Gena Shingle Jaffe is a lawyer by profession and shares her story of how she switched from working in a corporate law firm to starting her own business. She believes her athleticism and the fact that she was once a nationally competitive gymnast helped her a lot in her entrepreneurial journey. Gena believes one learns work ethic when you are an athlete and she believes this work ethic has helped her tremendously to be an entrepreneur. We ask about her experiences of being a gymnast, how it has been like to be an entrepreneur. 

What did it feel like to be a gymnast?

Gena says it is a tough sport both physically and mentally. Many a times you are putting yourself in positions and doing moves, which are actually scary. You feel like your life is on the line when you are flying above in the air all the time. She believes mental strength is very important for a gymnast, learning to get back up every time you fall, that is what keeps you motivated.

When did she make the decision of becoming a gymnast?

Gena says she was only six years old when she started attending the classes and when she was 12 years old, she had to choose between gymnastics and other sports. She made this decision of choosing gymnastics at that time.

How difficult was it to give up her job and be an entrepreneur?

Gena thinks it was a hard decision as it was a big financial decision. She was making a handsome amount of money through her job and had that security and stability. She knew she could make more money being an entrepreneur but it was a huge risk.

How did the entrepreneurial journey start?

Gena met her wife Jordana in 2013. Jordana was herself an entrepreneur her entire career. She asked Gena if she ever thought of having her own business and Gena reply was a straight “NO”. With the passage of time,Gena saw for herself how amazing Jordana’s life was and not that it was easy but she loved what she was doing.Gena was inspired by the fact that Jordana was helping many other women through her entrepreneurial work.Gena got extremely sick in December 2013 and could not go to her job for weeks. That is when decided she could not do it anymore, so she left her job and embarked on her new journey of entrepreneurship.

Whom doesGena serve? How does she help them?

She works with online business owners, mostly with women. She provides legal assistance to her clients, protects their brand, help them grow. She believes many entrepreneurs really do not understand the legal side of their business, which is very important. Gena thinks she acts as a bridge and helps them work while they are fully assisted in legal department.

What is her advice for new startups?

Gena says that almost every startup has a website these days and one must have three legal documents for their website. They are the following:

1) Disclaimer

2) Terms and Conditions

3) Privacy Policy

These documents protect your liability, the content of your website, the information people share with you on your website.

How can we connect with her?

http://www.genavieveshingle.com/about/

You can connect with her through her website. Following is the URL

Her website contains all the important information. Her legal course is available on the website. All the contracts and templates she sells are available on her website.