We recently connected with Maresa Talbert and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maresa, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of proceeds to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.

Yes, I “donate” a percentage of revenue to other organizations. I believe in tithing, which is a biblically based concept of giving ten percent of your increase, which for me, includes my income.

So, I do give at least ten percent of my revenue to the churches that I am a part of, whether I attend in person or online.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For those who don’t know, my name is Maresa Talbert, Esq., and I am the founder and CEO of Talbert Law Office, APC, your favorite, “go-to” legal resource for all things Business, Nonprofit & Intellectual Property Law.

My legal career journey began when THEY said “NO.” In my young life, I’d had a pretty stellar career path, but once I graduated law school, I was fortunate to hear NO, if anything at all. I had applied to hundreds of jobs, and not given a single offer. So, I decided to build my own book of business, that is, until I had finally found my dream BIGLAW job.

Soon enough, that BIGLAW job, and I hated it!! I hated the client experience, I hated the billable hour model, and I hated the delivery of legal services. I had dreamed all of my life of becoming an attorney – so that I could serve my community and provide avenues of limitless opportunity.

I believed then and now that my God’s purpose for me in business is to (1) deliver a premier client experience; (2) provide culturally relevant education; and (3) empower my community to thrive in their purpose and build legacy. So, I quit. With the faith of a mustard seed and my relentless pursuit of purpose, I started Talbert Law Office, a virtual law practice that helps entrepreneurs, founders, and creatives start a business or nonprofit, maintain legal compliance, avoid risks, and protect personal and intellectual property assets through business formations, contracts, trademark registrations, and so much more.

Since then, Talbert Law Office has gained recognition among the San Diego community and beyond through its commitment to community service, an elevated client experience, and sheer hard work and perseverance. Our clients quickly learn that Talbert Law Office does not merely exchange goods and services; rather, we curate a client journey in which successes are celebrated and frequent, needs are anticipated and exceedingly met, and peace of mind overflows at every juncture.

Talbert Law Office is advocacy in action. I am proud of my service to clients, but I am even more proud of my service to the community.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I definitely have a horror story.

For most of 2021, I spent a significant amount of time upgraded my internal systems for a better client experience. After spending a year on internal systems, I decided it was time to upgrade my website to match the new experience and to correspond to elevated pricing. So, I started hunting for a great website designer, who specifically understood marketing. I wanted a website that would convert leads to clients.

So, my research began. I ran across a Youtube video from a service provider, and I fell in love with her website design. The designer’s tag was listed on the footer of that Youtuber’s website, and I decided to contact the designer.

I paid the $497 consultation fee (which is higher than my consultation fee), and was scheduled to get to work. Days before the consultation, I received multiple invoices stating that I still owed the initial consultation fee, which was completely inaccurate. Expecting that it was just a system error or oversight, I ignored it. However, during the actual consultation, the service provider reminded me to pay the fee. I told her that I could not have scheduled to consultation without paying first, but that I would remit payment again once we completed the consultation.

After the consultation, I saw the money was already withdrawn from my account, so I called my bank, and asked if they could refund me so I could repay her. They stated NO. The transaction was no longer pending, but had actually been received, and they emailed me a letter stating just that. I immediately contacted the service provider to let her know that the transaction was already complete. She told me that she switched credit car processors, and the money disappeared into thin air.

I had to retrieve the receipt from Square to show her that I had actually paid, and that she had to figure it out on her end. That should have been my red flag, but as a fellow service provider, I do understand occasional glitches in technological systems.

From there, we got started, and she presented me with a 3-month, 5-figure proposal for the new website design, with all the bells and whistles. I told her I was ready to get started.

We were scheduled to complete the website by the end of July 2022, so I jumped in with both feet — completing pages and pages of questionnaires, providing input, creating feedback videos, all the things!!

July came and went, no website. August came and went, no website. I sent this service provider a letter about the service and lack of communication in September. She promised the website would be complete at the end of September. It was not. October came and went, more empty promises, but no website. November, came and went, no website. December came and went, no website.

Finally, January 2023, she delivered my website to me for the first time. I tell you, it was the most amateur, inconsistent, non-cohesive, and poorly designed website I have ever seen. I WAS LIVID!!

It did not reflect me, my brand, the 10 months wasted, or the 5-figures that I paid her! I had special offerings that I had been saving for the release of the website, which was initially based on Summer 2022 release, and it was now January 2023. I felt so behind, and I had lost so much money on waiting to implement new services and strategy that aligned with all of the new branding.

I took control of the website, and hired another designer to make changes. However, that designer became ill, and was unable to complete the changes on her work product.

So, I started all over! I scrapped everything — bought a template design, with a new web host, and worked non-stop for the entire month of January to build my own website, which I did. I spent $30,000, billed at my own hourly rate, to build and complete a whole new website from the template that I purchased. I had to spend another couple thousand dollars for the template, additional pages, and the new website host, but I did it myself, with no background knowledge of websites AT ALL.

The website I built is my current website, and I received a lot of great feedback from it. I’m proud of it because I feel like it carries my essence, and I worked really hard to make it so.

I initially planned to sue the service provider for a partial refund, and I still might. For now, I’m pleased with the outcome, but it’s been an expensive and exhausting lesson.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The principles that govern my life and my actions are in the Bible. There are several pointed scriptures that impact my thinking and philosophy in life and business. I’ll give you three:

Matthew 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 7:12, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Galatians 6:7-9, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

What that means to me is do the right thing all the time, because even when no one is watching, God is watching me. This is why I value purpose over profit. This is why I stand for integrity and excellence. I seek from approval from God above anyone else, and I know that my reward comes from Him. That gives me peace, and guides me every single day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.talbertlawoffice.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talbert_law_office/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talbert-law-office-apc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@talbertlawoffice

Image Credits
Brandon Jonhson