Amira Irfan is a business lawyer, six-figure blogger, and coach who teaches you how to make money blogging while protecting your online business legally. She started her blog with her full-time job as a lawyer and took it from 0 to $60,000 a month in less than 2 years, and now she teaches you how to do the same! She has had the honor of helping over 10,000 entrepreneurs with her affordable legal templates and services in the last 10 years.

• CEO Hack: Meditation for ten to fifteen minutes ii) Vision board for my business
• CEO Nugget: Do not neglect the legal side of your business
• CEO Defined: Having the financial freedom to work from anywhere and make a positive contribution to the world

Legal Store: https://aselfguru.com/legal-store/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/aselfguru/reviews/
Work With Me Page: https://aselfguru.com/work-with-me/

Other Social Media Links:
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aselfguru/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aselfguru/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aselfguru/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aselfguru
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr7FxkYK-CtyfhIYTHU2Ckg?view_as=subscriber

FULL INTERVIEW

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Transcription

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00:23 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:53 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Amira Irfan of aselfguru.com. Amira, it's awesome to have you on the show.

01:02 – Amira Irfan

I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

01:05 – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on as well. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Amira so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Amira is a business lawyer, six-figure blogger, and coach who teaches you how to make money blogging while protecting your online business legally. She started her blog with her full-time job as a lawyer and it took it from 0 to $60,000 a month in less than 2 years. And now she teaches you how to do the same.

She has had the honor of helping over 10,000 entrepreneurs with her affordable legal templates and services in the last 10 years. Amirah, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:20 – Amira Irfan

Absolutely.

01:22 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit here, a little bit more on how you got started. Could you take us through what I call your CEO story? We'll let you get started with the business.

01:49 – Amira Irfan

Yeah, sure. So, I worked as a lawyer for like 10 years, but I always wondered how I could make a bigger impact. Cause you know, working as a lawyer, just working one-on-one with clients, you have limitations, you can't really reach a lot of people. So I was always intrigued about like how I could make a bigger impact and reach more people. So 1 day, you know, I came across a YouTube video of 2 6 figure bloggers, And that got me really intrigued as to how blogging was a way to make money online.

Because I was clueless about blogging. I didn't know that that was also a way that you could make money. And so I got started with blogging the very next day. And rest is history as they say, because the beautiful thing about blogging was that, I was able to achieve what I desired, which was to reach more people. So I started creating my own legal products to help entrepreneurs protect their online businesses. And by doing that, now instead of just helping, for example, 1 person at a time, I could help thousands of people at a time, you know?

So that's the powerful thing about bringing your business online. You could just have that kind of exposure and reach and make a bigger impact. So That's what I did. And as a matter of fact, so I took my business from 0 to 60,000 a month. And then last month, you know, I made over $78,000. So I really broke the ceiling. And also just this week, I gave my 2 weeks' notice. So I will be fully dedicated to this business that I created from scratch.

03:20 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome.  Awesome.  Awesome. Definitely give you a round of applause for sure. And congratulations on being able to do that and be able to have those visions come to fruition. And I think so many times we, I love that you kind of spoke to the one-to-one versus the one-to-many. And I think that's one of the beautiful things about blogging and podcasting. It allows you to kind of maximize, maybe even multiply your time and your influence and your impact, as you said so well. And I think so many times we forget that we can have a tremendous impact by being able to blog or the podcast or do some of these really online, heavy, I guess, platforms to be able to get your name and your message and your impact out there.

03:58 – Amira Irfan

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, like I said, I would have never imagined what a great influence and impact and how many people I could help in the online world versus just one-on-one. So yes, it's been an exciting journey for sure.

04:13 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely, and it sounds like it's just getting started. So super exciting to hear that. And so I know you touched on it a little bit and I did, you know, when I read your bio too, could you drill down a little bit more and tell us a little bit more on how you serve the clients you work with and what exactly that process looks like?

04:26 – Amira Irfan

Absolutely. So as I mentioned, you know, I'm a business lawyer. So what I did is I took all my legal expertise and knowledge and I translated it into the online space. And what I do is I work, there are like 3 different ways that I serve people and entrepreneurs and they could be bloggers, they could be coaches, they could be freelancers, basically anyone with a business, not necessarily in the online space, but also traditional brick and mortar businesses have helped them too. So there are 3 ways that I help entrepreneurs. Number 1 is the easiest way through my legal templates.

