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Business, News

Building a Faith-Based Business: Lessons from Easter, Loss, and Leadership

By Lorraine Galvis, Esq.

In the wake of Pope Francis’s recent passing and the deep reflection that Easter Sunday always brings, I found myself revisiting a conversation I’ve had countless times—with God, with myself, and with other Christian entrepreneurs:

What does it really mean to run a faith-based business?

For those of us who identify as Catholic business owners or Christian professionals, it’s a question that stretches far beyond mission statements or inspirational quotes. It demands an honest look at how we operate, how we lead, and how we prioritize.

Why Faith in Business Matters

Running a business that honors Christian values is not simply about ethics or branding—it’s about alignment. As a lawyer and a believer, I’ve learned that integrity, truth, and justice are not just legal ideals; they’re spiritual ones. They guide how I serve clients, manage resources, and build a team culture grounded in service, transparency, and stewardship.

Our world often tells us success is found in constant hustle, high revenue, and rapid growth. But Scripture tells us something different: that we are to be faithful stewards and work with intention (1 Peter 4:10, Luke 16:1-13), and that we are called to serve, not just to earn (Matthew 25:14-30).

A Catholic Businesswoman’s Perspective

I often tell my friends it’s not easy to be Catholic. There are many rituals, rules, and obligations—but there is also deep tradition, profound beauty, and plenty of evidence for what we believe and practice. As an attorney, I appreciate that.

Our faith isn’t unfounded. It is rooted in centuries of lived testimony, historical documentation, scientific evidence, and miraculous truth. That’s why I structure my entire business around it.

Practical Ways I Keep Christ at the Center of My Business

To live my faith in my law practice, I had to make major changes—not just in mindset, but in my daily operations:

  • Calendar Alignment: My schedule now begins and ends with Christ. I block time for daily Mass, adoration, and prayer. I’ve also set calendar reminders for feast days, novenas, and Marian devotions to stay spiritually grounded.
  • Client Scheduling: Legal consultations and meetings are organized around my spiritual commitments, not in competition with them.
  • Intentional Rest: On days of spiritual obligation or deeper reflection, I minimize business activities and instead focus on relationship-building—having coffee with a friend or legal colleague after Mass or quietly praying a rosary or listening to Mass during a walk in my neighborhood. I also research and calendar where and when I can attend Mass when my family and I travel.
  • Faith-Led Leadership: I request Masses for my firm’s clients and make it a point to pray over business decisions, regularly asking God for guidance on how He would run this firm.

The Power of Christian Community in Business

Recently, I met with a legal colleague who is someone I admire and who is quite successful with her legal practice. She kindly reminded me that grief must be acknowledged. After losing my father earlier this year, I was trying to push forward without making space to heal. She had lost two loved ones herself and shared wisdom from that season. It was a reminder that business leaders are still human—and that Christian business ownership must include compassion, rest, and support.

Faith-led entrepreneurship isn’t about appearing perfect or having all the answers. It’s about community, humility, and relying on others in times of need—just as Christ taught us.

Clients Are More Than Transactions

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in business is our clients are not just numbers or contracts—they are people. Many are walking through hard seasons. Many are searching for purpose. Whether they share our faith or not, we are called to treat them with dignity, patience, and care.

Even if we never speak the name of Jesus in a consultation, our actions—our consistency, compassion, and integrity—can reflect Him in powerful ways.

What Illness Taught Me About Business and Faith

When I went through cancer treatment, everything changed. No amount of money could buy back time with my son. No business achievement could relieve the pain of chemo, or the fear in my husband’s and mother’s eyes as they sat beside me.

That season forced me to surrender. Not just my health—but also my plans, my pace, and my pride. It reminded me that success in the eyes of God often looks nothing like what the world celebrates.

It also taught me this: There’s more to life than running a business. But if we must run one, let it be one that glorifies Him.

3 Encouragements for Christian Entrepreneurs

If you’re a faith-driven business owner—or simply someone trying to lead with purpose—here are a few thoughts I leave with you:

  1. Structure Your Time with Intention: Begin your day with prayer or the Holy Mass, if you can. Build your business around your values, not in spite of them.
  2. Welcome Community: Don’t isolate. Whether it’s colleagues, clients, or church friends, keep your heart and mind open and invite people into your faith walk.
  3. Surrender the Outcome: Pray over your customers and your goals (and their goals, too.). Invite the Holy Spirit into your decisions. Remember, success by God’s standards may look like peace, not profit.

As you reflect on your own leadership, I encourage you to ask:

Have I truly invited God into my business? 

Or am I just asking Him to bless my plans?

