Hey Reader,

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Maybe it's the dismal reality of global politics that's got my brain thinking about the dangers and violence of empire and imperialism or maybe it's that I've been thinking about what it looks like to transform our economy from one that is heavily reliant on the profits of giant corporations to something that looks more like a web of interconnected small businesses for a very long time (like literally a decade).

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But for whatever reason, I can't stop thinking about the ways the empire mindset impacts how we operate our small businesses.

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When I say empire mindset, I mean the general idea in capitalism and imperialism that says success = dominating the entire market.

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I'm talking about the idea that the only way to build a business (and be considered successful) is to scale it to epic proportions such that you essentially have market control.

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And I know that there is and has and continues to be a conversation in the small business, freelancer, and solopreneur communities that actively pushes back against this belief. I know that this conversation pushes us as small business owners to ask these questions:

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• What does success look like and feel like to you?
• Are you familiar with the concept of enough? And if so, what does enough look like and feel like in your business?

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I know that those conversations permit us to abandon the idea that the only way to build a business is to scale it, hire a bunch of employees, and become a national or even global brand.

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I know that those conversations ask us to consider if it might be enough to be a local brand -- if it might be enough to have 10 clients or 100 clients instead of 1 million followers.

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And even though we know all this -- we know we have permission to define success on our terms and decide what enough is for us -- I still see the remnants of that empire mindset seep into our business strategies.

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Here is the fundamental misalignment I often see as a result of the empire mindset:

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The amount of protection you think your business needs is not proportionate to the operating size or core activities of your business.

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There is a hyper-fear of your business needing protection from something bad happening. People rarely come to me to ask me what the appropriate amount of protection is for their small business. Instead, people come to me demanding to know how to implement the highest level of legal protection for their business.

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You want to know what kinds of insurance you need, not whether you need insurance at all.

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You want to know how to register a national (or sometimes international) trademark, not whether you need trademark protection in the first place.

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You ask me (with a lot of paranoia) about what will happen in the future if you don't fully avail yourself of the protection of the law now. You are very worried that if you don't seek maximum protection under the law now, then you won't be able to do it later. You'll be too late. You'll be a billion-dollar business with no legal protection vulnerable to attacks from every direction.

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And what I want to say to you now, gently and compassionately, is that all of these things are symptoms of an empire mindset. All of these things can cause us to lose track of the reality of what's actually happening on the ground.

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We get so lost in planning for our future empires that we tend to overlook the needs of our currently small businesses.

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We spend money on what are categorically empire expenses that could otherwise be spent on targeted marketing that could make a huge difference in our small businesses.

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We spend a lot of time, energy, and money on building a billion-dollar business when what we're striving for is a $100,000 after-tax business.

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We end up doing a lot of things on the assumption that our business is on the empire track when in reality it is on the small business track.

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Because the empire mindset says that building an empire is the only way to be an entrepreneur and business owner.

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And when you're building an empire, you have to be extremely vigilant about protecting what's yours, even if it's just an idea because if you aren't someone will steal it from you.

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And not only will they steal it from you, but they will steal it from you, take over the entire market, become a billionaire using your idea, and you will look like an idiot. A poor, non-billionaire idiot.

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I know it sounds crazy when I type it all out, but this is what is happening in our brains. These are the fears playing out consciously or subconsciously and those fears are driving our business strategy and how we approach the legal issues in our business.

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So in 2024, I invite you to release the empire mindset. And I don't mean release it overnight; nor do I mean release it entirely. I mean release as much of it as you can when you can. I mean make releasing the empire mindset a consistent practice in 2024.

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Because the more you release the empire mindset and the idea of "one way" (to do things, to be successful, etc.), the more you open yourself up to new possibilities and choices.

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And those new possibilities and choices might be just the things your business needs to be enough. To be your version of successful.

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Let me be clear: I'm no stranger to the empire mindset. I've been a victim to it and I've studied it for a long time. And if you're picking up what I'm putting down, then you know that The Everyday Lawyer is at its core about helping people release the empire mindset by providing you with the knowledge you need to make different choices.

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If you're wondering what those different choices are in 2024, then I invite you to explore my offerings listed below.

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A gentle reminder that my Contract Foundations course is on sale for $77 (usually $99) until the end of January.

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I'm wishing you a very Happy New Year with prayers for satisfaction, enoughness, and contentment.

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Wishing you good health and prosperity,

Brionna

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