Solo de Facto: Recent Episodes

solodefacto

Solo de Facto, hosted by Kory Underdown, dives deep into the business of running a surThriving solo practice. We are on the hunt for those game-changing nuggets of wisdom that you can take and implement into your own practice to take your firm to the next level.

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Richard Claywell is the Owner of J. Richard Claywell, CPA. He has been in business since 1985, and he has a wide depth of experience and knowledge to share. He sits down with host Tom Dufton to share some tips on how to run a successful solo practice.

Takeaways

  • Don’t be afraid to consult experts. It’s ok to not know everything, and sometimes you might need advice from an expert to help you out.
  • Not all CPAs are created equal. You want to make sure that you are getting the best of the best.
  • Immerse yourself in your work. Running a practice can be difficult and demanding, but if you put the time and effort into it you will be successful.
  • Help your clients by educating attorneys through nuances.
  • When handling a case, think about how many years of experience you have in that case and consider if you are the right person for it.
  • Attorneys often think that because they handle a couple of cases they are experts in the field, but every case is unique and should be treated as such.​
  • Outliers can have a major impact on your business.

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-claywell-0467767/
  • Website: https://www.biz-valuation.com/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/GZqulYfrd1I

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Allison Williams is the Business Coach for Solo Law Firm Owners at Law Firm Mentor, LLC. She’s seen firsthand what working too many hours can do a person, and she wants to get the word out about it. She joins host Tom Dufton to talk about how to avoid burnout and gives her tips on how to run a successful law firm.

Takeaways

  • Systematize everything. The more organized you are, the easier your work life will be as everything's in its proper place.
  • Outsourcing helps if you want to have more time. Having more time on your plate allows you to focus on the areas you are strong in.
  • Always look to hire someone who can bring in more money. They might cost more in the short run, but at the end of the day the money they are bringing to your firm is greater than that of someone you would spend less on.
  • Invest in your people. Taking the time to train your employees and making sure they are a good fit will provide a great benefit in the long run.
  • Set your mindset so that you are focusing on things you can accomplish. It’s easy to get weighed down by the negative. Believe in your goals.
  • Even when you work from home, act and dress as if you are at work because you are still on the clock.
  • Don’t be a victim of burnout. Make sure to stay sharp and set boundaries in your work life so you don’t spend all your energy and time working.

Quote of the show

13:24 “We tell people, do a rinse and repeat on your mindset. Let's figure out what is working. And let's figure out what's not working. Leave the things that are not working. You have to be more aggressively in pursuit of what you are seeking, but when you do that, the right person sees the right message in the right time for them.”

Links

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/law_firm_mentor
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisoncwilliams/
  • Website: https://www.lawfirmmentor.net/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/6rMmtgX2KBI

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Russell Farbiarz is a Partner at Antanavage Farbiarz PLLC. Being yourself in a law practice can be a positive experience, and it can help your clients connect with you on a better level. Russell sees this and encourages everyone not just “think like a lawyer” as he was taught in law school. He joins host Tom Dufton to share some of his other tips on how to successfully run a law practice.

Takeaways

  • Running a law firm is like running a business. You can’t practice what you love if you aren’t able to pay the rent.
  • In law school, students are often taught to “think like a lawyer”, but you have to be willing to step outside the box.
  • You need to have empathy for your clients. They can tell when you are being sincere or not and it makes a difference.
  • Don’t be afraid to be yourself. You want clients who feel comfortable with you and will keep coming back to you, they won’t do that if they know you aren’t being your true self.
  • Have a plan. You can’t run a successful business or law practice without a solid plan in place.
  • You can’t be everything to everyone. It’s ok to admit that you don’t know something, and take the time to learn more and be more well rounded.
  • Set quarterly goals. This will help you to stay on task and will help you to determine if your business is working or not.

Quote of the show

3:08 “Law school is all about teaching and learning a particular way of thinking. And that would be, you know, a very analytical thought process. But if they took some of the time that they spent in law school, teaching us how to use citations and use what's called the blue book, and took some of that time and actually taught us, how do you talk to clients? How do you create a business plan? How do you manage a staff? How do you market? Those would all be helpful tools as well, and probably more practical than blue book citation.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-e-farbiarz-esq-a131274/
  • Website: https://www.antanavagefarbiarz.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/wBVCiAc9_-U

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Nequosha Anderson is the Founder and Managing Attorney at Anderson Law Firm PLLC. She is also the co-host of the Professional Use Only Podcast. She sees the importance of time and how precious it is, and she has some great advice on how attorneys can use their time wisely and how outsourcing can help with that. She joins host Tom Dufton to share that and more information for how to successfully run a solo law practice.

