Josh Steimle

MWI, a marketing agency, is the first "real" business I started, way back in 1999. Today, MWI has offices on multiple continents and works with clients like Marriott, Sony, LG, Hotels.com, and Orangetheory Fitness. 

MWI is actually more than a single company, it's a collection of marketing agencies. We grow by diversifying ourselves across geographies, services, and industries. 

Geography: We're always interested in opening or acquiring offices in new locations. If you currently run a marketing agency and want to be part of the MWI network, please reach out.

Services: We started out as a web development agency but then moved into services like SEO, paid search, social, PR, content, and video. We start subsidiary agencies focused on these services, while MWI HQ acts as the coordinating hub for clients who need multiple services. If you run a firm that focuses on a particular marketing service and are interesting in partnering with us, I'd love to talk.

Industries: We launch subsidiary marketing agencies that focus on niche industries such as self storage, dentists, hospitals, and hospitality. If you have a marketing agency that focuses on a particular industry and would like to discuss a potential acquisition, let me know.

For more info visit www.mwi.com.

Founder

Pando Partners

It took me over 20 years to figure out why I'm an entrepreneur. I used to think I wanted money, or stuff, or for people to see me as successful. But chasing all of that left me empty, and it didn't seem to work out well business-wise, either.

Instead, what seemed to align everything in my business and personal life was a desire to help others progress, to see them maximize their potential. I started Pando Partners as a way to create businesses as vehicles to help people get unstuck and keep learning and growing.

Of course, we care about money—a business can't survive without profits, just like a person can't survive without food. Money matters like food matters. But if all you live for is to eat, and all your business exists for is to make money, what kind of existence is that?

At Pando, our first core value is people. Our other core values are purpose, abundance, partnership, and stewardship. Through Pando's multi-business system (MBS), I can partner with great experts, leaders, and creators to find unlimited opportunities. At other companies, you compete against your own team to move up the corporate ladder. At Pando, there is no limit to the number of companies we can create, which encourages collaboration and loyalty. 

The Pando plan involved two phases. Phase I is to create several self-managing businesses related to marketing and promotion. During Phase II, we'll use those companies to help larger, more scalable companies grow quickly.

Interested in joining the team? Shoot me a message.

Published Author

Want 1-1 book coaching? Contact me at josh@publishedauthor.com. Published Author helps entrepreneurs write, publish, and leverage business books to grow their businesses.

Canvas PR

In 2013, I published my first article in a major publication (FastCo). Then I was invited to write a column for Forbes. Then I got into Entrepreneur, Insider, Fortune, TIME, Mashable, Techcrunch, and ultimately I wrote hundreds of articles for more than two-dozen publications.

However, the more I wrote and published articles, the more I got on the radar of PR firms. At first, it was just a few pitches each month. Then it was dozens, then hundreds, and some months I'm pretty sure it neared 1,000 pitches. 

The pitches came from all types of PR firms, including big NYC PR firms, and yet they were all the same. "Hey, I've got big time CEO so and so available, would you like to talk to them?" It was almost like every PR firm gave their people the same "How to Pitch PR" book that included a single template which everyone copied and then mass-emailed to everyone they could find on MuckRack.

I knew there had to be a better way.

I looked at the pitches I actually read, the ones that were customized so I knew they were only sent to me and no one else. I saw how they reached out to me because they knew what I wrote about, and had a client they thought would fit well with my swim lane. And they didn't just say, "Hey, I've got so and so!" they would also give me ideas for headlines and offer to help me put together the article by gathering data, quotes, other interviews (even though not clients), etc.

Actually, no one ever pitched me that way, I only wished they would.

We started offering PR services through my marketing agency, MWI, using this type of pitch, but then we launched Canvas PR as a standalone agency. Because of our process and the relationships we've developed, we are able to offer our clients guaranteed PR placements for a flat fee. Finally, there's accountability in PR.

If you're interested in learning more, reach out to Logan Derrick at logan@canvaspr.com.

