Every month local business owners and entrepreneurs can book in to spend 45 minutes with our resident legal experts from Mackenzie Elvin, through Powering ON’s Office Hours programme. The advice given is invaluable for those starting up, or navigating the tough roads of business ownership, not to mention it’s completely free!

Local makeup artist and educator Lillybeth Melmoth has been running her business, Lillybeth Makeup: A Beautiful Education, for 10 years and says she benefited immensely from her Office Hours: Legal session.

“I came to the session with definite questions, to which I got solid answers. My questions to Tom were whether I legally needed a signed contract to call my team contractors (no) and we had a good chat about the value of protecting my intellectual property and branding, and what specific changes I should make to better communicate my requirements around this with my team,” Lillybeth says.

“I already had much of it in place but it was great to hash it out the nitty gritty with someone in the legal profession at no cost to me. Tom also understood my business size (small) and budget for lawyers (nil, low risk) and pointed me to some free, online resources I’m now using to draft a better team contract, as well as advice on how to keep our agreements fresh, instead of letting it stagnate to become a document they signed years ago.”

Lillybeth has spent a decade helping women “feel glamorous and confident for the ‘red-carpet’ moments in their lives through professional makeup”.

“Most of my work is helping brides planning to marry in the Bay of Plenty book their wedding day makeup without hassles and with a reliable makeup artist - either myself or one of my team,” she says.

She also teaches busy women - often business owners themselves -  how to use professional makeup techniques in their own routine in interactive makeup consultations, without pressure to purchase product.

While she’s clearly got experience in her industry, it’s not without its challenges.

“One of the biggest challenges I face is maintaining my number of bookings with more competitors in the market (the influx of people into Tauranga has brought more qualified makeup artists with it) and managing/training my team of makeup artists/hair stylists.”

Lillybeth says if you’re considering signing up for an Office Hours: Legal session, don’t hesitate.

“Don’t be scared. It’s free - you won’t get a bill afterwards! Relative to what I imagined a lawyer might be, Tom was relaxed, down-to-earth and gave me his undivided attention to serve me those 45 minutes,” she says.

“Basestation is a friendly environment and every time I’ve been there the people have been nice. So is the coffee on-location at Folk! So make a wee morning of it and book in an Office Hours session for some free legal advice. It’s a wonderful resource [that] someone else is paying for, so if you think you need it, use it! Thank you, Venture Centre and Mackenzie Elvin.”

Click here to book your Office Hours: Legal session today.

- PoweringON Office Hours exist thanks to experts donating their time for free and Venture Centre organising, co-ordinating and promoting Office Hours with the support of the Digital Enablement Project (DEP). Venture Centre works to connect people on enterprising journeys - with each other and the mindset, skillset, toolsets, networks and resources they need - to build an ecosystem that delivers real-world, learn-by-doing events, activities, projects and experiences, and more... This would not be possible without the support of Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty District councils.