ADL #68: Women in Tech and Digital Entrepreneurship
Making Legal Matters Simpler for Women Entrepreneurs
Throughout my journey in legal entrepreneurship, I've had the privilege of connecting with numerous women entrepreneurs. Many have become long-term clients, and our relationships have grown beyond mere professional interactions.
Probably because I have a little routine with all of my clients: I always like to ask them how they are doing before getting into any legal discussions – how is their life, how do they feel, how was their week? These simple questions often lead us into deep conversations about our shared life stories and daily challenges.
And as a show of appreciation, I created a video with some of my clients: smart, driven, brave women entrepreneurs! Enjoy!
All these days and meetings have uncovered some frequent remarks:
"I have to finish work by 3 pm because I need to pick up my kids from school and take them to sports classes."
"How can I get funding? Male founders network with male investors effortlessly. If I do that, it risks creating the wrong perception.
"I always hesitate before accepting meetings with investors - I must be certain their interest is purely professional."
"Choosing what to wear to meetings is stressful - too casual, and I'm overlooked; too bold, and I'm intimidating; too elegant, and I'm seen as trying too hard."
"Another woman leader publicly promised support but then ghosted me, no longer replying to my messages."
…and the list can go on.
And it is something that you, your partner, your sister, your colleague might have experienced at least once in your/her life.
We regularly navigate these challenges, yet we must still create space to grow our successful businesses and protect our mental well-being.
The added burden of legal compliance doesn't make life any easier for women entrepreneurs. I've frequently been asked, "How am I supposed to find the time and resources to handle that, too?" And I completely understand it.
In this issue, we'll explore practical approaches to simplify your legal journey as a woman: providing strategies and advice that empower you to navigate entrepreneurship with confidence to success!
Quick Tips: Your Legal Toolkit
Simplify your Contracts: Keep your contracts clear and understandable. Leave legalese out if you do not understand it. Straightforward contracts often protect better than complex ones.
Always Do Preventive Checks: Draft your legal strategy and follow it up. Audit your compliance on a regular basis (GDPR, taxes, and employment) to avoid costly surprises.
Prioritize Your IP: Don’t be modest. Don’t be ‘nice’. Fight for what’s yours. Always protect your intellectual property early. Conclude contracts with IP assignment clauses/annexes to prevent being left without your technology. Prevention is cheaper than litigation.
Strategize your funding: Think about funding in advance. Work with a professional to make your path easier and explain all the steps. It doesn’t have to be a struggle. You got partners to cover you up.
Build a Support Network: Establish connections with legal experts or trusted mentors who understand your business and personal challenges. You are not alone in this and should not be. We are a bunch of us who want to help.
👉 Join EntrepreLaw - A Legal Knowledge and Community Club.
Making Legal Matters Simpler for Women Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship is already challenging, and as women, we often face additional unseen issues. Add to the burden of it: negotiating equitable terms in partnerships, protecting intellectual property, or meeting regulatory compliance – and it all seems impossible.
Fortunately, simplifying your legal journey is achievable through consistent, proactive measures and clear, strategic behaviors. Understanding and implementing effective legal habits can significantly reduce stress, save costs, and allow you to maintain focus on your core business.
Here are some steps you can take to reach legal peace of mind in business:
1. Embracing a Proactive Legal Approach
Instead of viewing legal matters as obstacles or last-minute necessities, integrating legal considerations into your ongoing planning can transform these processes from burdens into strategic assets.
Regular legal check-ins – preferably bi-monthly or quarterly – allow you to anticipate potential issues, adapt quickly to regulatory changes, and ensure your business stays compliant, competitive, and resilient.
From my experience, legal strategy works best in such a situation: planning the business objectives and the legal requirements altogether.
Let’s take an example:
Let’s say you want to turn from your MVP data analysis platform into a full-working system in 8 months, and conclude your first two contracts with two companies with revenue of at least 1 million euros in the following year.
For that, your sub-objectives are:
Have your tech team deliver a development plan in 2 weeks
Have your tech team finish the development in the next 8 months
Find an associate with experience in sales in the next three months
Now, let’s look at it with their possible equivalent legal strategy activities:
For example, in one of my cases, we planned to integrate a new associate in a digital marketing company two months in advance.
I created a structure that would protect the business from blockages, the founding members, and its intellectual property to this date, by:
Sale of shares Contract
Shareholders’ Internal Guidelines
Shareholders Agreement
Agreement of the shareholders with the sale
Agreement of all shareholders for future blockages
IP agreement
After negotiating and signing all documentation, we formally registered the procedure to the Trade Registry.
2. Mastering Clear and Concise Agreements
Complex agreements often create confusion, misunderstandings, or unintended liabilities.
This is why I prefer prioritizing straightforward, easy-to-understand language, which reduces ambiguity and promotes clear expectations between all parties involved.