Takeaways

  • Hire help as soon as possible. This allows you more time to focus on the things that you know and do the best, while having someone else focus on a different task.
  • Time is incredibly valuable. You can’t buy back any amount of time, and you can save yourself stress by outsourcing.
  • Write down all the things you do in a day, and put a value of how much time and money it costs you to do those things, then outsource the ones that take up most of your time.
  • You don’t have to know everything. It’s ok to not have all the information, sometimes you learn more when you are out in the trenches.
  • A big challenge for a lot of solo attorneys is finances. It can be a difficult subject to understand so outsourcing for that will save a lot of money and stress.
  • Have sympathy for others. You don’t know what other people are going through or what they might know, so have patience and be kind.
  • Most lawyers struggle with networking because they weren’t taught to focus on that. But building relationships can lead to new clients.

Quote of the show:

2:00 “Hiring help early allows you to buy back your time. That's the most important resource that you will ever have. If you can buy back time, it affords you the opportunity to do other things that you wouldn't necessarily be able to do if your deliverables are keeping you in the line of production.”

Links

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esquire44/?hl=en
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nequosha-anderson/
  • Website: https://andersonlawfl.com/
  • Podcast: https://www.puopodcast.com/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/bHauiv7wuGU

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Chelsea Williams is the Founder/Financial Guru at Core Solutions Group, Inc. She sees that while law school is helpful, it doesn’t do everything to necessarily prepare you for running your own solo practice. She sits down with host Kory Underdown to talk about the importance of financial literacy when it comes to running your business.

Takeaways

  • Law school is a great place to start but it won’t always teach you the things you need to know about running a law firm because that requires you to be an entrepreneur.
  • Financial literacy is incredibly important. You won’t learn that from school, but it’s an important skill to have.
  • There are 5 key financial players; Your bookkeeper, your tax preparer, your CFO, your banker and your financial planner.
  • Human relationships are so important for business. Take your employees out for lunch once in a while, send them good business referrals, etc
  • When you receive money, set some aside and let it grow in interest. That is the fastest way to leverage compounding interests.
  • Outsourcing for bookkeeping is a great solution so that you can save money on it and always receive the services.
  • Parkinson’s Law says that with every increase in revenue, expenses will also rise to either meet or exceed that revenue increase unless a specific force is placed against it.

Quote of the show:

12:15 “What matters is establishing the habit, the habitual action of when you receive you set aside to invest, because there is nothing more powerful that will get you to wealth than compounding interest. And that is what an investment is,it's leveraging compounding interest.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-m-williams-%F0%9F%92%B5%E2%9A%96%E2%8F%B1-8303b45a/
  • Website: https://www.yourcoresolution.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/KtHos54vN94

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Katy Mickelson is a Divorce and Family Law Attorney at Beermann LLP. She sees the importance of even the little parts of being a lawyer and the difference it can make in the relationship between a lawyer and their clients. She sits down with host Kory Underdown to share her tips on how to run a successful solo practice.

Takeaways

  • Getting clients has a lot to do with who you are as a person. It’s important to be your true authentic self.
  • You want to have a good reputation. It takes a long time to build but it all comes down to who you hire, how you handle cases and your ability to relate to your clients.
  • Having a good relationship with your clients is important. You have to be honest with them, you can’t always be a yes person. You should always be transparent with them.
  • Clients need to be heard. If they feel like they aren’t being heard, they will tune out anything you are saying.
  • Listening is key. Sometimes the best thing you can do is sit and listen to what the client is saying.
  • Lack of explanation and information to the client can be extremely detrimental. Walk the client through the process in a very elementary way to make sure they understand.
  • Clients are typically in a situation where they are so stressed out that they might not understand things they typically get.