Harvard Business School

Since 2007 I've harbored an interest in doing academic research, primarily on the intersection of government policy with entrepreneurship/startup hubs globally. I've done light work with a number of professors, but to get more hands-on experience I've taken on contract work at HBS writing case studies.

Research Assistant

BlueMethod

While writing for Forbes circa 2014, I began testing whether my articles got more attention on Forbes.com or LinkedIn, and found that LinkedIn did 10x as much for me when it came to connecting with the right people and spreading my message.

The more I experimented with LinkedIn, the more I saw it as a powerful platform for content marketing and personal branding. I began providing LinkedIn services to others, helping them optimize their profiles, add lots of high-quality connections, and create compelling content, which led to the founding of BlueMethod, an agency that provides these services to clients at scale.

AuthorVoice

Should every business book author also host a podcast? Maybe not, but at least 100,000 of them should, so we launched AuthorVoice to serve this niche audience. We work exclusively with nonfiction, business book authors to help them launch audio and video podcast shows to promote their book, connect with collaborators, and grow their audience.

7 Systems

I believe most people in the world are good and if I can help people become more influential, they'll use that influence to make the world a better place. That's the "why" that led me to create 7 Systems, a publishing, training, and events company that helps clients increase their influence using The 7 Systems of Influence framework.

The 7 Systems framework is used by executives, entrepreneurs, educators, marketing and PR professionals, parents, and government leaders to zero in on their objectives, identify their ideal audience, and create compelling content that moves their audience to action.

Freelance Writer

I'm the author of Chief Marketing Officers at Work, 60 Days to LinkedIn Mastery, The 7 Systems of Influence, and I've written over 300 articles for print and online publications including Forbes, Fortune, Mashable, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, TechinAsia, TIME, Entrepreneur, CMO.com, Fast Company, ClickZ, CBS, Fox Small Business, Asia Trail Magazine, and The Salt Lake Tribune. 

Chief Marketing Officers at Work (http://amzn.to/2lK6t4q) contains 29 exclusive, in-depth interviews with chief marketing officers like Jeff Jones of Target, Linda Boff of GE, Brian Kenny of the Harvard Business School, Trish Mueller of The Home Depot, and Seth Farbman of Spotify.

Writer/Author

Entrepreneur Media

I always have and always will see myself as an entrepreneur, which is why I loved writing for Entrepreneur Magazine. It's where I connect with my tribe. Check out my articles about entrepreneurship, marketing, and personal influence at https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/joshua-steimle.

Contributing Writer

WSJ & USA Today bestselling author. Book coach, speaker, multi-entrepreneur. I'm here to maximize human potential.

I love starting businesses but I'm not good at running them, so I find partners who love running and growing businesses but don't love the risk of starting them. This allowed me to create Pando Partners, a holding company where I can do what I truly love, which is to start businesses, see them succeed, and see individuals learn and grow within those businesses as they maximize their potential. Right now, my primary project is MWI, the marketing agency I started in 1999. I recently bought out my partners there after 10 years and find myself back in the driver seat. However, there are a lot of other projects up and running or in early stages.

If you're interested in partnering with me, I am currently looking for partners in the following spaces:

- Self storage
- Public relations
- Marketing
- Book coaching
- Web and app development
- Design
- Streetwear/fashion
- Retail/online retail
- Education

I'm a husband, father, skater, Dinosaur Jr. fan, political news junkie, ultra trail runner, triathlete, adoptive parent and active advocate for adoption, aspiring academic researcher, and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Originally from LA, I lived in Utah from '98-'13, then moved to Hong Kong, and then to Shenzhen, China in 2016. In Jan, 2019, I moved to Boston, where my family and I lived on a farm with 21 horses, 3 guinea pigs, and 1 dog, before moving to Arizona in 2021, without the horses. 😥

I would LOVE to connect with everyone, but LinkedIn maxes out accounts at 30K. Sorry, it's not you, it's me (actually, let's blame it on LinkedIn). But please click that "Follow" button above so we can stay in touch!

If you have employees, think of each one and ask, "How would I react if they came in and told me they were quitting?"

