"We all have the entrepreneurial spirit inside us; it just needs to be nurtured and developed."
Amira Irfan is a business lawyer, seven-figure blogger, and coach at A Self Guru, an online company that helps entrepreneurs make money online and legally protect their businesses.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They want to know you, some of the background story to bring some context to your interview.
Amira Irfan: I’m the entrepreneur and business lawyer behind A Self Guru. After witnessing my father’s business being sued for $90,000, I decided to become a lawyer. It was a simple mistake that many new business owners make. My father failed to use a legal contract with a freelancer he hired to assist him in growing his business. This freelancer filed a massive lawsuit against him as well as our family business. To say it was devastating would be an understatement. The lawsuit destroyed our family business, caused enormous stress for our family, and altered the course of my entire life. The harsh reality is that if my father had invested in proper legal documents for his company, we could have avoided so much pain and financial loss.
Seeing my family struggle through that difficult time inspired me to help other entrepreneurs avoid the same mistakes my father made. That’s how I ended up becoming a lawyer. But, while working as a lawyer from 9 to 5, I soon realized that my time was limited, and I could only help a handful of people in a single day. I wanted to help MORE business owners who needed to protect their businesses from legal harm.That’s when I decided to take my legal expertise online at www.aselfguru.com, where I provide Done-For-You legal templates that are an affordable, simple, and efficient way for business owners to legally protect themselves from lawsuits like the one my father faced without having to hire an expensive lawyer. Imagine having a complete set of legal documents that can be customized according to your needs and used immediately. Through my online business and legal templates, I’ve had the honor of helping over 50,000 entrepreneurs legally protect their businesses within minutes while saving them tons of lawyer fees!
If you were asked to describe yourself as an entrepreneur in a few words, what would you say?
Amira Irfan: An entrepreneur is someone who solves people’s problems and has a vision, a dream, and the desire to make a difference in the world.
You are a successful entrepreneur, so we’d like your viewpoint, do you believe entrepreneurs are born or made? Explain.
Amira Irfan: A lot of people believe that entrepreneurs are born with a certain DNA that makes them successful. But I don’t believe so. Entrepreneurship is something you learn. It’s not something you’re born with, it’s not something you have to be good at, it’s just teachable. I think you can be a successful entrepreneur if you have the will, the work ethic and if you have the qualities of an entrepreneur for sure. In my case, I worked 10 years for someone else before I decided to become an entrepreneur and be my boss. So it was something I taught myself. I believe anyone can become an entrepreneur with hard work and dedication. It starts with taking small risks and learning from mistakes to find your way in the world of entrepreneurship. We all have the entrepreneurial spirit inside us; it just needs to be nurtured and developed.
Tell us about what your company does and how did it change over the years?
Amira Irfan: As a business lawyer and seven-figure blogger, I help entrepreneurs legally protect their businesses while providing them business tips they need to become their boss. After earning seven figures from my blog, I began coaching new bloggers on how they, too, could make money online. So, I help answer their legal and business questions and provide resources such as:
– How to start a profitable blog and online business
– Legal templates and legal pages you need on your website (privacy policy, disclaimer, terms, and conditions)
– Business contracts for coaches, freelancers, bloggers, and other professionals
– Writing custom contracts for business owners
– Reviewing contracts and performing website legal audits
– Coaching business owners on how to scale their business legally
– Sharing my business knowledge and legal expertise via blog posts and one-on-one coaching to help you make money online and more!
You can view the full scope of my work, products, and services on my website here: https://aselfguru.com/work-with-me/
Thank you for all that. Now for the main focus of this interview. With close to 11.000 new businesses registered daily in the US, what must an entrepreneur assume when starting a business?
Amira Irfan: Starting a business is not easy. You have to assume that you will work more than your 9 to 5 job and not all your ideas will be a success but failures will become your best lessons as long if you do not give up! Here are some things to keep in mind as you get started: it’s going to be a lot of work, it’s not going to be easy, and there’s no guarantee of success. But if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, it could be worth it. So brace yourself for a challenging but rewarding journey!
Did you make any wrong assumptions before starting a business that you ended up paying dearly for?
