Entrepreneur of Impact: Brieanna Singletary
We're delighted to introduce you to Entrepreneur of Impact Award winner Brieanna Singeltary of Brieanna Bugatti, LLC. She is one of the amazing, everyday entrepreneur heroes doing good things for the world & her community during the COVID pandemic. We hope you're just as inspired by her story as we are!
Tell us a bit about your business & how it came to be.
Brieanna Bugatti, LLC is a creative legal and business consulting agency that works in line with my solo legal practice, Brieanna Singletary Law, to service small and medium-sized businesses in creative industries.
I created my company in college around 2013. The company was created through my love of the business of fashion and the internal understanding that I wanted to have a business of my own in the future. In 2016, when I was transferring from a law school in North Carolina to a law school in South Carolina, Brieanna Bugatti, LLC gained fashion retail business consulting clients, and I was hooked from that day on.
How was your business affected by the COVID pandemic? What shifts did you have to make in order to continue operating?
Before COVID, my business was chosen to be part of a program called "Innovator's Journey" through Carolina Small Business, Wells Fargo, and Shaw University. During the program, I was able to hone in on why I wanted to consult for fashion retail businesses and revamped my business to go full throttle towards those goals. As COVID came, the reality of helping businesses with brick and mortar stores better operate with a hands-on approach began to fade away. The love I had for going into a retail store, touching fabrics, and advising on how to get more profitable responses could not exist in a climate where social distancing became the norm, people were discouraged from going outside, and the fashion industry was going through a very rough time. The hardships occurring in retail gave me the courage to try something new as the world slowed down.
I made a pivot to focus on my legal experience with federal trademark and copyright services. Making the switch made sense, but it was a hard pill to swallow because I never wanted to be a "regular" attorney. Through the pivot, I see my skills and expertise are so much more than just attorney work and I am thankful to feel that way.
You were recognized by the community as an Entrepreneur of Impact! Tell us about your efforts to create a positive impact during the COVID crisis.
I was trying to find a corporate job, but COVID put many of my applications on hold. I found myself at a crossroads and knew it was time to leap. Instead of waiting for answers or taking a job that had nothing to do with my passion, I decided to help small business owners who were looking for more information about protecting their brands with my services at no cost to them. Most attorneys charge anywhere from $300-$700 for a trademark search and trademark opinion letter, but I knew COVID scared many business owners and my skills could help them during a time where protecting what they created was imperative because of the levels of content that was being shared online.
Thinking about it now, it was an off the charts move but, the immense joy I feel when my clients let me know how much I helped them understand how to secure their brands and businesses is priceless.
After my initial announcement, about 20 business owners reached out for my pro bono services and I have been assisting them ever since.
What quote or motto you live by?
"It's nothing to a boss!"
A friend of mine, who went on to open a boutique with his team called The Museum DC in Washington, DC, used this phrase almost every day when we worked together at a streetwear boutique in Atlanta, Georgia.
To me, the quote is about understanding that being a boss means to take stock when obstacles arise. As a Type A perfectionist, getting caught up on small details can be time-consuming and unproductive, bringing down my mental capacity to find a solution as well as filling my mindset with doubt. With the quote, I remember that there's always a bigger goal, vision, and mission - so let the small fish stay small!
What does the world need more of?
I believe the world needs more empathy within a business. Time's are changing and there is no mistake that businesses who respect and cherish their employees and customers, give to great causes, impact the community, and make decisions from various perspectives are at the top of various industries. Empathy is making a comeback in business and I like it!
In 3 words, what does it take to be successful as a business owner
To be a successful business owner you need the three G's:
Grind - Because entrepreneurship is harder than the hardest thing you have ever done, but you have to keep pushing through obstacles.
Grit - At times, others won't see your vision and neither will you but you will have to find the courage and resolve in yourself to believe you aren't crazy and your goals and dreams are possible!
Graceful mercy - People will drop the ball and so will you, allowing room for simple kindness outside of stark judgment can change the confidence, vision, and mission of the business.
If you were to impart one tidbit of wisdom to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, what would it be?
It's okay to rest, it's okay to regroup, it's okay to rethink. and it's okay to ask for help. The journey of an entrepreneur is unique, challenging, frustrating, and incredibly amazing.
Everyone's journey is different, everyone has internal battles that are specific to them, and everyone is figuring it out along the way.
Don't be afraid to let yourself dream and make mistakes, it's always worth it.
We help women entrepreneurs build powerful, purposeful, and profitable businesses. Through actionable education and meaningful opportunities to connect, we cultivate growth-minded entrepreneurs to achieve personal success, while positively impacting their local community, economy, and causes they care about. We believe entrepreneurship is a force for greater good and our mission is to help YOU succeed. Join us inside the Hatch Tribe Collective!