Attorney Michelle Murphy is passionate about being a legal guide for small business owners. She works with creatives, online entrepreneurs and influencers who want to protect their brand and its intellectual property (IP).
Murphy, an IP lawyer based in Florida, launched Wilson Murphy Law by utilizing her legal strengths and vision for her community. Her main practice is centered around helping businesses secure and establish brand protection through intellectual property and contracts.
“I saw how often my community's ideas were appropriated and I wanted to do my part to help stop it,” she explained.
Instilling business confidence through legal education
Murphy is big on understanding your strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur. Even though you can wear all the hats as a business owner, you also need to know when it’s time to outsource, she said.
According to Murphy, knowledge of the legal process will help small businesses thrive in the long run. Her ultimate goal is to make the legal side of a business’s needs easy to understand for her clients. Once you have that understanding, she says, you can be more preventative in your relationship with the law, instead of reactive.
I've always been a creative and it was always so inspirational to see people go after their dreams.
Michelle Murphy, founder, Wilson Murphy Law
Instilling this knowledge and guidance to bring a brand legally to life through registered trademarks drives Murphy forward in her business and continued passion for furthering her community’s goals.
“I've always been a creative and it was always so inspirational to see people go after their dreams,” she said. “I was also risk-averse growing up so it always made my soul happy to see people do what they want to do.”
[Read: How to Protect Your Intellectual Property]
Murphy hopes to impart this confidence not only in her clients, but also within herself. As a small business owner, she knows the ups and downs that come with running a business and wanting to make a difference.
“[My biggest challenge is] feeling like I failed when I didn't get clients or reach my monetary goal that month,” she said.
She tries to overcome this challenge by “looking at other people and knowing that I'm just as capable to reach my goals,” said Murphy.
Along with being an advocate for her community and a voice for small business brands, she’s also economically practical. Her No. 1 piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to save their money wherever they can.
“It may take one to two years to have a business that can fully sustain your needs,” she said.
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