When drafting or reviewing contracts, you must ensure every clause is explicitly articulated, straightforward, and genuinely reflects the intentions and understanding of both parties. This approach fosters trust, enhances relationships, and protects your business interests.
During my process of contract drafting, I always make sure the entrepreneur understands the contract, by asking them to read it. I choose to explain or make it easier if there is any confusion. You must understand the clauses, so there is no ambiguity about what you have obliged yourself to do.
3. Cultivating Strong Legal Networks
Connecting with legal mentors, advisors, and supportive communities can be invaluable. Women entrepreneurs often benefit from the shared experiences, mentorship, and encouragement found within legal and business networks.
These connections provide reliable advice, shared insights, and practical solutions tailored specifically to your challenges, offering comfort, community, and confidence in managing legal matters.
For example, in my EntrepreLaw - Legal Knowledge & Community Club, I will bring together these two sides of entrepreneurship – legal and business – to provide the continuing support needed to grow your business.
4. Strategic Management of Intellectual Property
Early-stage trademarks registration and copyright & commercial secret strategies ensure that your business remains protected, enabling you to confidently market and scale your business.
I suggest you undergo regular audits of your intellectual property portfolio. This will help you identify vulnerabilities, manage risks effectively, and leverage your IP strategically in negotiations and partnerships.
We, women, do not always consider what we create is important, or we have a tendency to want to share everything with the world.
But our creations matter, so let’s not let others stea lthem from us! And they can be shared even when protected!
I personally went through this struggle. I registered my trademark at the European level, and a more prominent company came after me and tried to stop my registration. I fought for it, and after two years, I won. Now, legally Remote is a European trademark. They could not stop me. I fought for my rights.
5. Navigating Funding and Investment Agreements
Securing funding is key for many women entrepreneurs. Investment agreements often contain complex terms that can profoundly impact your company's control, profitability, and future decision-making. As discussed above, contracts should be simple or at least understandable to you.
Knowing that women struggle with funding and opportunities, seeking specialised legal counsel to review funding agreements ensures that you fully understand equity structures, governance terms, repayment obligations, and exit clauses.
6. Achieving GDPR and Regulatory Compliance
Compliance with regulations like GDPR, AI Act or DSA Act is essential yet often viewed as cumbersome.
One piece of advice I regularly give is to implement clear data management policies that you can go back to anytime you have a question. Having legal support to conduct regular compliance audits and ensure your practices meet all relevant European and local regulations can also give peace of mind.
This is not just for you and your business – a consistent, transparent approach to compliance signals responsibility and trustworthiness to customers, partners, and investors alike.
Integrate such activities into your legal strategy and you will find these requirements much easier to handle!
How Can I Support You?
I have been a woman entrepreneur since 2017. When I first embarked on this path, I was both excited and confused about what was supposed to happen and how I was supposed to manage my legal business. Over time, I transformed my business into something much bigger, even if it was not always easy. So I can sympathize with you and understand your path.
Today, we are a hub of legal advice and resources for digital entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and protect their dreams.
If you could use some help, I am here. Here’s how we can work together:
Legal consultancy 1:1. Get clarity on your business’s current standing, the compliance rules you must follow, or whether a large platform treats your company fairly. We can also guide you on tax optimisation, digital nomad laws, consumer rights, and building secure client relationships. Moreover, if you’re considering legal action or want to ensure you're on the right track, a consultation can give you the clarity and direction you need.
Legal Packages for Freelancers. Includes a professionally tailored contract template designed for service providers and a 90-minute, one-on-one session with a legal expert who understands your challenges.
Legal Retainer Service. Receive consistent, reliable, tech-savvy legal support for your business throughout the year.
End-to-End Legal Services for Digital Businesses. From corporate guidance to e-commerce compliance, trademark protection, and strategies for global expansion, we create personalized solutions for digital entrepreneurs to help your business succeed in the digital landscape.
New! Legal Knowledge and Community Club for Digital Entrepreneurs. Expert-led legal workshops (both in-person and online). Compliance Q&A group sessions. Networking opportunities with fellow entrepreneurs. And much more. Apply now for a limited time free membership.
Not sure what you need? Book a free 20' intro call, and let’s figure it out together!
Extra:
In a World Bank Report – Breaking Barriers: Female Entrepreneurs Who Cross Over to Male-Dominated Sectors – it was discovered that:
Women who enter male-dominated industries are more profitable than the women resting in women-dominated industries; and
In some countries, firms owned by men continue to do better than female entrepreneurs irrespective of the sectors in which they operate.
The report also highlights the significant influence of women's education, prior exposure to male-dominated industries, mentorship experiences, support from male relatives, and spousal encouragement in facilitating women's success in traditionally male-dominated sectors.
Have some thoughts?
Reply to this email and let’s chat! I’m open to constructive criticism and new and brave ideas.
See you soon! The next issue is on March 27.