Meet Salma Benkabbou of The Benkabbou Law Firm, PLLC!
To celebrate 5 years of Babe Crafted, we commissioned a custom illustration of each amazing member who has been with us for five years! Here’s Salma’s beautiful illustration by Maureen Horan.
Meet Salma Benkabbou of The Benkabbou Law Firm, PLLC! Salma launched her own law firm in October of 2014, and has been practicing full time since 2016. She branded herself as the Millennial Business Lawyer® and prides herself on Helping Entrepreneurs Protect Their Creative Greatness™. Salma is originally from Morocco and is very proud of her heritage. Salma enjoys spending time with her family and fur baby “Moo Moo,” who has been a special guest at Babe Crafted events a few times. She’s a tough cookie and a self-described Empath who is very in tune with the energy of those around her.
Salma joined Babe Crafted in February of 2018 after meeting with me for coffee in Downtown Tampa. It has been incredible having Salma as a member for five years! Not only has she been a supportive and kind person who readily shares her expertise with the group, but she has also been pivotal to helping me protect my business and trademarks over the past several years.
To celebrate our 5th anniversary (which I still need to pinch myself about sometimes!), I’m featuring all 25 of our members like Salma who have been with us since year 1. Enjoy getting to know Salma’s journey as a business owner and vision for the future of what’s to come. xo -Gina
Salma Benkabbou of The Benkabbou Law Firm, PLLC
How would you describe the last 5 years as a business owner?
This entrepreneurship journey has been a huge blessing in so many different ways for me. I have been blessed to work with innovative and bright entrepreneurs who serve as my motivation to continue being their advocate. I have created employment opportunities for many young people to gain experience in the legal field as they embark on this profession themselves. But most importantly, I have been able to really get to know who I am as a person in good and difficult times. The consistent introspection needed to be successful on this entrepreneurship journey has definitely propelled me to new levels of personal growth, which has led to my success in my business.
I have learned many lessons over the years, but the best lesson that I have learned to date is that each level of my business growth required a new version of me. So now when I find myself “stuck” or at a “stand-still,” I know that I need to develop emotionally or intellectually in order for me to unlock the next level of success for my business.
Over the years my perspective on the “lows” has changed. I no longer look at my past losses as failures as I have ensured to learn what I needed to learn from them. So in hindsight, they were opportunities for me to learn or to move in a different direction. So with that perspective, I can honestly say that I have not had any lows. To me, the losses are only failures if you don’t learn from them, but once you learn from them, the wisdom you gain is invaluable and becomes a high.
“My heart has never failed me and it never will. As long as I can continue on that path, I can say that all of my goals will be achieved, even the ones I have yet to dream about.”
Salma (left) with “Moo Moo” on her lap at our mastermind-style “Deep Dives Workshop” at Ameriprise Financial in South Tampa in 2018. // Photo by Jessica Fredericks Photography
What’s your proudest accomplishment (so far!)?
What I am most proud of is the fact that I started out with no experience on how to start a law firm, no experience in business, no one to show me the way, and no one to lean on for financial support, but by the grace of God, I was able to create financial stability and financial success for myself. I can honestly say that when I made the jump to start my own law firm, it was really a leap of faith and I had no idea where to even start. So I am really proud of myself for making it through the tough times and all of the unknowns despite not having a clue how I was going to tackle each day. I take no credit though, as I know it was only by the grace of God that I survived. I am just proud that I never lost my faith in Him to carry me through. It’s not often that I reflect on how far I have come, but to be able to see my growth considering my starting point is something I will always be proud of.
As for my future, my goal is to simply continue following my heart as I always say that it is my divine GPS. It has never failed me and it never will. So as long as I can continue on that path, I can say that all of my goals will be achieved, even the ones I have yet to dream about.
Salma (far right) was a panelist for our “Building Foundations” workshop at Industrious in Downtown Tampa in 2018. She shared tips on how to protect your intellectual property and things to think about from a legal perspective as you’re building your business. // Photo by Jessica Fredericks Photography
What are you excited to accomplish in the next 5 years?
I am excited to continue serving the small business community and helping more entrepreneurs protect their creative greatness. It is a privilege for me to serve some of the brightest minds in business by helping them protect what they worked so hard to develop and create. I am excited to see how my longstanding clients grow to new heights and couldn't be happier to be on that ride with them.
How has being a part of Babe Crafted impacted you?
For me, Babe Crafted has been a safe business network of women entrepreneurs who are supportive and inspiring to be around.
Salma Benkabbou of The Benkabbou Law Firm, PLLC
Disclaimer: Salma is a member of Babe Crafted (at the time of publishing).