These are legal documents and templates that pretty much every business owner needs at some stage of their life and their journey to kind of safeguard their assets, safeguard their hard work, and protect their business. So that's 1 of the things that you'll see when you visit the legal store page of my website, you'll see tons and tons of different legal templates and contract template documents that I honestly created because people reached out asking for them. So none of those products were created because I wanted to create them, but it was because I actually had entrepreneurs reaching out to me and asking for those templates that's the number one way. The second way that I serve clients and customers is through custom contracts.

So a lot of times what happens is that you may have a business with a very unique perspective, a unique risk, or a unique need, And you might need like a custom-tailored, you know, contract to kind of cover yourself. And of course, the people that you work with. So I have also drafted, you know, this is what I do for a living and I absolutely: love it. So that's another way that I help people. They book a call with me and we go through your business model I basically help you protect your business by creating a custom contract that fits your needs. And then of course the third way is because of my success as a blogger in a short period of time. So I get a lot of questions. I have my own Facebook community.

I also have my blog and my website. So I get a lot of questions about blogging, like how to make money blogging, how to turn that basically a career, or something that people can do full-time. So that's another way that I make myself available through coaching calls. People can, you know, we can get on a call and then I kind of guide them through my journey and how I can help them scale their businesses.

06:43 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, I absolutely love that. And just as we kind of talked about, you know, the 1 from 1 to many aspects, it allows you that same opportunity to have different touch points, I guess you can say, so that you can help support clients kind of where they're at. If they need a template, they can get a template. They need something more customized and you have the opportunity to provide that. And of course, if they need that one-to-one kind of coaching and opportunities, you have loads of platforms that allow people to do that.

07:06 – Amira Irfan 

Yeah, because everybody has different needs and demands, right? And everybody also learns things differently. Some people, like I'm more of a person who loves to talk network communicate, and watch videos. So I'll learn that way. But some people just want quick, easy solutions. So template is a great way to do that. But someone just may want to just talk on the phone and then that 30 minutes or 1 hour would be so much more productive for them. So this way I've kind of opened myself to all different ways to help people.

07:32 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. They get to decide and figure out what works best for them and then kind of work backward from there or even choose all 3, which is never a bad thing either. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself or your business or a combination of both. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

07:50 – Amira Irfan

So that's a great question. You know, I think that what makes me unique and sets me apart is the fact that I truly understand the pain points of my customers and clients that I serve because I've been in their shoes. And the reason for that is that before I became a lawyer, my entrepreneur dad got sued for $90,000. So I know how devastating that was for us because my dad lost his entire business that he had created. And so I know like what it feels like to go through that nightmare.

And when people come to me, especially my customers, and you'll see tons and tons of testimonials on my Facebook page, the number 1 thing that you'll read when they talk about my products or my services is the fact that how much people struggle with the legal side of their business. You know, they're frustrated, they're confused, they're intimidated by the law, they don't understand what they need. And I've gone through all of that because when my dad's lawsuit happened, I wasn't a lawyer yet, but I literally had to kind of communicate with lawyers and navigate through the legalities and figure all of that stuff out. I was still in school. And it just changed the trajectory of my life.

And I saw what it feels like to go through that kind of pain for an entire year. So that's 1 of the big reasons why I decided to become a lawyer. I was going to become a doctor and I totally changed and became a lawyer because I saw what a painful and difficult experience it can be when you get sued and how much it turns your life around. So I don't want to see any other entrepreneur kind of going through that financial and emotional loss that we experienced as a family. So I think that that's what really sets me apart because I get the struggles. I get the frustrations. I get the pain points. And that's the reason why I'm able to offer solutions to the entrepreneurs that are affordable, but I also kind of like, you know, can help them because I know that I've been there.

09:41 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I definitely appreciate you for sharing that. And of course, you know, doing that and deciding to get your legal degree or your JD, because I think so many times when you put your blood, sweat, and tears into your business and then something like that, happens, it can definitely be heartbreaking at the very least to say. And I love that you, I'm sorry that you went through that, but I love that you decided to take that experience and be able to help out, you know, so many people as far as like being able to protect and arm themselves against sometimes things that happen.

10:13 – Amira Irfan

Absolutely, yes.

10:15 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome., Awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. This could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

10:26 – Amira Irfan

Yeah, so I was, you know, when I think about it, there are so many things that come to mind, But one thing I will speak from experiences that I've seen, you know, actually happen and really work for me is when I started my business a couple of years ago, Prash, I didn't know what I was doing. I, you know, and I know that as CEOs, we all kind of go through those self-doubts, those struggles and those learning curves and just like, you know, have those fears whether this is gonna work, not work and things like that.