Quote of the show:

5:12 “There's a process of building that trust with the client. I think what comes from that is being responsive, being honest, and telling clients what they might not want to hear. Because I think that that commands more respect than being a yes person.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-homburger-mickelson-580b793/
  • Website: https://www.beermannlaw.com/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/4YQJBHanMuQ

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Steve Fretzin is the President of FRETZIN, INC. He’s also the host of the BE THAT LAWYER podcast and the author of “Sales-Free Selling:The Death of Sales and the Rise of a New Methodology”. He sits down with host Kory Underdown to talk about how solo entrepreneurial attorneys can better run their business.

Takeaways

  • In law school, they don’t teach you the importance of getting your own clients. When you have your own clients, there is control and freedom in when you do the business.
  • People in law school should consider who is in their classes. You never know who could get what job and they might be able to get you business in the future.
  • When you are a lawyer, you need to not only know the law aspect of your business but also the business side of law.
  • Having someone be a coach to you can help you in many ways. That person can help you avoid the pains and mistakes you might otherwise make without their knowledge.
  • Sometimes you need to come up with a softer way to say things. What needs to be said may be hard to take but saying it in a better way can make a difference.
  • It’s a good idea to collaborate with other attorneys. Someone could be strong in an area you are weak in and vice versa, and that can help both you and your business.
  • You can still have fun, but take everyday seriously. Don’t take time for granted and enjoy the little moments in life.

Quote of the show

1:36 “Individuals that are going through law school to become lawyers, they really should be considering who's in their classes. Who's sitting to their left and their right and developing those relationships because in 5, 10, 15 years, the lawyers that you're dealing with and engaging with every day in a classroom setting could be the GC general counsel of a big corporation, or could be a lawyer that could refer you business or whatever. It's not just about practicing the law. It's now there's the business of law side of it that needs to come to the forefront of it.”

Links

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevefretzin
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefretzin/
  • Website: https://fretzin.com
  • Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Free-Selling-Death-Sales-Methodology/dp/1480217948

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/4C5mb0jfzu4
Sales-Free Selling: The Death of Sales and the Rise of a New Methodology

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Molly McGrath is the Founder of Hiring and Empowering Solutions. She knows how important it is to build a healthy work environment and make sure that employees feel welcomed and enjoy their job. She sits down with host Kory Underdown to talk about important tips for running a successful solo law firm.

Takeaways

  • Attorneys need to understand that their success depends fully on the people they hire. If you hire employees who aren’t hard workers or are bad at their jobs, you won’t be in business long.
  • The days are over for attorneys thinking people should be grateful for work. COVID has shown people how important it is to feel the human connection at work and love what you do.
  • You don’t want to burn out your employees. Burn out is more likely to happen earlier than ever now
  • The employee review is an outdated form of checking on your employees. It is a one-sided conversation that doesn't foster a good working relationship.
  • People will never leave their company if they are treated with respect, given good feedback, proper attention and inspiration.
  • You want employees to feel welcomed at work and like what they do. It creates a bad work environment if employees dread going to work, and then their work suffers.
  • Outsourcing is a great idea. Even if your team is working perfectly, you can find some cost-effective solutions and it allows the spotlight to be on you, the leader.

Quote of the show:

0:32 “I can't tell you how many attorneys still believe in this mindset that employees should be grateful to have a job. They should be honored to work at this law firm. Their goal is to just come in and do great work, keep their mouth shut and keep their head down and collect their paycheck. Those days are over. If you want to be a successful law firm owner in 2022 and beyond, my greatest piece of advice for you is to really look at how you view your employees and what type of culture you are creating for them.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-hallmcgrath/
  • Website: https://hiringandempowering.com/about-management-consultants/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - ​​https://youtu.be/UhKGrb3Bz6g

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Leanne Gallant, Founder and President of leannegallant.com and letsleveragelocal.com, is a highly skilled marketing strategist. She joins host Kory Underdown to discuss ways to better optimize their business online and on Google. Leanne shares tips to help people find your business easier online and they’ll be more likely to be a customer.

Takeaways

  • It’s important to set up and optimize your company's Google Business Profile. It’s something we use everyday without even knowing we use it.
  • You want to make sure the information about your company is accurate and current because your Google Business Profile is often the first place people find you online. They may never even go to your website.
  • Adding in little details can help your SEO and put your business on a higher page in Google search results.
  • Your Google Business Profile is like a “welcome mat.” You need to make your business inviting and welcoming to potential customers.
  • You (as the owner) should be the one answering questions on your profile. Anyone can answer questions on your Google Business Profile, but it looks more professional to potential clients when it comes from you.
  • The biggest mistake that people make with their Google Business Profile is they set it and forget it. You don't want your profile to have no activity and look outdated or abandoned. You don't want people guessing whether or not you're still in business.