"Whew, thank you!" = C player
"Dang...oh well, we'll find someone else." = B player
"What?! No! No, no, no, no...NO!" = A player

Fire your C players.

Improve or fire your B players.

You better make sure you keep your A players.

Now do the experiment again with your clients or customers (or customer personas). How would you react if a specific client, or a type of customer, quit?

"Whew, thank you!" = Toxic customer
"Dang...oh well, we'll find others." = Not ideal customer
"What? No!" = Ideal customer

Fire your toxic customers.

Turn your non-ideal clients or customers into the ideal, or fire them.

Double down on your ideal customer(s).

Now do the experiment one more time...How would your ideal clients or customers react if you told them you were quitting?

"Good riddance!" = You've got big problems
"Oh well, we'll find someone else." = You've still got problems
"Noooo! We can't live without you!" = Keep up the good work, but still look for ways to do better.

Agency founder. Marketing for multi-location businesses (storage, hospitals, hotels, gyms, etc.). Maximizing human potential via entrepreneurship. WSJ + USA Today bestselling author. Trail runner. Skater. Husband. Dad.

AI produces trash. Smart humans using AI are producing masterpieces. Don't trash AI. It's a losing battle. 

"People don't want to watch movies where people talk." 

"Nobody wants to watch movies at home." 

"Nobody wants to order groceries online." 

"Nobody wants restaurant food at home." 

"People like working with travel agents." 

"People want to hold a book and read it, not listen to it." 

"I'm not putting my credit card info into a website." 

"Nobody wants their banking info online." 

"Wait, a Nigerian prince wants to send me $17M...?!" 🤦‍♂️

"Nobody will read a book written by AI." 

"Nobody will watch a movie made by AI." 

Don't fear the future. Don't fight it. Embrace it. Push it even faster.

LinkedIn feels like a nonstop scroll of ads. I struggle to remember what it was like before this, but I know it was better.

I hate what AI has done to the emdash. I used the m-- all the time before AI! Now I'm all self-conscious about it.

Digital marketing & content expert. Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Keynote speaker. Writer.

Good people of LinkedIn! >> Why do people now think Ye Olde Em Dash is a sign of AI writing?

It's been around for roughly 400 years—long before Clippy, autocorrect, neural networks, or anyone imagined punctuation could enrage a mob. It's vintage!

So why are people now patrolling the streets of LinkedIn with torches and pitchforks, rounding up em dashes like it’s CSI: Grammar Unit?

>> Because of a perfect storm of style, superstition, and machine mimicry.

AI models love the em dash... because *humans* do.

Large language models are trained on millions of human-written sentences. (Mostly stolen, it must be said.)

And we modern writers use em dashes a lot. They mimic our conversational, emotional, sometimes delightfully digressive voice—the kind that wanders, like it's doing right here—before it plops its peach 🍑 into a seat and parks itself on the page.

So when AI learned to “sound human,” it slipped on our favorite cardigan: the em dash.

When people started noticing dashes popping up everywhere in ChatGPT writing... I  mean, "outputs"... they mistook the symptom for the cause.

Maybe before you accuse anyone of “writing like AI,” ask yourself:

Who’s actually robotic ... the writer using rhythm and nuance?
Or the reader... following a rulebook?

* * *

Here's why this matters at all: Punctuation isn’t about grammar.

It’s a kind of wingman for your words—it helps them come alive in another’s mind.

Writing, like punctuation, is less about rules and more about listening for the rhythm and the beats beneath the words. It’s taste, timing, feeling... and the beautiful mess of being unmistakably human.

Which is all to say... ***Justice! For! Em Dashes!***
 
Notice how em dashes work—whether you're reading them here, on LinkedIn, on a tote bag, in a poem. rhythm of writing—the beats beneath the words.
 
Said another way:
 
You can tell a lot about a writer by how they use an em dash.
You can tell even more by whether they're afraid to.
 
It's time for us writers to reclaim what's ours! It's time to BE FEARLESS. 

Who's with me?

P.S. Should we actually produce this rallying cry of a t-shirt? Y or N. 