There is real transformation available when we seek to build not just a successful business, but a faithful one. One that reflects Christ, honors people, and leaves a legacy beyond revenue.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s missing in your work, perhaps it’s not more marketing or a better product. Perhaps it’s something eternal.


#FaithBasedBusiness #CatholicEntrepreneur #ChristianSmallBusiness #PurposeDrivenLeadership #ChristianAttorney #ChristianBusinessWomen #WorkWithPurpose #RunningABusinessWithFaith

April 23, 2025
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Business

Demystifying the Corporate Transparency Act: A Guide for Small Business Owners

Demystifying the Corporate Transparency Act: A Guide for Small Business Owners

Hey there fellow business enthusiasts! Today, we’re unraveling the mystery behind a new law that’s making waves in the entrepreneurial world – the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Whether you’re just starting your business adventure or you’ve been in the game for a while, understanding the CTA is crucial. 

What’s the Corporate Transparency Act?

Think of the CTA as a new set of rules for businesses. As of January 1, 2024, federal law requires anyone who owns or controls some or all of a registered business (e.g., LLC, S-Corporation, C-Corporation, etc.), you must report certain information, including your identity and those who own or control the company with you.

Are You A “Beneficial Owner”?

If you own 25% or more of a business or you’re the big decision-maker, congratulations, you’re a beneficial owner! If you own a significant chunk of a business – 25% or more – or if you don’t own a ton of shares, but you call the shots or you have substantial control over a business, you’re still a beneficial owner in the eyes of the CTA. If you’re quietly pulling the strings from behind the scenes, guiding the business without everyone knowing, you might still be a beneficial owner.

The Beneficial Owner Inquiry – Getting Started

If you’ve determined you’re a beneficial owner, here’s what you need to do next: 

  1. Gather information about all the beneficial owners in your business. 
  2. If you need or want our help to make this filing, complete our intake form. 
  3. Call or email our office to make an appointment to discuss your filing or we will contact you once we receive your completed intake form and payment.

Potential Penalties for Not Filing or Complying with CTA

   Failing, ignoring, or forgetting to submit the inquiry or giving the wrong information could result in civil or criminal penalties, including big fines or even imprisonment. 
Don’t Stress! We’re Here to Help Running a business is a huge responsibility. Making regular filings such as these is a part of doing business, but should not be a stressful experience if you plan ahead and stay informed. Feel free to call or email our office if you have any questions or wish to make an appointment with our office. We would be happy to help you make your filing!

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January 12, 2024
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Business, Trademarks

Registering Trademarks for Your New Business

In this video, trademark and business attorney, Lorraine Galvis, Esq. discusses the steps and costs involved when applying for state or federal trademark protection for your brand identifiers (brand name, logo, slogan, scent, or jingle).

September 19, 2023
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Business

5 Good Reasons to Register Your Business

Business & entertainment attorney, Lorraine Galvis, Esq., discusses 5 good reasons why current business owners and those thinking of starting a new business should register their business in their home state or principal place of business. Ms. Galvis talks about the differences between common entity formations like limited liability companies (LLCs) and subchapter S corporations and the importance of keeping personal activities and finances separate from those belonging to your business.

Ms. Galvis is the founder and owner of ​⁠@GalvisandCompany. Attorney advertising. Not legal advice. For educational purposes only. Galvis & Co.® LLC. All rights reserved.

For more information or to schedule a legal consultation with Ms. Galvis, email us at info@galvisandcompany.com.

September 19, 2023
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Business, Contracts, COVID-19, Trademarks

Got vaxed? Now What?: Time for Contract Updates & Trademark Registrations

Though I’m not sure the worst of the pandemic is behind us (we are still on high alert because of these new variants), it seems like more and more people are returning to their regular lives and activities before the COVID-19 storm hit us. Plus, it’s SUMMER!!!!  Myself included, those regular activities may also include going back to work, weekend brunches with friends, family barbecues, weekend getaways, and outdoor happy hours. Yay! However, if you own and run a small business like I do, then you probably also need to start thinking about rebuilding your business, catching up with bills, growing your revenue stream, or all three! I recommend setting aside some cherished fun time for a little legal housekeeping.  This is a critical time to tie up any loose ends connected to your company’s formation or trademark registrations. 

