For entrepreneurs, (and hopefully for all people!), the law is a friend. The law offers a framework within which entrepreneurial endeavors can grow. It provides a number of guidelines that offer various economic participants a certain level of security. To dive into the details of how we can become firm friends with the legal aspects of our business, I sat down with Andrea Henry, Founder of Henry Brooks Law. She's a Cambridge educated lawyer, entrepreneur, mom of three, and cancer survivor. She supports business owners, especially service oriented businesses, in creating their corporate structures that assist in their scaling plans.

Andrea formed her own business in 2016, and in 2021, she made a partnership called Henry Brooks LLP. “An LLP is a company whose main goal is to create generational wealth, especially for female entrepreneurs and other marginalized groups” Andrea says. She is in charge of the commercial law division, and the firm also provides real estate services, notably for real estate investors.

Knowledge translation using storytelling for a niche of women entrepreneurs

Andrea works with a lot of women entrepreneurs, and she says that one thing that stands out for her is that they are often hesitant to have really clear contracts in the business. To help overcome this and embed the importance of contracts in business at all levels, Andrea has leveraged storytelling. “It helps clients to view contracts like a story. We've all watched movies, we've all read novels. A contract is very much like a movie or a novel. There's a plot. The characters are the people who are involved. So for example the plot may be ‘I would like to provide you with amazing service, and in return I would like you to pay me in 3 days.’” she says.

Where does opportunity lie for women entrepreneurs, as we enter a recession?

Andrea says that an important component for scaling is to get really clear the kind of structures you have put into place for your business. Whether it's your corporate structure, your foundational contracts that are protecting you, or leveraging your intellectual property, it’s important to get really hands-on as it relates to the legalities of business and fully understand what serves you. “This brings empowerment. The feeling of being on top of it will mean you are more willing to go out for new opportunities, and try new things, and build innovatively. There is a sense of confidence that comes from understanding structure, because you're not dependent on someone else and have the knowledge of what's in place to ensure you're protected. We truly enjoy working with people who've grown really quickly.” Andrea explains.

Fun, frank advice from Andrea Henry

I love to end all my conversations with the inspirational members of the Self Made Nation that I am lucky enough to interview, by asking for their fun, frank advice for other entrepreneurs.

Andrea has a really wonderful nugget that many mothers out there will appreciate! She says, “This has nothing to do with a law or business. This was passed on to me by an older mom many years ago. You can hide snacks from your kids - the good snacks you don’t want them to overindulge in - in bags of vegetables. So if you've got an empty bag of frozen peas, once you're done with it, put the ice cream inside of the bag of peas. They will never open it!”

If you enjoy the audio medium, you’ll find a lot more in the podcast episode here. Have a listen! 

https://iamamillionairesonowwhat.libsyn.com/ep252-how-the-law-is-tool-for-building-entrepreneurial-wealth