Mark Lazarus on Hear Me ROAR

Building a business takes belief, persistence and a willingness to back yourself. Protecting what you build deserves the same energy.

Mark Lazarus joins Kate Save and Tobi Skovron on Hear Me ROAR, bringing a commercial lawyer’s perspective to the decisions that shape a business: its brand, its contracts, its capital and its deals.

The Director of Lazarus Legal and former Legal Director EMEA at Monster Energy has a clear approach to working with founders and established businesses:

Less legal theatre. More results.

For anyone building a brand, preparing for investment or negotiating their next opportunity, there is plenty here to lean into.

Who is Mark Lazarus?

Mark Lazarus advises founders and established businesses across trade marks and intellectual property, commercial and corporate law, capital raising, deal structuring and dispute resolution.

His experience includes serving as Legal Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Monster Energy. Today, through Lazarus Legal, he works with businesses as their external in-house counsel, helping them navigate commercial decisions with practical legal support.

According to Mark, his team has registered more than 500 trade marks and recovered over $10 million through enforcement.

Those numbers reflect two sides of his work: helping businesses protect what they are building and taking action when those interests are challenged.

His focus is straightforward. Cut through the noise, get things done and give clients greater control over legal spend through fixed fees or agreed retainers.

Brand Protection Starts With Taking Your Business Seriously

A brand carries more than a name and a logo.

It carries the reputation you have earned, the customer experience you deliver and the trust people place in your business. Every referral, campaign and repeat purchase adds to that value.

Yet brand protection can slip down the priority list when founders are busy selling, hiring and keeping the business moving.

Mark’s work puts trade marks and intellectual property firmly on the business agenda.

For founders, that raises some useful questions:

• What makes your brand distinctive?
• Which parts of your business hold valuable intellectual property?
• How well do you understand your current protection?
• Does your approach to protecting the brand match your growth plans?

You would not build a team around a star player and forget their contract. The assets at the centre of your business deserve the same attention.

Capital Raising Is About More Than the Headline Number

Raising capital is a major milestone. It can create room to hire, expand, develop products and move faster.

It also introduces new relationships, expectations and decisions about how the business will operate.

Mark’s practice includes advising on capital raising and deal structuring, areas where commercial ambition and legal detail meet.

For a founder, the conversation extends beyond how much money is coming in. It includes what the relationship will look like afterwards, how decisions will be made and whether everyone is working towards the same outcome.

A compelling valuation gets attention. A well-understood deal gives the people involved a clearer foundation for working together.

That perspective matters whether you are preparing for your first investment conversation or considering the next stage of growth for an established business.

Better Deals Begin With Clear Expectations

Business moves through agreements. Customers, suppliers, investors, partners and collaborators all bring different priorities to the table.

Momentum is valuable. So is clarity.

Mark’s commercial and contracts work sits at that intersection, helping businesses translate an opportunity into terms the people involved can understand and work with.

Before the excitement of a new deal takes over, there are practical questions worth bringing into the conversation:

What are we agreeing to? What does success look like? Who is responsible for what? What happens if circumstances change?

These questions help keep the commercial objective in focus.

For ambitious founders, understanding the detail is part of backing the opportunity properly.

External In-House Counsel: Legal Support Close to the Business

Mark describes his role as an external in-house counsel.

The idea is simple: legal support that understands the business, its priorities and the context behind its decisions.

When a lawyer understands what you are trying to achieve, the conversation can become more focused. The goal, the timing and the commercial pressures are already part of the picture.

Lazarus Legal’s use of fixed fees or agreed retainers also reflects Mark’s emphasis on giving clients control over spend.

For business owners balancing growth with cash flow, that visibility is a meaningful part of the relationship.

Why Watch Mark Lazarus on Hear Me ROAR?

Hear Me ROAR brings people, experience and practical business perspectives into the same conversation.

With Kate and Tobi, Mark brings a background spanning a global consumer brand and hands-on advisory work with founders and established businesses.

This episode is especially relevant if you are:

• Building a brand and thinking seriously about its future.
• Preparing to raise capital or bring in a business partner.
• Navigating contracts and commercial negotiations.
• Looking for a more practical relationship with your legal adviser.
• Growing a business whose value increasingly sits in its name, reputation and intellectual property.

You have put the work into building something valuable. Give its protection the same ambition.

Get ready to ROAR, Enjoy the Pod 🎧