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TM Legal Atelier Australian Business Lawyers - helping small businesses build businesses they're proud of & in control of.

We'll :
+ Help your small business thrive
+ Provide helpful legal guidance
+ Prepare excellent business documents

09/09/2026

Making assumptions in business is dangerous. 🟤 I don't have any feel-good stories where a business owner made a heap of assumptions and it all turned out fine. I just don't.

I spent the first 12 years of my career as a litigation and disputes lawyer, helping businesses when things went wrong. These days, I'm all about prevention being better than cure. My job is to help business owners set themselves up so they don't end up as somebody else’s litigation client.

One of the most common areas I'm seeing assumptions right now is intellectual property ownership. 🌀

If I asked you, “Who owns your intellectual property?” you'd probably say, “Well, if it’s in my business, then I own it.”

That's the assumption, and it's often wrong. In this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast, I unpack exactly why. 🙏🏼

Who owns your brand assets, your logo, your website copy and your internal documents? These are valuable business assets, and intellectual property sits underneath all of them.

It's important to review the contracts you sign when you engage designers, copywriters and consultants. Review your own client agreements to make sure background IP and new IP are handled clearly. And take a moment to think about the AI tools you're using, what you're inputting, and how much of the output you're relying on.

Problems with IP are fixable, but they're far easier to fix when caught early. 🎧 Listen in via the link below.

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/do-you-own-your-ip

26/08/2026

If you run a business, it can feel like you are never fully off. Your inbox is always there, clients are always there and the next request is always waiting. Even when nothing is truly urgent, it can start to feel urgent because you are living in a constant state of response.

That is where the idea of making space matters. It is a practical way to run a business without it taking over your life.

In this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast I'm joined by Daniel Sih, founder of Spacemakers, who describes his work as helping busy people make space and keep pace.

Daniel is an award-winning author, productivity expert, TEDx speaker, podcast host, and founder of Spacemakers®, helping busy leaders reclaim focus, reduce overload, and make space for what truly matters.

Daniel’s award-winning books include Spacemaker, Raising Tech-Healthy Humans, and Wise AI, exploring productivity, digital wellbeing, parenting and the wise use of artificial intelligence in a rapidly changing world.

To Daniel, space is living intentionally and thoughtfully, reflecting on your habits, practices, and systems and shaping your life so you have margin.

Pace is the other side of it. It is learning to work efficiently and effectively, so you can protect time for deep work, family, health and thinking. The goal is to build a rhythm you can sustain.

This insightful and empowering conversation is one not to be missed. Join us to hear Daniel share some of his most valuable habits and standout practices, and learn why making space is not only a wellbeing message. It is also a productivity strategy. Pace and space work together.

🎧 Listen in via the link in below. Thank you so much for joining me Daniel. 🙏🏼

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/work-life-balance-productivity-with-daniel-sih

12/08/2026

AI is everywhere right now.

It's in your inbox, your apps, your content workflow, and probably your group chats too. And I'm not anti AI. I use it myself for note taking, summaries, creative idea generation and making parts of my work more efficient. It's a brilliant tool when you use it for what it's good at.

But there's one place I really want business owners to stop using it like a shortcut, and that's strategic legal advice.

In this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast, this isn't me doing the usual "don't use ChatGPT to draft your contracts" speech, although yes, that's still true. What I'm unpacking is the bigger issue I'm seeing more and more. Business owners are asking AI what they should do legally, then acting on it like it's advice. And that's where things get messy fast.

Here's why I care so much about this. I have a litigation background, which means I've seen what happens when things go wrong. I've seen the disputes, the expensive clean ups, and the "how did we end up here?" moments that start with one small decision made without proper guidance. These days, my work is about setting business owners up for success and helping them avoid becoming tomorrow's legal drama. That's why I'm so firm on this.

AI can sound confident even when it's wrong. It can fill in gaps. It can make assumptions. And in law, assumptions are expensive.

The point isn't that AI is useless. The point is that it isn't accountable. It doesn't know your full context. It doesn't carry the risk. You do. The cost of getting it wrong is rarely just financial. It's time, energy, reputation, and peace of mind.

