I’d like to relate this blog to my current state—pregnant for 34 weeks and only weeks away from bringing a little girl into this world. Pregnancy and maternity is big for anyone, whether you’re an entrepreneur or a regular employee. But it noticeably looks different for entrepreneurs (like us). It’s because we may not have the benefits of paid maternity leave or even just unplugged time off. 

So, I want to share in this blog my plan for maternity leave and how my business will work while I’m on leave. 

Maternity and My Business

I’m not actually planning to have much of a birth plan. I’ll just stay in my lane and focus on enjoying the process wherever it may lead me. But one thing I thought when I found out I was pregnant was how it would impact my business. As I’m getting closer to giving birth, I realized it’s not only about the impact on my business, but rather on the long-lasting change in my life and business. 

The reason I started this law firm, took the risks, hired a team, and continued to seek out clients aligned with my boundaries and core values, is because all these factors have made the next few months easier. It made the whole process more fulfilling.

So, what’s my plan for maternity leave? 

Of course, I’ll have my schedule blocked off for now, and I’ll continue to be on maternity leave through the holidays (returning after the start of the New Year). With that said, I’ve made the decision that during this time, as a firm, we won’t be taking any new hourly clients during my leave, so my team can focus their efforts on serving our existing hourly clients along with any new trademark clients. 

How will my business work while I’m on leave?

I will empower my team and my team will empower our clients. 

Our team’s goal is to serve our clients well (as always). With that said, we took an honest look at our capacity and expertise to decide how to be intentional with our time over the next few months. 

P.S.  I’m so happy that I’ve invested in systems, because Dubsado will make supporting clients that much easier during this time! Let me tell you how: 

If you fill out our intake form on guidemybusiness.co, you’ll be able to tell our team how we can support you best—whether you’re looking for hourly services, trademark services, or maybe you just came to our law firm accidentally and didn’t head over to laurenboyd.com (where our sister company provides contract templates). After filling out the form, we’ll email you the particular tools or resources you need.

Hourly Legal Services

If you requested hourly legal services, our system will send you an email directing you to reserve a spot on our team’s calendar in January, so your business is ready to scale in 2022 with the confidence of a strong legal foundation built on a brand you own.

Trademark Services 

On the other hand, if you’re ready to own your brand with trademark services, you’ll receive a link to begin working with our team once you hit submit. The best part? You can actually start the trademark process that same day (with multiple investment options available)! 

Our team will complete your comprehensive trademark search before we meet you for our trademark review, which you can schedule immediately after your initial payment. Our trademark review is where our team will review the report, provide recommendations for the most strategic trademark application, and review any action items we need before your trademark application can be filed. 

In case you have doubts, if a trademark is right for you or your business, you can still have a trademark consultation with our team before investing and diving fully into the trademark process.  

Contract Templates

Lastly, if you’re still on the do-it-yourself (DIY) stage and need a contract template, we’ll redirect you to our sister company where we have an updated library of contract templates (we might even include a discount code). 

Remember, your contracts are living documents—they should reflect where your business is today. If you’ve already purchased some of our contract templates, you’ll get friendly nudges and reminders to look at how you’re using these tools inside your business. 

On the other hand, if you haven’t purchased our contract templates yet, each template comes with everything you need to get started and incorporate the contract into your business, with our implementation guides and video tutorials. These accessible resources have given me the confidence that our clients will have ready to use tools just one click away. 

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, I’m still leading an incredible team, and my focus is on empowering my team so they can also empower our clients. I’m grateful to my team for allowing me to step back even if it’s not a full unplug. Of course, I’d like to thank my husband, Will. None of these things would be possible without his support and listening ears.  

I’ve set up a plan with Will and our families to have some time to check in on the business to pour in to my team to ensure that they have what they need to continue. For the most part, I’m going to share my life updates on Instagram unfiltered. I’m excited to face another phase in my personal and professional life—being an entrepreneur, a mother, and planning my maternity leave.  

I know it’s going to be challenging, and I should set clear expectations with my team, with Will, with our families, and with our clients right now. So, I’m  keeping the lines of communication open. I’m holding my plans with an open palm knowing that they might need to change.

In time, I’d like to update you on what I learned and how it looks to go through maternity leave as an entrepreneur and leader of an incredible team. I hope this blog has somehow given you a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes in leading a team, having a vision, having a family, and balancing all these aspects of life.