repeat itself. So that's when I realized, you know what? I do need somebody that I can call and then to register and have my trademarks and copyrights and have everything in place because that mentality of I'm a small business, I don't need that right now. Hit me in the face. That it wasn't the case when this actually happened.
[00:24:32] Exactly. Yeah. And that's what a lot of people a lot of people at the same train of thought that you do, it's just like, oh, I'm a small business. I'm barely making this money or I'm just small potatoes. Nobody's gonna care about me. That's not the case. People don't want infringement happening. And when it happens to you, they get the same hot head that you do. I get people all the time like they'll find some guy that sold their photo or their design or their speech and they like, oh, my God, send them a letter. I want a million dollars. And I'm like, hold up there. Hold up real quick. And the first thing I ask them is, OK. Have you spoken with them at all? And like, well, no. And then if I do some digging and I find out Suzy Homemaker that just started her business yesterday, I tell them work, you're not gonna get a dime out of this woman. Your best bet is to just reach out yourself. And then if she ignores you or if they continue doing it, then I can send a letter. But initially, you don't want to spend several hundred dollars with me sending a letter when you can just reach out and chances are they'll remove it themselves.
[00:25:42] Right. Which is what happened to me. And I get it. People as entrepreneurs, we just get scared if we don't have proper guidance. And it's your work ethic. Creative specifically is so personal. So it's like a personal attack that you'd like. Oh, good. But you're right. I mean, and that's what the way I thought at the beginning. Like, I'm not ready for something like this. It's better to have it and not need it. Need it and not have it.
[00:26:09] Exactly. Yep. Exactly. So do you work regularly with an attorney now?
[00:26:15] I just for now, just been doing consulting and just getting some work done. And, you know, you're helping me out with some trademarks and things. I'm super excited of all the things that we're going to start protecting, but we're getting more we're getting more projects going out there. And also, my clients ask me all the time, like, what do I need to do to protect this new brand that we created together? And it's also comforting for me to be able to say, I have somebody that you can work with that I trust because it's also a trust thing.
[00:26:47] Exactly. Yes. Yep.
[00:26:49] With who you're going to work with before. I would just send my clients, you know, on their own. And I guess I would highly recommend that you copyright and trademark everything that we created for you. I'm not a lawyer, so I don't provide that service. But yes, it's something that you should do. But not everybody takes it seriously. Yeah, especially when, like when you're starting. My case was, like you said, the brand new business owner. She didn't know any better. It happened. So it's you know, it's best to avoid saying with images for Web site for social media. We might say nobody pays attention. But, you know, not only think that somebody will notice, but also think of if this was you creating the content that you are using and appropriating.
[00:27:33] How would you feel? Exactly. If it was your stuff that was being used in a way that it shouldn't be used.
[00:27:40] So I know it sounds scary and I would tell everybody I know lawyers sounds scary, but when you're owning a business, it's part of the job to have everything in place, to have proper contracts to even if you have a client that doesn't want to pay. You still need a lawyer to help you get your money back. It's not just for setting up your company or fighting a huge copyright infringe. It's about your day to day. You never know when something's going to happen and you need to be protected. Whether it's collecting bad debt, whether it is an issue with a client that wants to terminate their contract, whether it is you wanting to terminate the contract with a client that's not working. All of those things, it's best to have somebody to help you then to try to figure them out on your own. Mistakes for a small business can destroy you.
[00:28:34] Finance. Oh, yeah, absolutely. It's unfortunate. But and I think especially with online businesses today, it's you know, they see the shiny object.
[00:28:45] Oh, it's so easy to make money online. I can just jump into it and do this. And then they don't think about all of the supplemental side of business that keeps you in business, that keeps your money for you. And that includes legal stuff, you know, accounting stuff. So it's important to make sure that you are covering all of your bases when you're in business. Yes, it's easy to make money online. But guess what? It's also easy to lose it all, because if you're not protecting yourself, it's equally just as easy to lose everything.
[00:29:17] Yeah. And also protecting your clients. All of our work is protected. It also goes to our clients peace of mind that they are working with somebody that will be there for them if anything happens. It's like an overall umbrella that covers all your stuff and it helps you stay safe. It is. And it's not as scary as it feels sometimes, right?
[00:29:42] Yeah. No, I love it. I love it. OK. So thank you so much for all of this. Let's wrap it up with a pretty bow. And can you give the listeners one business tip? I know you say you've been in business for 17 years. You've had this business for seven years. What is one business tip that you can give the listeners? Doesn't have to be anything related to legal. Just one business suit that you have been able to rely on while you've been in business.
[00:30:10] I would say trust your gut. Always. That's a good one. It's amazing how sometimes there's so much noise out there and we get bombarded with courses we should take and people we should listen to. And there's advice everywhere on how to make your business better and how to make more money in how to get all the clients and how to do all the things. And even though we want all the market, all the clients, everything. We are not for everybody. Everybody is not a client for us. Not every business opportunity that comes your way for partners is the right one. Not every publicity opportunity is the best. So trust your God and stick to what you really want to do, what your company values are, what you really stand for. And if you get that pit feeling in your stomach, follow it. It's rarely wrong.
[00:31:05] Yes, I couldn't agree more. I love that. I love. Nobody's ever said that. But I think that is 100 percent true. So thank you so much. Please tell the listeners where we can find out more about you, your agency. Where can we find you on Instagram?
[00:31:21] Of course, our Web site is www.bunker58.com. And we're on all social media channels. We are @Bunker58. And me personally, you can find me as Valentina Gomez or Valentina Gomez be everywhere on social as well. So if you have any questions you want to talk business. I'm always open to sharing in helping others because I know what it feels like.
[00:31:50] I love that. Thank you so much. This was amazing. Listeners, make sure you screen shot this episode. Share it to your Instagram stories and tag both of us. Please let us know what you liked most about this episode. We would truly appreciate the feedback. Thank you, guys. See you next time.
[00:32:10] If you found this information helpful, I would be so grateful if you could share it with a fellow business owner. And it doesn't cost anything to rate, review or subscribe to the show. Your support helps me reach more listeners, which allows me to support more business owners and their entrepreneurial journey. I'll see you next episode.