TRANSCRIPTION

Both Ingrid and I are master levels social workers and have experience working in early childhood settings. Very much so proud of South Central, Los South Central Los Angeles natives me working in Northern California. Ingrid is in Southern California. When we would connect, we found that working in these early childhood settings, there was very minimal to not existing at all representation of black and brown characters and children. So we were wondering, what are the messages that are black and brown babies getting in their early years of education where they’re not represented in the books in their classrooms? So we literally decided like, Hey, we’re gonna launch Black girl, Brown Girl, publish the books. So our babies have representation in their literature as young as zero to eight years old.

One of the things that were really important to us was to own our company and our brand. You know, we could have very easily as individuals that wanted to publish a book, tried to shop it around for other publishing companies to put our book out. But, you know, we really wanted to make sure that the company was ours, that we held, you know, all of the creative and business rights to our, what we were creating. And, you know, hopefully, one day serve as a launching pad to other authors that want to bring, you know, black and brown characters into literature. And currently, the focus is for young children, zero to five, but hopefully that’ll extend one day to, you know, K through 12 or further. So

Why did you inquire to partner with the Creator’s Law Firm for protecting your smarts?

I think for us it was very important. The design of Black Girl or the launch of Black Girl Brown Girl Books was very intentional. So for Ingrid and I, it was important that anyone we partnered with be a person of color, black or brown, and or understand our mission. We wanted people to understand our purpose. So when we were, it was brought to our attention. Then, the creator’s law firm, um, was run by a black woman, woman law firm led similar to Ingrid and I being women business owners, it was very important to schedule that call to get a shared understanding of what we’re doing and where we want to go and how this partnership can make that come true.

And I have to say that the Creators law firm came highly recommended and for good reasons.

What nearly stopped you from moving forward with working with the Creator’s Law Firm?

I, I think what I’ll say is, uh, I just mentioned that you know, the creator’s law firm came very highly recommended. And from the very beginning, uh, when we started, you know, with an initial phone call, I think we had really good vibes about what this apprenticeship would be like. And so from that perspective, we didn’t have any doubts. But of course, you know, going through this process is definitely an investment as a business, especially when you’re first starting off. Um, but I, I want to say that I really think it was worth that investment, you know, Crystal. And I feel really proud that, um, we were able to go through this process and, and just very lucky with a firm that knew exactly what they were doing, you know, gave us very clear guidance, um, and has kind of, you know, guided us through the entire process with a lot of knowledge and expertise. So I would say that if anything, I know that that could be a hesitation for starting businesses, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it. And in the long run, we know that these protections will always be a great benefit to our company.

What have you achieved that would have slipped through the cracks without our partnership?

You know, ownership, we own our brand, our name, we have the characters in our book Copywritten the Story Copywritten, definitely without throwing any celebrity under the bus. Uh, Ingrid saw on Instagram maybe a couple of weeks ago where someone’s story, maybe a not as well-known author’s story was potentially stolen or remade by a celebrity. And Ingrid and I had the conversation. She was like, Woo, thank goodness our stuff is copywritten. You know, very much so. So we’re grateful that there could have been so many risks. And Ingrid, and I have been career social workers, this process was new to us. So we had many questions, and there was never a moment where we felt like any of our questions were a burden or weren’t answered. We were asking questions specifically about our city in LA where the Creator’s Law Firm’s like, let me find some, um, legal backing or reference for that. So very attentive to make sure that, um, we’re protected so we can continue to do this intentional work of serving our community.

What are some goals that you can accomplish & how has your leadership evolved based on the legal & business received?

I would say that since we’ve gotten the legal protection, I think, you know, Crystal and I just had so much more confident about who we could partner with. Um, we ha I, we have a lot of reservations about, for example, putting our book, you know, for sale or going to school districts that we currently partner with and saying like, Sure, let’s, you know, let’s get this book out and mass distribute it. And so we can really walk that line with confidence and say, we have the legal protections that allow us to partner with like big, whether it be organizations, school districts, hopefully, one-day companies and say, you know, we are fully protected. Our material is our own, our stories are, you know, copy-written. And creatively, we have that behind us. So I would say that it, it’s really allowed us to expand our horizons. We’ll be able to continue to do that and feel confident that even if somebody does, you know, bite our stuff, you know, because that could happen, um, that we will have the legal backing to make sure that we are protected.

What would you tell someone on the fence about working with the Creator’s Law Firm?

I think, um, I can speak for Ingrid and myself when I would say that there’s so much power in knowing that the work you’re producing or want to produce, produce, create, or develop will be solely yours. And you’re 110% protected legally. Like, so you’re able to take your work, take your brand, take your logo, and do whatever it is you want. It may seem something small, but the fact that you can legally take your logo and sell it on merchandise or whatever you want. So the message and your, your meaning, your books, your materials, everything can be in the homes of the children and the families or the population you wanna serve, is so powerful. Also, as new business owners starter doing, going this route, it’s important to invest in yourself. It may seem like, ooh, it’s a hefty investment, but it’s definitely worth it to be covered all the way around. And then just speaking to the testament of faith that I’m gonna invest in myself this way so that flourish, I will flourish and blessings will come, and opportunities will come. So definitely believing that you’re worth it because once you get in the hands of the Creator’s law firm, they’re definitely going to show you that you’re worth it.

Get the support you deserve! Work with us by clicking here.