"If I don't do it now, I will never go."
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"If I don't do it now, I will never go."
"Without clients, I don't have a business."
"I have a 99.3% rate of success."
00:00 Andrei Mincov's Journey: From Russia to Dubai
05:48 Navigating Legal Education in Canada
11:23 The Birth of Trademark Factory
17:22 The Challenges of Leaving Law Behind
22:19 Validation Through Doubt
27:50 Comprehensive Trademark Search and Assessment
37:50 When to Consider Trademarking Your Brand
- Andrei's journey from Russia to Dubai shaped his entrepreneurial spirit.
- Transitioning from lawyer to entrepreneur requires a shift in mindset.
- Trademark Factory was born out of a desire to help entrepreneurs.
- Understanding client needs is crucial for business success.
- A flat fee for trademark registration can prevent unexpected costs.
- The importance of a money-back guarantee in service-based businesses.
- Building a brand is an investment in the future of a business.
- Trademark registration is essential for protecting intellectual property.
- Many businesses underestimate the value of their brand.
- Legal services should be viewed as a service, not a profession.
Let's Get Going
- Russian attorney until he was 32.
- Moved to Canada.
- Now Dubai.
- His family raised him as an anti-Soviet.
- He traveled to America in 1989 when he was 13 years old.
- His dad was a famous composer, and he defended his dad in an IP case in 1996.
- Came to Canada in 2007.
- For 4.5 years, he worked with major law firms on international law.
- Had to start law school over in Canada.
- He didn't learn English until 1998.
- No one would hire him.
- He found "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," and that was his sign.
- "Without a client, I don't have a business."
How will it hurt if I just try to start my own business?”
- Find a pain and solve it.
- He sold an apartment he had in Russia when he moved to Canada, and he calculated that it should last him through law school, and it did.
- He made some bad decisions...got some loans...made some bad investments.
- It's not expensive to start out in law, and it's quite profitable if you don't build a big overhead.
- Law is a service, not a profession. There's a lot of hype from the Bar.
- He's treated like an ATM by the attorneys he hired, and he wanted to create a different experience.
- Propaganda works.
- Launched Trademark Attorney in 2013.
- He needed to stand out when he went to Dallas in 2013 with 11,000 attorneys and everyone told him his idea wouldn't work, and he loved it.
- Dropped his license in 2015 since it was limiting, but he kept his trademark license.
- Dropping his license was "the scariest thing I ever did." It was a line in the sand. He was committing to being an entrepreneur.
- He narrowed his focus, and he stood out.
- He loves Texas and Wasp, "Blind in Texas."
- The first copycat didn't show up until maybe 2022.
- He offered a flat fee service and a money-back guarantee.
- He offers a search and registerability report, but most law firms downplay this.
- He travels a lot and homeschools his kids.
- How do you know if you need a trademark?
- Is it likely that if the business grows, I'll still be selling under this brand in 2-3 years?
- Assuming all goes well, is the brand doing something for me?
- If the answers are "no," then go back to the drawing board.
- The little guys need the IP protection. That little trademark paper gives you the help you need to fight the big guys.
- Google has made a lot of mistakes protecting their brand, but they can afford it.
- A trademark is an investment in the future of your business.
GUEST INFO:
- Guest Site: https://trademarkfactory.com/
- Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreimincov/
- Guest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@trademarkfactory