P.P.S. Print On Demand companies: Anyone wanna help? 👕

P.P.P.S. Thanks for reading this far. #WritingCommunity #AI #JusticeForEmDashes #ContentWriting

If you could change 3 things to make LinkedIn better, what would they be?

Walter Silvester

Silvester Legal LLC

Silvester Legal LLC is a commercial law firm, helping companies, directors and shareholders to focus on operating their business. We take care of the law, you operate your business. We specialise in shareholder disputes and have a great track record in minority oppression suits, having gained favourable results in every such suit in the last few years. This is our wheelhouse, and we are really good at it.

Managing Director

Joseph Tan Jude Benny LLP

Civil and Commercial Litigation
Dispute Resolution
Matrimonial Law
Company and Director Disputes

Senior Legal Associate 

Partner

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP

Associate

Lee & Lee

I am a Commercial Lawyer with experience in Singapore's top law firms. I give clients the legal guidance they need to operate their businesses with confidence – including assistance with agreements, employment, and disputes. 

My area of expertise is in commercial disputes. With my degrees in business and law from the National University of Singapore (NUS), I am passionate about helping companies and start-ups develop effective and successful business strategies.

In commercial litigation cases, I always act in the best interest of clients. To me, client communication and relationship are key at all stages. I review each case and will let you know what you should do. If you have a losing hand, I will try to minimize your loss. If you have a winning hand, I will make sure you get the justice you deserve. 

I created the curriculum and lectured for the London School of Business and Finance’s Diploma in Law program which has been running successfully for the past 5 years and going. This involves 8 modules including Company Law, Commercial Law, Litigation, Family Law, Tort Law, and Legal Writing & Research. 

Need legal advice, connect with me at walter@silvesterlegal.com

"Hey Walter, can I tap your brain for a bit?" 

"Just one quick question."

"Promise it'll take five minutes."

Translation: "Can I get free legal advice?"

Look, I don't mind helping at all. But that "quick" question is usually something serious like reworking a 12-page contract, fighting a looming lawsuit, or a joint venture gone sideways.

So here's what you should never say to a lawyer:

1. "𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲." 
Small issues become expensive lawsuits when ignored.

2. "𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻." 
My opinion is formal advice.

3. "𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?"
Friendship doesn't come with legal protection when things go wrong.

4. "𝗜 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲." 
That one clause is usually the one that destroys the deal and needs reworking.

5. "𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻?" 
Not without knowing the full story from the beginning.

6. "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲?" 
I would hire a lawyer.

7. "𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁…" 
That’s why I need set time to give proper solution.

8. "𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲." 
Then don't. Book a proper consultation.

9. "𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗮𝘆." 
We charge a lot because we're fixing $50,000 problems that cost $500 to prevent.

10. “𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂?”
It always turns into hours of work.

⚖️ We lawyers aren't money-grabbing professionals waiting to charge you high fees. 

We genuinely want to help. 

But helping you with our best effort means putting in real time and work to win your case or give you the best outcome.

Your business deserves better than just "quick advice."

So give it proper legal attention now.

Lawyer. Shareholder Disputes & Advisory for SG SMEs. Helping you build your SG SME and protect your life's work.

What not to say to a lawyer.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about one of my Directors after he won an ALB Singapore Rising Stars award.

And then this happened.

I really want to take all the credit for being an awesome talent spotter, but apparently his legal skills, analytical mind, presence, voice, and hair make everything remarkably his own.

Since stepping into the Director role, Akesh has been exceptional. He tackles complex disputes, delivers consistently for clients, works tirelessly, and somehow still manages to look dapper doing it.

What I notice most is how he sees the bigger picture. He's not just handling cases, he's building something for the firm. And he lifts everyone around him in the process. Truly someone who never walks alone.

Winning anything, especially in the legal industry, requires a huge amount of social capital and consistent visibility for anyone to notice you. 

Especially something like being recognised as an honouree of the LexisNexis® 40 UNDER 40 2025 Asia List and LexisNexis® 40 UNDER 40 2025 Southeast Asia List. 

It's really not that easy.

Congratulations, Akesh Abhilash. I'm very proud of this.

