Margaret Bourne is a marketing and PR professional, with over 10-plus years of experience in blogging and over 15+ years in PR, digital marketing, and content generation.  Margaret shares adventures, recipes, beauty trends, parenting stories, and blogging tips on her lifestyle blog Suburban Tourist.

Margaret Bourne has included FourColumnsofaBalancedlife in her list of Top Up-And-Coming Canadian Lifestyle Blogs to Follow in 2020.

Margaret comments that “These Canadian lifestyle blogs haven’t been overly pitched, with every blog post being sponsored content. Therefore, they are much more appealing to readers who want authenticity and real insights than a brand push behind it. A fine line! They have fresh ideas and content and they are eager to share their stories and ideas with their readers. Furthermore, they want to be seen and heard. Therefore, getting a boost from others is always welcome.”

I want to thank Margaret for appreciating the authenticity and real insights that I try to bring to the lifestyle landscape.

The post Top up and coming Canadian lifestyle blogs to follow in 2020 appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Amira Irfan is an inspiration to bloggers and to women. She is a successful entrepreneur, lawyer, and business coach, and she runs a successful group for bloggers. I catch up with Amira to get to know her a little bit better and get an understanding of how bloggers can protect themselves.

Amira, a pleasure to have you on my blog. Please tell my audience something important about you.

Thanks, Jerry! Happy to contribute. My name is Amira, and I’m a business lawyer, six-figure blogger, and coach who helps entrepreneurs protect their online business legally. 

I’ve helped more than 10,000 entrepreneurs with my best-selling legal templates and affordable services as a lawyer for 9 years now. I still work full-time as a lawyer while I run a successful online business in my precious little free time! 

What is A Self Guru about?  Why did you start it, and who is your audience?

Great question! When I launched my business and decided on this name, the thought was that you are A Self Guru when you are the master of your own destiny and hence, in charge of your future! This became my blog’s tag line. 

So my target audience is anyone who wants to become their own boss, meaning entrepreneurs like you and me. I started my business because I saw so many entrepreneurs struggling with the legal side of their business, and I wanted to offer services and products that you could actually afford without having to hire a super expensive lawyer. 

That’s why you will find tons of easy business and legal tips to help you along your self-employment journey!

You have a successful blog. Walk me through some of the steps of having a successful blog?

Thank you! I’ve worked day and night with my full-time job to become a six-figure blogger. I can’t outline the exact steps I took because as entrepreneurs, we are constantly evolving! 

There’s always so much to learn and implement but there were a few crucial blogging courses I took in the beginning to start my blog and those were instrumental in my success. 

Since then, I’ve made tons of other business investments that have further propelled my success allowing me to make $35,000 in a single month!

The best advice I would give is to NOT waste time trying to figure out everything on your own. Time is money and treat it like that! 

Whatever you decide to pursue, learn from the best and invest in the right business tools and resources right away because that would speed up your progress and you will get your desired results much faster.

What attracted you to become a lawyer and what advice you have for young girls wanting to become one?

One of the big reasons I became a lawyer was because my father got sued as a business owner when I was still in college studying to become a doctor. Life took a sharp turn and before I knew it, I was helping my dad figure out all the legalities of a $90,000 lawsuit that lasted for an entire year! 

It left us financially broke and my dad had to start his business all over again. That lawsuit left a permanent scar on me, and I didn’t want to see any other entrepreneur, any other family suffer as we did! 

So instead of going to medical school, I ended up going to law school instead and never looked back! Everything about the law has also been much more fascinating and impactful, and I absolutely love working as a business lawyer. 

It gives me a great sense of purpose helping other entrepreneurs avoid the big legal mistakes that could turn their life upside down (like what happened to my dad and our family). 

As for any young girls wanting to be a lawyer, I’d say only pursue it if it’s your passion and you love the law otherwise, you would be miserable. 

Unfortunately, I know tons of unhappy lawyers and when I say I love the law – people look at me funny because it’s rare to meet someone like me. Most lawyers are not happy practicing the law.

So only pursue it as a career if it excites you and keeps you awake at nights because you really enjoy it, not because you have to. 

Tell us about your legal templates for entrepreneurs?

There are 10+ affordable legal templates I sell on my blog that all entrepreneurs need every day for their business. These legal contracts and documents have helped thousands of bloggers and entrepreneurs. 

Some of the most popular legal templates are below, and they all are important for different reasons:

1. The Legal Bundle For Your Website 

The Legal Bundle is an instant download of my 3 best selling legal templates + 9 bonuses you need to comply with the laws, avoid GDPR fines and sleep peacefully at night knowing your online business is protected legally. 

2. Sponsored Posts Contract Template 

You use this contract template to quickly and easily collaborate with brands like a pro to produce sponsored content (blog posts, social media posts or video) and build lasting relationships without getting into legal issues. You also get $500 in bonuses! 

3. Freelance Contract Template 

The Freelance Contract template (also known as the Independent Contractor Agreement) is an instant download of my most popular legal contract you need to avoid lawsuits and sleep peacefully at night knowing your online business is protected legally, PLUS get $550 in 3 special bonuses you don’t want to miss! 

4. Guest Blogger Template 

If you are accepting guest posts on your blog then you MUST have this template that includes all the guest post guidelines and legal provisions you need to protect yourself from copyright violations and more. 

5. Affiliate Agreement Template 

If you have your own affiliate program then you must have your affiliates accept these terms and conditions before they start promoting your products to protect yourself from their legal mistakes! 

6. Confidentiality (Non-disclosure agreement) Template

This contract allows you to protect your business information and secrets before collaborating and sharing your business with others. 

For example, if you are hiring a virtual assistant for your business or someone else to help you with your business, you would want to enter into this NDA agreement to make sure the other person doesn’t steal your business information after learning the ins and out. 

7. Media Release Agreement Template 

You need this contract before you start using someone’s name, image, video and other intellectual property in your business and promotions to avoid getting sued and violating their legal rights.

8. LLC Operating Agreement Template  

You need this Operating Agreement to separate your business from YOU. This is the legal contract that shows to the court that your business is separate from your personal assets so you are not legally responsible for your business debts and lawsuits. 

9. Coaching Agreement Template

Use this contract with your coaching clients while working 1:1 or providing group coaching to protect yourself and get paid and it includes tons of other important legalese and disclaimers you need as a coach to protect yourself from lawsuits! 

10. Interior Design Contract Bundle 

This contract bundle includes my 5 essential legal templates you need plus 10 bonuses to protect your interior design business. It’s perfectly customized for Interior Designers including eDesigners giving you all the legal documents and contracts you need to work with clients. 

Talk to me a little about the city you live in. The food scene and some favorite restaurants?

I live in South Florida, about 45 minutes from Miami. If you have ever been to Miami then you know we are famous for our beautiful beaches and amazing food! There are so many great choices for restaurants depending on what you like to eat. 

Rapid-fire questions

Favorite food Mexican and Italian 

Favorite book Too many! Here’s one – Million Dollar Habits by Brian Tracy

Favorite actor Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey

Any book you are reading now Right now, I’m buried into the blogging courses I’ve bought to grow my business  

Three people you would like to have a meal with and what is one question you would ask them?

1. Oprah Winfrey – what keeps you motivated?
2. Tony Robbins – what are your best tips for entrepreneurs?
3. Amy Porterfield – how do you manage to look so good on camera and connect with your audience effortlessly? 

If you were chosen to go to Mars and can take only 5 personal things what would those be?

It depends on the duration! If I’m just visiting then probably nothing. I’d like to be in the moment and enjoy the full experience

The post Amira Irfan: Lawyer, Six Figure Blogger, Business Coach appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.