Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tamara Pester, Founder of Learn Trademarks, located in Denver, CO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am the owner and founder of TMBTQ, a trademark law boutique, and I recently launched the online Learn Trademarks Class. We focus on .... you guessed it... trademarks! The class helps people understand how to register, protect, and enforce their rights to the words and images for which their products or services are known.

Tell us about yourself

I've been practicing law for more than twenty years! I love translating "legalese" to plain English and making intellectual property law accessible to everyone.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I do a small jump for joy when people take the Learn Trademarks class and then email me several months later with details of their successful trademark registrations. The class recently became accredited for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit in Colorado and has already helped overworked lawyers see that there is a way to practice law that is more flexible than churning out endless billable hours mired in the intense conflicts that make up litigation.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Now that I have a team helping me, most of the previously challenging tasks are taken care of - the small yet very important details like making sure each trademark application is correctly noted in our online practice management system.

I'm an introvert at heart, so I still struggle with motivating others and explaining things fully so that they can do things that I know will take me such a short time because I have been doing them myself for so long.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Research and protect your intellectual property sooner rather than later. Is the brand available for registration? Is there anyone else using a very similar word, design, or URL for similar services? Before you invest a lot of money in a website or signage, make sure it won't pose issues down the road.
  2. The more quickly you can automate mundane tasks, the easier it will be. I still know some lawyers who use spreadsheets to create invoices - yikes! There are so many great tools available today to help us be efficient.
  3. Get a team together as soon as you can, for they will make your life easier!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.learntrademarks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learntrademarks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learntrademarks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamarap5280
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamarapester/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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