Quote of the show:

7:23 “I refer to it as your welcome mat. You want to welcome people and show off what you've got and make things look good. You want to be welcoming to them. You want to have reviews and you want to have questions answered. Random people on the internet can go to your Google business listing and ask questions. So you want to answer those questions and you can still answer the question, point them in the right direction. It's just so important.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leannegallant/?originalSubdomain=ca
  • Website: https://leannegallant.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/HM7hyLy7Ysw

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Stephanie Everett is the CEO of Lawyerist and the author of the book, “The Small Firm Road Map.” After law school, Stephanie joined a big firm and always thought she was going to spend her career and retire there. But she ended up launching her own firm when she realized that she could focus on her area of expertise better. Stephanie joins host Kory Underdown to share tips on how to successfully run a solo attorney business, such as setting realistic goals that you can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time.

Takeaways

  • In order to run a successful law firm, you need to realize you are running a business. You need to understand the needs and desires of your business in order to succeed.
  • You should hire people that are stronger in your areas that you are weaker in, that way you can really focus on your strong suits.
  • You need to build a team around you of people who make your business stronger and people you can trust.
  • You don’t need to do everything yourself, if you try that then you will burn out faster and the business will fail.
  • The legal field is shifting so that people can show more of their personality when marketing and there is a better work/life balance.
  • If you make small, consistent changes each week or each month you will be head and shoulders above the competition.
  • Set benchmarks for your goals. That will help you realize if you are getting closer to your goal or you’re moving in the wrong direction.

Quote of the show:

14:45 “We start setting really lofty goals and we're really excited about them. And then three weeks in, whatever breaks loose, and we never get to them. And then those goals kind of get left behind. So we were really ambitious. Instead just start small. If you just make small, simple changes, but you do it consistently each and every week or each month you get 1% better. Over time, you will be heads and shoulders above everybody else because most firms are stagnant or declining.”

Links:

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephaeverett?lang=en
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieaeverett/
  • Website: https://lawyerist.com
  • Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Stephanie-Everett/e/B07W62BMQ3%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/WSFyMZytUYk

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Today’s guest has gone from being a night manager at the Four Seasons to being the Proprietor at Strohmeyer Law PLLC. John Strohmeyer is also the host of the 5 Star Counsel podcast. He joins host Kory Underdown to discuss best practices for solo attorneys, such as making sure to focus on what’s important to your clients rather than spending money on fancy artwork for your office.

Takeaways

  • You don’t need to go over the top for your clients. You need a service that makes you different from others but you don’t need to go to extremes.
  • Clients don’t care about what fancy things you have in your office. What’s important is if you can help them with their issues in the best way possible.
  • The key for lawyers and accountants is trying to make sure you are doing your job for the client as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
  • You shouldn’t have to be offering extra free stuff to convince people to use your services, your skills should speak for themselves.
  • As a lawyer, you hear certain terms constantly and you are used to them, but your clients don’t know what they are. It’s your job to educate them.
  • Lawyers need to focus on what the client is there for and how can they make their life easier or better.
  • You are taking risks with your money when you invest in these over the top expenses for your clients.

Quote of the show:

2:52 “We want to start thinking about what are the red herrings that are dripping into our client offerings? What are we doing that we think helps, but isn't actually moving the needle for the client. This is what I call a red herring. It's things like, look, we have fancy artwork hanging on the walls. They just don't care about that. That doesn't help them get their child adopted any faster, just because you've got some great artwork on the walls… focus on what actually helps them.”

Links

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnthelawyer?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnthelawyer/
  • Website: https://www.strohmeyerlaw.com
  • Podcast: https://strohmeyerlaw.libsyn.com/66-five-star-service-essentials

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/qWNRRJ-_8Nw

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Mark Khazanovich, Director of Operations at KORE Accounting Solutions, has a passion for numbers and uses that to its full potential. After majoring in Psychology at Arizona State University, he quickly realized that wasn’t fulfilling his dreams. Instead, he now uses his knowledge of numbers to help solo entrepreneurial attorneys make sure that they are balancing their books the right way and budgeting properly. He joins host Kory Underdown to talk about tips that will help to make solos more successful, such as making sure that they are recouping an appropriate amount of the case related cases expenses they have, because nothing is worse than leaving money on the table.