Many of my clients suffered devastating blows to their business and income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but not all is lost. Many freelancers and small businesses, including some of our entertainment, e-commerce, and business clients grew in ways they never expected or anticipated. As a result, freelancers and entrepreneurs, now more than ever, are needing new business contracts in order to hire vendors, contractors, or to strategically partner with other people or businesses to provide a new or wider array of products or services to current and new customers. Other people or businesses who already have these types of contracts in place have been asking us to revisit and tell them what their contracts specifically say about their obligation to continue providing services during COVID-19 or any public health emergency.  It is no surprise that many of the contracts we have seen say NOTHING specifically about what happens (i.e., do we keep working, will we get paid, are we obligated to stay committed to this vendor, agency, or contractor, etc.?). If we are lucky, the closest guidance we often see is simply a boilerplate “force majeure” clause that typically does not include the words “COVID-19”, “pandemic”, or “public health emergency”. In recent months, we have spent a great deal of time working with current and new clients to draft and update a range of work agreements – NDA, independent contractor, employment, professional services, and vendor agreements – to say what happens to the work relationship if something like COVID-19 ever happens again.

What is not surprisingly true about freelancers and small businesses who either suffered significant losses or thrived unexpectedly during the pandemic, is that both groups used the downtime from the lockdowns during the pandemic to focus heavily on their digital presence. Many have begun, developed, or increased their online presences exponentially by creating new social media accounts, dedicated business websites.  As a result, freelancers and entrepreneurs have also created new or improved brand identifiers, such as new logos, music, or artwork, to promote and sell their product or service. Investing in their online identities has also allowed them to better market their products or services more widely and directly to fans and customers beyond their usual audience, to people around the world. 

Despite the efforts and growth I have seen from a lot of freelancers or small business owners (many of whom have since hired us to help them with these business flaws), many of the freelancers and small businesses we consult are either still operating their businesses without solid work agreements in place or having taken the steps to properly register their business entities or brand identifiers (i.e., logos, slogans, jingles, product or service names). Some have started new businesses using a business name or alias (also known as a DBA), without first running a proper, prior search, which risks using a name that already belongs to someone else. Others have chosen business names that were available for registration, but have not completed important steps to complete forming their business entity.  For example, if you recently formed a limited liability corporation, or an “LLC”, you (and any partners, or “members”) also need to a) publish an ad about your new LLC in 2 local newspapers and b) draft and sign an operating agreement within 120 days of forming your LLC. If you recently formed an S-corporation, or “S-Corp.”, then you (and any partners, or “shareholders”) also need to a) draft and sign a shareholder agreement and b) complete and sign certain IRS forms like Form 2553, among others.  If you have not yet formed a business entity, an experienced attorney can help you determine which structure is best suited for your particular business or enterprise and properly complete the steps above. A decent attorney may charge you anywhere from $500 – $2,500 for these services, depending on how many partners, assets, filing or publication fees are required.

Increasing your exposure on the internet and growing your brand using social media is a must for all businesses, especially after COVID-19. However, this transition also highlights the need to protect the content and artwork you are using to identify your products or services online. This is where trademark registration comes in! Increase your chances for an approval of your application by selecting (or making up!) a name that has nothing to do with your business’s product or service. Think “Xerox” for paper or “Apple” for computers. What is a Xerox anyway?  It’s a completely made up name we now use to refer to photo copies.  What does Jamba mean?  I have no idea – probably because it’s made up! – but I know they serve a mean cup of juice! Be creative, make up a name, and maximize your chances for federal trademark protection of your branded product or service. Once granted, U.S. federal protection of your brand of products or services lasts for 10 years.  Trademark registration services provided by an experienced attorney generally cost anywhere from $900 – $1500, depending on the number of marks you want to register, the amount of industry classes you want to register your trade- or service mark in (e.g., restaurant services and t-shirts = 2 classes), how many brand identifiers you are looking to register (i.e., your logo, slogan, jingle, or product/service name, or all of the above – each a “mark”), and whether your application is challenged by the U.S. trademark office, which may require your attorney to prepare a formal legal response.

For many, the cost of legal services may appear daunting, expensive, or simply not something you want to invest in now or ever, especially after the losses stemming from the pandemic. It can and often is more expensive to fix legal errors or omissions than to prevent them. Properly forming your company and registering your trademarks and service marks can save you loads of time and money in the long run, especially when it comes to dealing with third-party disputes and defending your brand from copycats and counterfeiters. A business needs legal support like a person needs health care. Think of legal fees as a positive, healthy investment in your business. If you don’t defend or protect it, who will? Lawyers are essential to starting and running successful companies; we are here to help you, not hurt you. Do not wait until a legal issue arises to take care of these basic business housekeeping items. By doing so, you will be better able to focus on growth and on doing what you love doing the most with the peace of mind that your business and its brand(s) are properly registered and protected.

June 23, 2021
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Galvis & Company

Lorraine Galvis is an experienced business and entertainment attorney based in New York City, representing entrepreneurs and small- to medium-sized businesses.

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