But one thing that has really helped me a lot is to go within and find those answers, find that confidence, find that passion. And, you know, of course, all of the, you know, the strengths that we all have that sometimes we forget is through meditation. So that's one of the things that I do every single morning, first thing in the morning, I have, you know, I take that time, 15, 20 minutes to really go within, shut out the noise, and all the chatter and all the things around us, and to really take the time to figure out what is my vision? The other thing I did is I also created a vision board for my business.

I kind of helped other bloggers do the same because it's amazing how much I've manifested by just having that vision board in front of me, kind of like an affirmation, kind of like a reminder that this is what I'm aiming for. These are my goals. This is what I like to achieve, or this is how I would like to help people. So I think just having that clarity and combination of meditation and that vision board has been truly something that has been extremely helpful for me, especially as a CEO. So

12:00 -Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. And this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

12:12 – Amira Irfan 

Yeah, so speaking from experience, I would say that, as I mentioned, what happened with my dad as an entrepreneur, but also other clients that I've served, like more than 10,000 people that have helped, and I wanna help a million more. one of the things that I've seen in all these businesses is that the law is really the glue that keeps your business together. Because, you know, we, as you mentioned, we put our blood, sweat, and tears into creating something magnificent, something that we're proud of. But then imagine one legal mistake or one lawsuit or one unhappy client or one bad review, I mean, it just really ruins it for you.

So my piece of nugget or advice would be to just, for entrepreneurs to not neglect the legal side of their business, because I know sometimes that's something that I see people putting on the back burner, because as I mentioned, it's confusing, it's intimidating, or sometimes even expensive to hire a lawyer. But I think at the bare minimum, they should make sure that their business is legally compliant with proper legal documents in place, legal pages, contracts, just things like that, small things, but they go a long way to assuring that your assets are protected, your family is protected, because, you know, God forbid anything goes south.

And again, speaking from experience, my dad is not the only one who suffered, you know, the entire family suffers with you if you get into a lawsuit and they're very long. So, yeah, my advice would be that if you're in that position of creating something that you're serious about and any kind of business, make sure to secure it legally and get help from a professional. And that goes about, that goes towards anything that you do in your business. If you don't, if you're not sure about something, you should always seek professional help and make sure that you do things right from the get-go.

13:55 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And Amira, now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Amir, what does being a CEO mean to you?

14:05 – Amira Irfan

I love this question. For me, honestly, being a CEO means having the financial freedom to work from anywhere in the world and still make a positive, strong contribution and impact in the lives of others, whether that's through my products or services, but it's always about like putting my customers first and then treating them as I would like myself to be treated and never forgetting like where I came from. So I think no matter how big you become as a CEO, you should never forget your humble beginnings.

14:34 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely, yeah. It could definitely be easy to kind of forget, that vision board, forget where we come from and the things that we've accomplished, and really forget about the people that sometimes we can help. But I think when we keep that at the forefront and we allow our gifts and our abilities to really be put and poured into the work that we do, that's when things really get to another level and we truly make a tremendous impact in our own special and unique way.

14:58 – Amira Irfan

Yeah, exactly. My sentiments exactly.

15:01 – Gresham Harkless:

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Amira, truly appreciate that definition and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and of course how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you're working on.

15:16 – Amira Irfan

Yeah, absolutely. So it is my passion to help entrepreneurs protect their businesses legally. And so there are a lot of free legal tips that I offer. If you go to my website, there's a legal tips page, there's a freebie page. I would love for you to grab any one of those because you'll find a lot of value in them and that you and they have been extremely helpful to other entrepreneurs. So that's the number one thing I think you would benefit from. And then as far as reaching me, I'm always happy to connect with entrepreneurs in my Facebook community. It's also called basically my website's name is a self-group based on this blog community. So then, of course, you also have the option of setting up a call with me, as I mentioned in the beginning. So any one of those ways, and I'm always looking forward to connecting with more entrepreneurs and making friends.

16:01 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Yes, teamwork is teamwork that makes the dream work. So I appreciate you for jumping on and being on the podcast and providing so much value. We will have those links and information in the show notes. So please definitely go check that out because knowledge is power. And the more informed you are, the better entrepreneur CEO, and business owner you can be. So I appreciate you for making that available, Amira, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:21 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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