Most of us only use lawyers when we are in trouble. When in fact, the right lawyer can mean the difference between success and failure for your start-up. That’s why we were so excited, when Aurore joined The Library. Forget about an old-boys club of snobbish lawyers in wigs, Aurore is approachable, competent and friendly and knows absolutely everything there is to know about the start-up scene in Belgium.

Aurore, you are a lawyer specialised in company law and you work with helping entrepreneurs launch their businesses. What are the top three tips you can give to people, who are considering launching a business in Belgium?

First of all, study your market. Who are your competitors? What is your target? Who is your ideal customer? Is your market willing to buy your products / services? This might seem obvious, but very few entrepreneurs ask themselves why they offer their products / services and to whom. My second advice is to build a strong network. No one ever created a successful business on their own. You need strong partnerships whether informal or formal to test your ideas, get them into shape and tell people about them.

Thirdly, I highly recommend designing a strong, honest communication strategy. What is your story? What is your identity? How are you going to reach your customers?

Those three aspects are generally considered by most entrepreneurs to be dull, because they are difficult. Though, they are, in my opinion fundamental to building a strong and successful business – not only in Brussels.

You meet all kinds of entrepreneurs. Do you find that there is a difference in mindset between female and male entrepreneurs?

I generally don’t like gender stereotypes. We often read that women are risk adverse and do not dare as much as men. It’s true that women will anticipate more and look for accompanying structure when men will more often try on their own. I’ve seen plenty of men being totally risk-adverse and plenty of dare devil women but I must say that women are generally more cautious. Men will naturally work their networks via business groups, sport, etc. This has to change.

People are sometimes intimidated to see a lawyer and worried about the cost. But you have a great approach offering easy-to-choose packages for entrepreneurs. What do the packages consist of?

It is true that lawyer’s services are expensive. Legislation is more and more complicated and beyond the fees that you pay, we must continually refresh our knowledges which requires time and energy. The level of responsibility that lawyers take is also a reason for high fees. More and more often, lawyers apply fixed and predetermined rates for specific services. It enables the client to get an overview of the final, total amount. I have created six different services packages that enable a start-up to determine their business model and translate it into a business and financial plan, chose its legal form, have a professional and compliant website, legally binding terms and conditions of sale, apply for the author’s rights taxation and close a shareholders’ agreement. The point for me is to have professional legal services accessible to entrepreneurs. All details can be found on my website:

 

You’ve recently joined The Library. What is your impression so far of working in a coworking environment?

I like coming to the Library. It feels very much like home, though I can’t take naps as often as I would, if I were working from home 🙂.

It’s also nice to meet new people and to share experiences with Anne-Laure with whom I share an office.

To me, the Library is more than a place for work. It’s somewhere I can fully express my professionalism and put in place new ideas.

You can find Aurore on :

LinkedIn

Website

Instagram