Our Next Guest is... Lawyer Lookbook's Brittany Scarlett

 

 

 

Hi Brittany, tell us about your blog! 

 

Lawyer Lookbook started off as a style blog back when I was a “baby lawyer” for career-driven women with the mission that professional women of all ages can be both successful and stylish. 

 

I have always loved fashion and empowering other women, and love how blogging gives us the platform to celebrate our love of fashion while cheering on fellow creative #Girlbosses.

 

Lawyer Lookbook has gradually evolved, however, to focus primarily on legal issues and trends in blogging and influencer marketing.  I have made so many wonderful friends in the online space over the last several years, and have discovered that I can use my platform to help bloggers and influencers better understand legal issues in influencer marketing and blogging.

How long have you been blogging? 

I have been blogging for close to 5 years!  

How did you know you wanted to start a blog? 

I initially started Lawyer Lookbook to encourage career-driven women that they can be both successful and stylish.  As a younger fashion-loving attorney just starting out in a very conservative predominantly male career field, I often felt it was harder to authentically express myself. I wanted to create a community to share my story and inspire women.  I find so much encouragement and inspiration from my readers and this amazing online community.

So much has happened since I started Lawyer Lookbook.  After several years of practicing law and going to court, I ran for public office and won (two times).  I am the first woman and youngest person to hold this elected position, and I am incredibly proud of all my office has accomplished over the last 3 ½ years.  I share things like this from time to time in hopes that my readers are inspired to get involved in their community in some capacity, and certainly go after their personal and professional goals.  It is so amazing where life will take you, and I love being able to share parts of my life in this space.  

How did you decide on this niche?

I am absolutely fascinated with this evolving area of the law and love being able to use my skills to educate creatives regarding the legal side of their brands and businesses.  I receive a lot of questions from bloggers on a regular basis about certain legal issues (brand and influencer contracts, FTC disclosures, privacy policies, etc.), so I decided to start providing information on my blog as a resource to help.  Sometimes, I find myself researching for hours at a time because I love it so much and am so fascinated! With that being said- and I am constantly throwing out disclaimers in true lawyer fashion- the information on my blog is purely for informational and educational purposes, nothing on my blog is legal advice!!!  

What was the hardest part about starting your business? 

The hardest part was just taking the leap and executing!  The blogging world was not as saturated when I first started and native blogs were not quite as common.  I’ll be honest, when I initially started my blog and was primarily focusing on the fashion side and what I wore to work and court, I was a little hesitant about what others may think. 

What if other attorneys don’t take me seriously?

What if the local legal and business communities don’t understand my creative outlet/hobby and think I’m narcissistic for taking outfit photos? 

I played mental ping pong for about 6 months then I had a ‘eureka’ moment.  One day, I decided that you only live once (#YOLO), and that this is my life and I’m going to start a blog!  

I know I’m very intelligent and it’s totally ok to have a creative outlet and passion project/hobby even if you are in a more traditional and conservative career field.  Besides, I knew I would rather go for it and totally fail then wonder what if 5-20 years down the road. 

I am so glad I pulled the trigger and started my blog, as it has not only opened so many doors for me, it has pushed and challenged me creatively beyond my comfort zone, and I have made so many incredible friendships.  I highly encourage anyone thinking about starting a new job, transitioning into a new field, launching a passion project/hobby, or, whatever the case may be to just do it and tune out all of the noise! Do what makes you happy- you never know what will happen or who you will meet along the way.  The people that you love and matter will support you regardless!  

Where do you gather inspiration? 

I gather inspiration from so many places.  I gather inspiration any time I’m with my blogging friends whether we are catching up at a conference or chatting over coffee. 

I am a part of several online blogging groups where creatives can share ideas (and frustrations). I have heard so many horror stories from bloggers not understanding certain contract provisions, or brands using bloggers’ content without permission (or payment), or, honest bloggers not being rewarded their dream sponsored campaigns and losing to bloggers who purchase bots.  Being a blogger myself, I can empathize with some of these scenarios. I feel so inspired when I can help these boss ladies as well as be a cheerleader and a voice.  

I also gather inspiration from the fact that as influencers in an evolving and emerging space, we can affect so much change in the digital space if we band together to use our platforms in a positive manner.  I love being a part of this amazing online community. I love speaking at conferences (especially #TBSCon!!) and helping creatives (collaboration over competition!).

As I mentioned, this is an ever-evolving area of the law.  I recently presented on the FTC guidelines as well as some matters of the first impression in the influencer marketing world. For example, the PopSugar class-action lawsuit, influencers sued in relation to Fyre Festival, new laws and regulations regarding data privacy, specifically the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act. 

I am a firm believer that as content creators we are going to start seeing more regulations in this industry, and we need a strong community to stay abreast of these changes and be willing to educate and reach out to lawmakers to ensure our best interests are represented.  

_{Photography by Hannah Lozano.}

What has been your biggest achievement within your business thus far? 

I would have to say being invited to be a keynote speaker for 3 consecutive years at The Blog Societies Conference and as a result being invited to present at others.  It is an incredible honor and something I really love being a part of. I have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from each conference and within this industry. 

When my friends and colleagues in the blogging sphere tell me that they found so much value in my presentations and other resources and would love for me to continue creating content (including a podcast)- that is the best recognition and validation.  It certainly makes all the behind-the-scenes hard work worth it and enjoyable! :-) 

What are your current goals/plans for your business?

I would love to continue to bring value to bloggers and influencers.  I’d love to speak at more conferences, offer more online tools and resources for bloggers to better understand legal issues, and perhaps even a podcast- because I am a total podcast junkie!!  Stay tuned!

What missions and values do you align with your business? 

Of course, as I’ve mentioned, one of the underlying missions of Lawyer Lookbook is to encourage readers that professional women of all ages can be both successful and stylish. 

As a content creator, I have really shifted my focus to this notion of “platform”.  As a blogger and someone who holds an elected office, I strive to use my platform in a positive way that inspires and empowers others.  Sometimes, consistently putting out quality content can be tough. Sometimes, you deal with the occasional critic.

One of my absolute favorite quotes is “The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt.  “It is not the critic who counts…” (See the full quote and a blog post about it here).  I get chills every time I read this quote and believe it is prevalent to all of us. 

Everyone has a platform, regardless of whether you have a blog, are an attorney, hold an elected office, etc., and everyone can make an impact both on and offline... and I certainly hope you will.

I want readers and everyone I cross paths with on this journey to have a positive experience and feel inspired to use their platforms to do good.

What is one piece of advice you could give other women who are wanting to start their own business?

Start!  Work really hard, provide value, find your community and give back whenever and wherever you can.

Where can everyone find you?

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Bloglovin’ | Pinterest

 

Brittany, thank you so much for this incredibly insightful conversation. Make sure to go follow Brittany on the 'gram!

Always cheering you on,

Kate

Creator of the Smarter Not Harder: 3-Day Workweeks for Millennial Entrepreneurs©  Program

Owner + Founder, Kate Waldo + Co. 

P.S. Curious how you can grow your 6-figure business while slashing your workweek in half? Click here to learn about the Smarter Not Harder© program!