In this episode of This Mother Means Business, Laura sits down with Canadian business lawyer and strategist Andrea Henry to unpack the legal foundations that help women-owned businesses grow with confidence. From turning your know-how into intellectual property, to contracts that protect collaborations, to thinking about exit value (even if you never plan to sell)—Andrea shares practical, generous advice you can act on today. If you’ve ever wondered “Do I really have IP?” or “What contracts do I actually need?”, this one’s for you.

In this episode you will hear:

00:00 – Meet Andrea Henry

01:30 – Why Andrea works with women founders

02:50 – Women, wealth & impact

05:09 – How Andrea got started

06:55 – Law beyond “herefores”

09:49 – What counts as intellectual property (IP)?

10:05 – Case study: From “client helper” to licenseable asset

12:22 – Another example: Virtual firm playbook

12:46 – Certification & corporate

13:54 – Think “exitable” even if you never sell

14:57 – Protecting your IP without paranoia

16:45 – Why contracts can outperform registrations

17:18 – Share the “why,” guard the “how”

18:18 – Biggest legal blind spots

20:13 – “To be clear is to be kind.”

22:15 – Which contracts do you actually need?

23:35 – Motherhood & legacy-driven business

25:27 – Exit planning (voluntary and involuntary)

26:13 – Advisors matter

31:44 – You deserve advisors who explain

34:24 – Empowered, not obedient

Andrea's Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreahenry.lawyer/

Website: https://www.andreahenry.ca/

Join This Mother Means Business : www.thismothermeansbusiness.com

Laura's Links:
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