Hispanic Heritage Month: Encuentra Tu Parque!

Welcome to National Hispanic Heritage Month! It runs from September 15 to October 15 each year and  celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was later expanded by President Ronald Reagan to cover a 30-day period. September 15 marks the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. 

During this month the National Park Service sponsors "Find Your Park / Encuentra Tu Parque," a movement designed to spread the word about the park system, our country's natural resources, and our diverse cultural heritage. You can find your park here, but be sure to check that it's open and safe from wildfires before you venture out. Document your adventures using #HispanicHeritageMonth and #FindYourPark / #EncuentraTuParque.

FYI: The definition of Latinx, according to lexico.com is:
Latinx (adj.): Relating to people of Latin American origin or descent (used as a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino or Latina).

Small Business Spotlight: Pregame

Res Nova Law casts is spotlight on Pregame this month. According to its founder, Ciara Pressler, Pregame is business coaching delivered in a gym model (thus, all the sports references). Pregame's clients can access unlimited group sessions or "workouts" with a membership, and they can also work 1:1 with a business expert for private training.

Founder Story

Ciara's former life in New York City prepared her for her role as CEO of Pregame. In 2009, after being laid off amidst the Great Recession, Ciara used her unique skills in marketing to and for creative professionals to found Pressler Collaborative, a boutique marketing and PR agency. Once she moved home to Oregon, she was ready to create a new model for business coaching with Pregame.

Although Ciara calls herself the “toughest boss I've ever had,” she gets great fulfillment from watching Pregame members overcome their obstacles and limits very quickly, sometimes within a Pregame session. She plans on expanding Pregame in the near future and has worked with Res Nova Law to create a licensing model for Pregame content and methods. She is very thankful for the love and support she gets from Pregame's clients, team and partners. Like any founder, Ciara has doubts at times, but she reminds herself that everyone has imposter syndrome so it's best to just trust her intuition and go as big as possible.

Ciara's advice for others thinking about starting a business?

“Be very honest with yourself regarding how you define freedom. Is it time? Money? Creative control? Community? You will not necessarily have more of any of those as an entrepreneur. There is nothing inherently good or sacred about entrepreneurship. Do what supports you and your family, whether it's ownership or collaboration or employment. There's no ‘best', only best for you.”

Thanks for the tips, Ciara!

Outside the Office:

Howard and I took a trip to George Rogers Park for a fun photo shoot with portrait and travel photographer, Ashley Castellanos of Venture-Ette Photography. In addition to photography, Ashley provides personal branding and visual storytelling through her business Venture Agency. As usual, Howard kept me laughing and what you see is the result of that. Here's to better days ahead for all of us!

Res Nova Law Blog Posts:

You can find our recent blog posts below in case you missed them.

• Oregon Employers Beware: Inventions May Belong to Your Employees, not the Business.

• Preparing to Exit from Day One: Tips for Long-Term Business Owners

As always, our creative and experienced attorneys are here to help you with your intellectual property and business needs.

Get in touch with our team if you'd like to learn more about how to identify and protect your most important business interests.