Today we’d like to introduce you to Jo-Ná Williams.
Hi Jo-Ná, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started as an artist doing background vocals and writing songs in Atlanta while I was in high school. I was told by the engineers I was working with that I would be credited and compensated for my work and that never happened. I would hear my music or my voice playing on stations and in songs that I contributed to, but I had no idea how to defend or protect myself at the time. I was so young. Little did I know that would be the entryway that led to my passion of helping others and advocating for the protection of artists in the entertainment industry. After being a manager and events producer I switched to law because I knew it was the best way to accomplish the goal of protecting and empowering artists.
After taking my first business law course, I realized my passion was really about entrepreneurship. I created a coaching company called Artist Empowerment whose sole focus was to help artists become entrepreneurs because that was the way they could do their work on their terms. Artist Empowerment allowed me to step deeper into my passion of empowerment and entrepreneurship because I could teach, coach, and support people in making their dreams come true while also helping them legally. This was before Instagram was a thing, so it felt like I was yelling into an echo chamber when many artists just wanted to make art and have the means to do so, not become full-time business owners. That has changed now thankfully, but I do think that I was ahead of my time.
As a result, I started working with other types of business owners like content creators, artists, online course creators, celebrities, start-ups, marketers, and other types of people because my focus had become finding the people who SHARE my love of entrepreneurship and be there to support them with my work. As I grew as a person my work as business advisor began to incorporate my personal spiritual practices and gifts in addition to the practical information for securing a business and helping it thrive.
In 2015 I experienced massive burnout. It was severe and I realized that my businesses were not set up to allow me to thrive as a human or for them to thrive in the world the way I could so easily see it in my dreams. I was burning the candle at both ends, working until past midnight, not eating or sleeping well, had massive anxiety and fear that I was going to really mess up my life and everything I’d worked so hard to build. So, I had to take a break. I feel like that’s what the Universe was requiring of me. It was the best time of my life because I really focused on recovery and building my businesses in a sustainable way. I remember a friend said to me at that time “You’re a Phoenix. You had to burn it all down and rise again so you could show us how.” At the time, I couldn’t hear or believe that. But somewhere in my heart, I knew it was the truth and I definitely know that now.
Now, I live life to the fullest and my businesses are even more successful and incredible than they were before but more importantly, I AM BETTER THAN EVER before. It wasn’t easy but I had to take the steps, do the work, and now I show other business owners how to create a solid, sustainable, profitable business with the security and protection to thrive no matter the economy or industry. It’s a mix of practical tools, structural steps, and a genuine focus of putting your self-care and personal priorities at the top and utilizing them as your north star. I am so grateful for the work I do now because I get to speak all over the world on entrepreneurship, protect people with the law, and be a beckon of information and hopefully inspire others to live their dreams on their terms.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No it hasn’t and I think that burnout is a big part of the way my road is paved now.
I think that so many people can relate to that now but when I experienced it, it was a time when the culture didn’t have space for people’s burnout stories. While I experienced so much support that I am grateful for, I also received judgment and that I think I would not experience now had my burnout happened post-2020. However, I am grateful for the timing because I do believe my story and my tools have helped people recover or prevent it from happening.
Also, I built both my companies from scratch in New York City. No trust, no investors, just determination and work. It was hard but I am so grateful that I didn’t come from a background that supported my building a business because I do think it gave me an advantage in the way that I think. When you don’t have a way to make it work handed to you, you have to think creatively and do your best to innovate or create spaces where others don’t see them or think you belong. It’s not about them. It’s about you. You have to remain steadfast in your vision and tenacious in your execution and graceful to yourself when your efforts and expectation don’t match the outcome. Keep going anyway. Your belief is the fuel.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My law firm – J.A. Williams Law P.C. – our focus is helping entrepreneurs turn their companies into empires. Our practice areas are business law, intellectual property, and media/entertainment law.
We’re different because we aren’t just a firm focused on helping people secure their companies. We focus on growth, sustainability, and security so a business can truly thrive and create positive disruption in the world. Our clients are innovators. They are celebrities, content creators, coaches, tech companies, personal brands, authors, product-based companies in the fields of beauty, food, film, etc.
We can help a business secure their intellectual property (copyrights and trademarks) help them buy/sell businesses or create partnerships, and negotiate publishing contracts, TV/Film contracts, brand sponsorships, and any other entertainment agreements.
I am so proud that we have helped our clients create their work bigger in the world than they believed possible. We have been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Essences, Black Enterprise and we received the awards of Top 40 Under 40 for the National Black Lawyers and I received Business Lawyer of the year – New York through Acquisition International.
As a business advisor, I focus on advising companies and entrepreneurs on sustainability, legal security, and wealth-building while infusing some spiritual work and self-care practices. I’m also a certified yoga instructor and I am trained in herbalism.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was definitely a music kid and an entrepreneurship kid! I loved music and it gave me an outlet. I started my first “business” at 7 years old making friendship bracelets. While other kids were playing on the playground, I was filling kids’ orders. LOL. I don’t know if my mother understood I was selling them but she would take me to the fabric store and I would stock up on colors and I had order forms. I didn’t realize until I was older that time in my life set me up for a love affair with entrepreneurship that informs the work I do today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jawilliamslaw.com, www.jo-nawilliams.com
- Instagram: @jwilliamsesq and @jawilliamslaw
- Twitter: twitter.com/jwilliamsesq
- Other: TikTok – jwilliamsesq
Image Credits
islandboiphotography
C Freedom Photograpy