Takeaways

  • A lot of solo attorneys don’t have a good system in place. You need to have a repeatable, consistent process in place.
  • In terms of accounting, the biggest mistake that attorneys make is that they don’t properly use their data to make better business decisions.
  • Pay attention to the details. To avoid losing money, make sure you are checking your billing statements and that they are accurate.
  • Be aware of what percentage of your case related expenses you are recouping. You don’t want to leave too much money on the table.
  • When it comes to collections, it’s easier to get money at the beginning rather than the end.
  • Firms struggle with trying to integrate data from one hosted service to a completely different one.
  • Calendly is an app that entrepreneurial attorneys should all have. It makes scheduling easier on everyone.

Quote of the show:

0:33 “I think that the most important thing we see attorneys get wrong is not having a good system in place. And I don't mean in terms of the tools. I mean, that's part of it, but really having processes in place that are repeatable, that are consistent, that you're able to do that your team is aware of.

That's the biggest reason firms leave money on the table. That's the biggest reason firms get overwhelmed, I think, or stressed out is just because there's not good processes and things that should be straightforward, end up falling through the cracks.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkhaz/
  • Website: https://www.koreaccounting.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/XIqWQNug9Nk

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Being yourself in a traditionally buttoned up industry can be difficult. That’s what attorneys face everyday, and they struggle with trying to market themselves and be unique. Today’s guest is here to help attorneys unbutton a little and be themselves. Jordan Ostroff, President of LegalEase Marketing, joins host Kory Underdown to talk about how being unique and showing your personality as an attorney can have more of a positive impact on your business than just being straightforward and bland.

Takeaways:

  • If you want to run a successful firm, you have to know your ideal client. Once you know who you want to target, everything else becomes easier to navigate.
  • If you have a couple of clients you really like working with, take them out to lunch or talk with them through zoom and get to know them, ask them about their life.
  • If you don’t have that kind of client, you can make one up. This is referred to as the Ideal Client Avatar, and you want to work with people that match that.
  • You don’t have to be a stuffy attorney to get all the clients you want. The right clients will find you if you just be yourself and the clients know your interests and like you.
  • A lot of attorneys don’t know what separates them from other attorneys in the area. It’s worthwhile to find what makes you unique and use that.
  • Attorneys are considered to be very smart people, but when it comes to marketing that can be the biggest struggle they face because it’s all about being unique.
  • COVID has shown that you don’t need to be in the office, or even in the same state to do work.

Quote of the show:

6:09 “It's crazy to me that we kind of get this concept going through law school of being this really stuffy attorney, always wearing a suit, something along those lines. And then we get out there and we're trying to get cases and we look just like everybody else. And we sound just like everybody else.

And we're trying to be just like everybody. But when you really figure out about being you and what about you fits with the kind of law you're trying to practice, what about you fits with your ideal client?

Links

  • Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/lawyerwithalife
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-ostroff/
  • Website: https://legaleasemarketing.com
  • Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-get-up-to-business/id1464147178

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/jIXc2wiK7Qk

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Growing a brand can be a difficult and confusing process. That’s why today’s guest has gotten into the business of brand building. He wants to help others grow and build their own unique brands. Erik Pelton is the Founder and Managing Attorney for Erik M. Pelton & Associates, PLLC, as well as the author of “Building a Bold Brand”. He joins host Kory Underdown to provide some helpful tips on how to strengthen your brand and be yourself.

Takeaways

  • You don’t have to do everything yourself. Solos tend to start out with not a lot of money but nowadays there are online services that can provide a great help.
  • Once you start a routine of doing everything yourself, it’s hard to break that habit. But breaking it can save you a lot of time, money and stress.
  • Outsourcing saves you time, which you can then use to build up your law firm and serve your clients better.
  • It’s important to avoid burnout. Working hard is rewarding but you don’t want to push yourself too hard and lose your passion for your work.
  • Having someone hold you to your actions is a good idea. Oftentimes, new solos are busy and they forget about the many different things that need to get done.
  • Be true to yourself. There’s no need to be stuffy and boring, showing your personality is a great way for clients to get to know the real you.
  • Don’t look at just the top line number. Looking at that number might prevent you from doing other things that will provide a benefit in the long run rather than the short term.