If you know a business owner who's treating AI like their lawyer, share this with them. It could save them a very expensive lesson. 🎧 Listen in via the link below.

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/stop-using-chatgpt-for-this

29/07/2026

You know that moment when a client says, “While I have you, can we just add one more thing?” and you say yes because you are helpful and it feels small. Then two weeks later you're doing double the work, the timeline is off, and the client is confused about the invoice. That's what we're fixing today.

In this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast I share one habit that sounds almost too simple, but it prevents some of the most expensive problems I see in businesses.

The habit is this: put it in writing.

I've seen small misunderstandings with clients, contractors, and team members turn into serious issues simply because there was nothing in writing. No record of what was agreed. No clarity on expectations. No paper trail to support a calm resolution.

This is why I call it a five minute habit that prevents five figure problems.

It's simple, but it's powerful. And if you're building a business that you want to feel proud of, calm in, and protected by, this is one of the easiest places to start.

🎧 Listen in via the link below.

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/the-5-minute-habit-that-will-save-you-5-figure-problems

15/07/2026

There comes a point where business starts to feel heavier. You have more responsibility, there are more moving parts and you might have developed less patience for doing things the hard way. This usually triggers a very honest question.

Does the life and business I designed still fit me? 🙏🏼

What keeps me steady is not another productivity hack or a “just push through” mindset. It is support. It is systems. It is having the right foundations in place so the business can run without me holding everything in my head.

I have developed four pillars that I believe are the key to holding my business together, and in this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcase, I share these with you.

Listen in to hear me unpack;

🔷 Pillar One - The calm is built, not hoped for.
🔷 Pillar Two - If you built it, protect it.
🔷 Pillar Three - DIY is for Bunnings, not business.
🔷 Pillar Four - Compliance is not optional, so stop treating it like it is.

This episode encourages you to ask yourself these questions: Do my agreements do what they should? Is my onboarding seamless? Do I have an off boarding process? Is my IP protected? Am I meeting my compliance obligations?

If any of those make you hesitate, that is your sign. Get support. You do not need to carry it all alone.

🎧 Listen in via the link below.

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/behind-the-scenes-the-pillars-that-hold-my-business-together

30/06/2026

There is something that happens when you move into your 40s. Not everyone will experience it in the same way, but often it’s a shift that is big enough to not be ignored.

You start looking at your life and your business and thinking, does this still fit me?

The version of success you chased in your 30s might not feel as appealing anymore. The hustle starts to feel louder. The tolerance for nonsense gets lower. And confidence, weirdly, can feel both stronger and shakier at the same time.

In this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast, I'm joined by special guest Fi Mims of for a conversation about this exact season. Fi is an award-winning personal branding photographer and business coach helping women 40+ step into greater visibility, confidence and demand, so they can grow profitable, sustainable service-based businesses.

Fi explains that what she sees all the time is women who are capable, experienced, and doing a lot, but still waiting. Waiting until they feel more ready. Waiting until it feels more certain. Waiting until they have more time, more energy, more proof. That “until” can quietly keep you playing small, even when you have already earned the right to take up space.

In our conversation, Fi shares why backing yourself in your 40s isn't about pushing harder. It's about reshaping the way your business and life actually fit you.

We unpack:
🌀 Why confidence gets wobbly even when you're doing well.
🌀 Lifestyle first, then profit.
🌀 Why boundaries aren't admin, they're strategy.
🌀 The ripple effect of backing yourself.

So if you have been waiting for permission to do things differently, consider this your permission slip. You are allowed to redefine success in a way that actually suits the season you are in now. And you are allowed to build a business that supports the woman you are becoming, not just the one you used to be.

🎧 Listen in via the link below. Thank you so much for joining me Fi. 🙏🏼

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/permission-granted-redefining-confidence-and-success-for-women-over-40

16/06/2026

Running a business makes it very easy to ignore the paperwork in favour of the work that actually brings in money. I get it.

But one of the biggest costs I see from not having the right contracts in place is not just unpaid invoices. It is the energy you lose when things go sideways. 🌀

The time, the back and forth, the emotional load, the distraction. All of that momentum that should be going into growth gets swallowed up by a problem that often could have been avoided with clearer, current documentation.