I just hope the team you're leading won't all style their hair like yours.

A business owner called me last week.

Owner: "Walter, someone is threatening to sue my company. What do I do?"

Me: "First, do not panic. Second, do not reply."

Owner: "Should I apologise or explain my side to calm things down?"

Me: "No. One careless message can be used against you in court."

Owner: "Okay... so what do I do?"

Me: "Here is exactly what you need to do."

1. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.
Your first reaction usually makes things worse. Keep emotions out of it.

2. 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲.
Screenshots, emails, WhatsApp, agreements, and invoices matter.

3. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
You need to know what was promised, what was delivered, and what can be enforced.

4. 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆.
Anything you say may weaken your position. Let your lawyer handle the communication.

5. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲.
List down key dates, what happened, and who said what. This saves time and legal fees.

6. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆.
A short consultation can prevent a costly mistake later.

7. 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁.
Do you want to settle, fight, negotiate, or protect your reputation. Your strategy depends on this.

8. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Most disputes can be resolved quietly without going to court.

9. 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆.
One wrong public statement can backfire and cause long term damage.

10. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀.
Most disputes are preventable with stronger contracts, scopes, and communication.

⚖️ If you ever receive a letter of demand or a legal threat, do not react. Call a lawyer as soon as possible. That will always be the wisest decision.

DM me now if you need more advice.

How to handle a legal threat.

Founders often ask, “Can we keep legal fees low?”

Others say, “Walter, just do it, money is not an issue.”

Both situations are real and valid.

As a law firm, we need to stay profitable and reward our team. 

At the same time, I am a founder myself, so I understand the pressure that cash flow creates.

Legal issues will not wait for your next funding round.

Here's how you can manage legal fees smartly as a founder:

1. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁. 
Be open about what you can spend. Lawyers can propose alternatives if they understand your limits, do not wait for a surprise bill.

2. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆. 
Not every legal issue is urgent. Ask, “If I wait three months, what is the risk?” A good lawyer will give you an honest answer.

3. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹.
Gather your documents, clarify what outcome you want, and have facts ready. You pay for legal expertise, not admin work.

4. 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘀.
Hourly billing can be uncertain. For specific projects, ask for a fixed fee so you can forecast costs.

5. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. 
A longer contract is not always better. A clear and simple agreement often protects you and costs less than pages of legal language.

6. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Lawyers work faster and more efficiently when they understand your business. Ongoing partnerships often save money over time.

7. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿.
Cutting corners now often leads to ten times the cost later. Prevention beats expensive fixes every time.

⚖️ If you want to talk through how to manage legal fees, DM me. Your legal strategy should support your business, not drain it.

Here's what founders need to know about legal fees.

"Sign here. The deal is great for everyone."

No one wanted to slow things down, so they signed.

Weeks later came the questions.

"Why did we not check this."
"How did we miss these liabilities."

The deal that felt perfect became the deal that cost them millions.

So before you sign anything, here is what you need to do.

1. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹.
Is it strategic, defensive, ego driven, or pressure from investors. If the purpose is weak, the deal will be weak.

2. 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀.
Do not rely on surface level numbers. Study cash flow quality, recurring revenue, debts, burn rate, and customer risk.

3. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱.
IP, liabilities, staff obligations, pending disputes, and assets are not always part of the deal. Read the fine print.

4. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗺𝗯𝘀.
Tax exposure, regulatory breaches, warranty claims, unpaid suppliers, and employment issues can explode after completion.

5. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁.
Deals collapse when founders or talent disengage after payout. Lock in retention, incentives, and handover responsibilities.

6. 𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲.
Culture, systems, clients, product, and brand alignment must be planned early or you will buy confusion instead of growth.

7. 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.
Warranties, indemnities, conditions precedent, and exit rights must shield you if things go wrong later.

8. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Do not fall for inflated numbers. Compare with industry benchmarks, risk factors, and realistic growth potential.

9. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂.
A banker, lawyer, and accountant must protect your interests, not sell you the deal.

10. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀.
If your minimum terms are not met, walk away. A lost deal is painful for a moment. A bad deal is painful for years.