Quote of the show:

18:36 “The number one tip, I think, is to show yourself to share about you and not just to make it about your work and a law firm and legal and all buttoned up and tight and conservative.

Of course, this is a big change from many decades of history of all firms, where everybody, by default, maybe, I don't know why thought, okay, we have to be stuffy, boring, conservative. We don't want to offend anybody. So then they'll give us their money and they'll trust us. And that doesn't work anymore. And the way to differentiate yourself is to be true to yourself and let that come through”

Links

  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/tm4smallbiz?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tm4smallbiz/
  • Website: https://www.erikpelton.com/building-a-bold-brand/
  • Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Bold-Brand-foundations-protection-ebook/dp/B085L8ZCBL
  • Podcast: https://www.erikpelton.com/category/podcast-series-tricks-of-the-trademark/page/22/?lightbox=dataItem-jako7bcq

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/aK4-fCb8XqU
Building a Bold Brand: The foundations of trademark protection

View Details

Entrepreneurial attorneys often have a lot to deal with; between making sure they have plenty of clients and keeping their business afloat, it can be a lot to handle. Cheralyn Stevenson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Changists, and she joins host Kory Underdown to talk about different ways new attorneys can help manage their businesses more efficiently.

Takeaways

  • Attorneys running their own solo practice need to know it’s ok if they don’t know every little detail about running a business.
  • Law school teaches you about law but it does not teach you how to make a living practicing it.
  • Never stop being a student. There is always more you can learn and grow from. Join groups of other entrepreneurial attorneys and see what you can learn from each other.
  • People lie, numbers don’t. It’s important to show new attorneys the money they are losing if they don’t collect from their clients.
  • Anonymous surveys are a great way for people to share their opinions on your firm and it allows you to know what you need to change.
  • Work smarter, not harder. Don’t worry about outsourcing some stuff you might not understand to someone who does if it makes your job easier.
  • You don’t have to worry about doing business with everyone who wants to do business with you. Some people just aren’t a good fit.

Quote of the show:

0:32 “I think that I would love for attorneys to know, you don't know everything about business and that's okay. Your superpower is building a great team. So building a team, either fractional or full-time whose superpowers are in the areas that yours aren't is really key.

You should really spend time doing what you love and what brings you joy. For example, cleaning toilets and folding laundry does not bring me joy nor can I do those things without stress and an extraordinary amount of time. So I outsourced that. And if you think about law school, it teaches the foundational principles and the theory of law, and often law school erases the creativity and the curiosity that law students come in.

They end up stopping reading for fun. They're not creating, they are not writing fictional stories. I'm not dancing, doing yoga, all of those things. Instead you're taught that there's only one correct way to do things and to think in binary terms. And so because law schools teach about law, but not how to make a living, practicing it.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheralynstevenson/
  • Website: https://changists.com/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/GMJn8_lnv14

View Details

Amber Gray, Founder and CEO of Trusty Oak Virtual Assistant Services, knew she had a lot of talent that wasn’t being used right after being a pharmacy technician for 11 years. She was able to realize her passion managing her friend's website. Amber joins host Kory Underdown to discuss how you can manage your expectations running a solo firm and how to properly delegate to make things run smoothly.

Takeaways:

  • The solo entrepreneur attorney should spend more time focusing on creating a system for delegation and communication.
  • There are 5 different levels of delegation and each one has it’s values for different ways of management.
  • It’s important to sort tasks by importance. It’s also a good practice not to use a group chat to assign tasks to employees as it could easily be lost.
  • Make sure that everyone is on the same page. When co-workers aren’t on the same page, it creates issues and some tasks might not get done.
  • Establish the outcome that you want when you are collaborating and delegating.
  • If Amber could go back and give advice to her younger self, she would say the advice is to know your purpose in life and follow it, achieve your dreams and goals.

Quote of the show:

30:40 “If I'm focusing on doing what I was created to do, what I believe I'm here for, then everything else gets easier and I can actually live out my true personal purpose through my business. And so, really keeping that, I have to remind myself of that purpose a lot, especially when things get challenging, I have to look back and say, why am I doing this to begin with?