In this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast, I explain why outdated contracts create gaps and gaps create friction, and how the simplest starting point is a contract audit. Not a dramatic overhaul, just a proper review.

When your contracts are current and aligned, you feel it. 🙏🏼

You send them with confidence. Clients understand what they are agreeing to. Expectations are managed early. And you get to keep your energy where it belongs, on delivery, innovation and growth.

Keeping your contracts up to date is not admin for the sake of admin. It is a strategic advantage, and it is one of the easiest ways to protect your next chapter before you are forced into a clean up.

🎧 Listen in via the link in below.

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/when-your-contracts-havent-kept-up-with-your-business

03/06/2026

Have you ever found yourself awake at 2:00 a.m., running through every possible “what if” in your head about your business?

Let me tell you, you're not the only one.

That late night spiral is usually your brain trying to protect what you've built. Which is exactly why crisis management for small business is not something you leave until you're already in the middle of a mess.

On this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast, I’m joined by crisis management expert Sally Branson (founder and managing director of the Sally Branson Consulting Group ), and the message is crystal clear.

🔷 Crisis planning is not about being dramatic or expecting the worst. It's about being prepared. The same way you wouldn't go on a hike without water and a map, you shouldn't be growing a business without a basic crisis management plan. Because when something goes wrong, you don't rise to the occasion. You fall back to whatever systems you already have.

Crisis management for growing businesses isn't a nice to have. It's part of building something that lasts. 💫

So if you've been putting off crisis planning because it feels like something for bigger companies, take this as your sign. You don’t want to miss this episode.

Start small. Get your basics in place. Build your buffer. Tighten your risk management. Because when the crisis comes, you'll be glad you did.

🎧 Listen in via the link in below. Thank you so much for joining me Sally. 🙏🏼

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/crisis-management-for-your-growing-business-sally-branson

20/05/2026

If you have ever looked at your business and still felt that little whisper of doubt, you are not alone. I have had so many conversations with women in business lately who are doing impressive things, yet still questioning whether they are truly successful.

Imposter syndrome has a way of making even the most capable female entrepreneur feel like she is falling behind. So, today on the Rise Up in Business podcast, I want to zoom out and talk about the bigger picture.

Women-led businesses in Australia are not just surviving. They are shaping the economy. 💫

I have hit seven years in business, and it feels like the right moment to celebrate what women business owners in Australia are building.

Since 1991, female business ownership in Australia has increased by more than 77%. Women now own over 35% of small businesses in Australia.

That is not a small statistic. 🤎 That is a massive shift in Australian entrepreneurship, and it deserves more airtime.

You are part of a powerful movement of women-led businesses in Australia that are changing the game. Dive in to this episode with me to hear the numbers that prove it. Let’s keep celebrating, supporting, and backing women entrepreneurs, because this is bigger than any one of us.

🎧 Listen in via the link below.

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/must-know-statistics-for-women-led-business-owners-b484p

06/05/2026

Independent contractors versus employees has been a hot topic in my inbox lately.

I sent an email to my list about it recently and the response was loud and clear. A lot of business owners are growing their teams, feeling the pressure of getting it right, and wondering whether contractors are the “easier” option.

🔷 Sometimes they are. Often they are not. Either way, this is one of those areas where a small mistake can turn into a big, expensive problem.

Growing a business is worth celebrating, but only if your foundations can hold it.

No two businesses operate the same way, and deciding whether someone should be a contractor or an employee is not a vibe-based decision. It is a legal classification, and the ATO and Fair Work Ombudsman take it seriously. Misclassification can lead to back pay, unpaid entitlements, superannuation issues and penalties. In other words, it is not something you want to guess your way through.

In this episode of the Rise Up in Business podcast, I'm sharing why this is one of those areas where getting advice early is far cheaper than cleaning it up later and what you need to know. 🎧 Listen in via the link below.

https://www.tmlegalatelier.com.au/rise-up-in-business-podcast/the-independent-contractor-discussion-you-need-to-have

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