Amira Irfan: Yes, that “I could do everything on my own!” This mentality quickly led to burnout. Not only that, but it hurt both my mental and physical health. I would have enjoyed being an entrepreneur more if I had outsourced or asked for help sooner. We are often so focused on doing things on our own or being perfectionists that we fail to notice when we need help! Just keep in mind that you can’t do everything on your own, and it’s okay to ask for help sooner rather than later.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself and why? Explain.
Amira Irfan: I would tell myself not to be discouraged by the financial struggles, but instead believe in what I’m trying to accomplish. Remind me that it’s important for entrepreneurs and business owners like me to have faith in their vision as well! Take more risks because growth happens outside our comfort zones; you’re bound to experience highs along with lows while running your own company – just remember that successful people don’t give up when things get tough.
What is the worst advice you received regarding running a business and what lesson would you like others to learn from your experience?
Amira Irfan: I was told to start my website with a basic theme and hosting company because that’s what all beginner bloggers do. I wish I hadn’t done that because as my business exploded, six months later, I had to hire someone to clean up the mess and redo things. Rather than making changes later and slowing down the process, I wish I had started with a higher-quality theme and hosting company from the start.
In your opinion, how has COVID-19 changed what entrepreneurs should assume before starting a business? What hasn’t changed?
Amira Irfan: COVID-19 has brought a lot of changes for businesses and entrepreneurs. Here are three things you should keep in mind before starting a business:
- You can no longer assume that everything will be smooth sailing.
- You need to be prepared for a potential pandemic.
- You need to have a plan and have an online presence to reach the maximum number of people
One thing that has not changed is the importance of having a clear vision and goal for your business.
What is a common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be business owners believe in? What advice would you give them?
Amira Irfan: A common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs believe is that it is simple. It isn’t. Entrepreneurship takes blood, sweat, tears, and dedication. Don’t be afraid of it because there are no shortcuts or miracles involved. This requires effort on your part and a lot of hard work. If you’re not prepared for it, entrepreneurship is not for you.
What traits, qualities, and assumptions do you believe are most important to have before starting a business?
Amira Irfan: Perseverance- there were moments in my business when things broke, we lost all our hard work and didn’t achieve our goals. Working 14-hour days on top of my full-time job to run the business was so exhausting that I wanted to quit and simply stick to my regular 9-to-5 lawyer job. But then I remembered why I started this business in the first place, and how I couldn’t give up in the face of failure. So knowing you’re “why” is very important.
Creativity -the next important trait that entrepreneurs need is creativity. It is key for them to be innovative and creative in the process of starting a new business. They need to be able to come up with new ideas on how they can start their own business while following the best practices set by experts in the field. Entrepreneurs need to be creative thinkers who can come up with new ideas for how they want their business to operate. Courage – it’s also important for entrepreneurs to develop a risk-taking personality or attitude before embarking on a new venture because they’ll need it when they run into roadblocks along the way. Entrepreneurs should also be patient, as this will help them during long hours and difficult work periods when there are setbacks.
How can aspiring leaders prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship? Are there any books, websites, or even movies to learn from?
Amira Irfan: There are so many different kinds of businesses you can start, and the best way to learn is to invest in your education. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on courses and tools that have helped my business start and scale quickly. Learn new skills, enroll in courses to broaden your knowledge, read books, and hire a mentor or coach. These are all excellent ways to expand your knowledge because, as an entrepreneur, you are constantly evolving. Depending on your niche, you can always find a course, mentor, or coach that you can learn from.
You have shared quite a bit of your wisdom and our readers thank you for your generosity but would also love to know: If you could choose any job other than being an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Amira Irfan: Business lawyer (which I am!). As mentioned before, I worked full-time as a lawyer before starting my online business. I’ve always loved working as a lawyer. Unlike most unhappy lawyers out there, I enjoy being a lawyer. This is why I incorporated my legal knowledge into my online business. When my company reached the seven-figure mark, I quit my 9-to-5 job to pursue my dream of becoming a full-time entrepreneur. But in my heart, I’ll always be a lawyer.
Thank you so much for your time, I believe I speak for all of our readers when I say that this has been incredibly insightful. We do have one more question: If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, but not a politician, who would it be; why?
Amira Irfan: The person I would add to Mount Rushmore is Steve Jobs. He revolutionized the way we use technology, the way we access information, and the way we communicate with one another. He didn’t do it alone, but he took the initiative to make all of this happen.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Amira Irfan for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Amira Irfan or her company, you can do it through her – Facebook
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