⚖️This isn’t legal advice, and if you want a quick pre-signing checklist or review before committing to an acquisition, DM me for proper guidance.

Do these before selling or buying a company.

My lawyers and staff are all smart and high achievers.

Everyone performs well and that probably explains the results and awards we keep getting.

There is no magic behind this level of success.

It is because everyone understands the why.

Simon Sinek’s Start With Why explains it perfectly:

1. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁.
People connect with purpose first, then the approach, then the product or result.

2. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆.
Discounts, pressure, and perks only create short lived responses and weaken trust over time.

3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
People act based on belief and feeling first, then use logic to justify the choice after.

4. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆.
When decisions and behaviour match the stated purpose, people feel safe to follow.

5. 𝗔 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀.
People who share the same values bring stronger energy, resilience, and commitment.

6. 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.
Teams give more when they feel part of a cause rather than completing tasks for a job.

7. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀.
Movements grow when early supporters spread the message because they believe in it.

8. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿.
Companies lose direction when growth pulls them away from their original purpose.

9. 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆.
New ideas only create lasting impact when they strengthen the core belief that made people care.

10. 𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.
When a cause is shared, the mission continues even if the founder steps aside.

⚖️ When people understand why they are doing the work, they give more of themselves because the work matters to them.

Have a great weekend, my LinkedIn community.

Define the why and success follows.

We work with AI every day.

As AI automates routine tasks, we are no longer judged by how well we write, fix grammar, or check documents.

Decision-making is now the defining aspect of professional value, not just for founders, but at every level.

Here are practical ways to strengthen your judgment:

1. 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 
Take a moment before responding. Mindfulness prevents knee-jerk decisions. A calm mind leads to better choices.

2. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 
Many poor decisions come from solving the wrong issue. Clarify what's truly at stake to avoid wasted effort.

3. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝘂𝗽𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁. 
Decide what matters most before evaluating options. Cost, long-term gain, risk, speed, or impact. This reduces bias and keeps you focused.

4. 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲. 
Too many choices cause confusion. Fewer options lead to clearer, more satisfying decisions.

5. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱-𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀. 
Look beyond immediate results. Ask what happens next. A decision that solves today's problem might create a bigger one tomorrow.

6. 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 
Write down the facts. Then list the emotions. Decide based on facts, guided by values.

7. 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 
Run a small pilot or gather outside perspectives. Experimentation prevents costly mistakes.

8. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿. 
Choose the outcome you can live with. Some regrets weigh heavier than others.

9. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 
Give yourself a timeframe. Decide, commit, and move forward.

⚖️ AI can't replace good judgment. Use these steps to decide better and stay irreplaceable.

✅ Follow Walter Silvester for insights to help you grow and protect your company.

Decide better in the AI age.

I spend a lot of time talking to people.

My wife and kids, my team, my clients.

And it’s rarely the topic that changes the mood.

It’s always the tone and the vibes you bring into the conversation.

Almost anything can be framed in a positive way.

Even the defeat of my favourite football team can become a lesson or a moment to bond.

These are a few things I try to practise:

1. People judge your intention from your tone before they process your words.

2. A calm voice regulates the other person’s emotions faster than logic ever will.

3. The energy you bring into a conversation is usually mirrored back to you.

4. When someone feels heard, they become more open to your message.

5. Your facial expression sets the mood before you even speak.

⚖️ Let us start the week by communicating with more awareness.

Value. 

Almost everything hinges on this word.

Every founder and employee seems to assume that is what they bring.

Even for us as a law firm, beyond just winning cases and awards, value is something we try to bring every day by focusing on our clients' needs, guiding them to make better decisions, and protecting them. 

It demands attention every single day.

And if we are constantly checking ourselves on this, you should be too.

These four simple questions can help:

1. Who is this for?

2. What problem are we solving?

3. Why would they pay for this?

4. What makes us the better choice?

⚖️ If we cannot answer these properly, no product, service, branding, colours, fonts, or ideas will save it.

✅ Follow Walter Silvester for insights to help you grow and protect your company.

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