Because the why is what keeps me going and just remembering. Really, and for me, what that is, helping other people have purpose fulfilled lives.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambergrayatx/
  • Website: https://trustyoak.com
  • Trello: https://info.trustyoak.com/blog/trello-101-for-attorneys-the-free-tool-youre-missing
  • 5 Levels of Delegation: https://info.trustyoak.com/blog/how-smart-leaders-onboard-and-retain-virtual-assistants

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/t4I4XnrghsI

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For so many people, work is just a source of income and the idea of starting your own business, let alone a non-profit, seems like a terrifying prospect. Not so for Alene Anello, the founder of Legal Impact for Chickens, a non-profit that aims to take on the unethical and unthinkable treatment of chickens by the meat and egg industries. Alene had an easy track laid out for her after graduating from Harvard Law School and clerking for a federal judge, but she decided to follow her passion and stick up for our feathered friends. Alene joins host Emily LaRusch to discuss the finer points of starting a legal practice and what’s next in the ongoing fight for better living conditions for chickens.

Takeaways

  • Legal Impact for Chickens is Hiring! Just checkout this link to view open positions: https://www.legalimpactforchickens.org/were-hiring
  • As a non-profit doing interact litigation, the firm is able to design the lawsuit they want to bring and then find a client who would fit the design of the lawsuit. Therefore the goal is not to take the client’s money, but to accomplish an ethical goal.
  • As a nonprofit, it's important to have 501 c3 status, so that you can get tax deductible donations and you yourself don't have to pay taxes.
  • To help chickens as a consumer, you should do what feels right to you in terms of activism. One way to help chickens is to eat vegan chicken alternatives, such as Gardein, Beyond Meat, or Tofurky.
  • To advocate for better treatment of chickens, look for groups like The Humane League, the Animal Legal Defense Fund or the Humane Society of the United States. Links included below.
  • The packaging of eggs and chicken meat can be very misleading. “Cage Free” means the birds are kept in a giant warehouse and never go outside, but they are not kept in cramped individual cages. “Free Range” is conceptually the same but there may be a few small holes which some birds may be able to fit through to go outside, but most are kept in the giant warehouse regardless. “Pasture Raised” is a huge step up and means the birds are actually outside. Try to use an online guide when deciding.
  • The government does not check when companies say their chicken processes are “humane.”

Links:

  • Twitter: @ChickensLegal
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LegalImpactforChickens
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleneanello/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legal-impact-for-chickens/
  • Website: https://www.legalimpactforchickens.org/

Shout Outs:

  • The Humane League: thehumaneleague.org
  • Animal legal Defense Fund: aldf.org
  • Humane Society of the United States: humanesociety.org

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/caHycx4lpR8

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You can find information on any person or business and it’s all easily accessible, so how do you take advantage of that? Gyi Tsakalakis, the President of AttorneySync, joins host Kory Underdown to share his insight on how to make yourself stand out online and turn potential clients into paying clients.

Takeaways

  • When running a solo law firm, the big picture is that it’s all about the client experience and client service. You never want the client to go to voicemail and never get a response, the human element is very important.
  • When you are first starting, google your name and your company name to see what comes up. People will also google that and what they see will influence their first impression.
  • The US has the highest number of lawyers per capita. If you aren’t doing enough to retain your clients and try to make your services known, potential clients could find someone else.
  • You can use Google My Business to see how your website looks on the search engine. It’s a free service and it can provide helpful information to see if your location is on your website and how the average person would look at it.
  • Being able to deliver your services virtually is a huge advantage. No one wants to get in the car to drive 30 minutes to an hour for an appointment, and people are working during the day.
  • Your clients have no idea how good of a lawyer you are. It’s all about people skills. You need to listen to the clients and have empathy for them as well as the people you hire.

Quote of the show

0:31 “Big picture, it's all about client service, client experience, more specifically, one of the things that always comes up every time I talk to lawyers I'm like, ‘how are you handling your intake?’ Because lawyers love to spend tons of money on all sorts of marketing stuff, and then you call them or you interact with a chatbot on their side, or you fill out a form and you're like, no response goes to voicemail, busy signal answered the phone on friendly, chatbot leads to nowhere form never gets a response. So you gotta fix that stuff first before you actually spend a single dollar on marketing in my humble opinion.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gyitsakalakis/
  • Twitter: @gyitsakalakis
  • Company Website: https://www.attorneysync.com
  • Blog: https://gyitsakalakis.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto

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Learning how to properly market yourself is a complicated and confusing process. That’s why today’s guest is here to help! Michelle Pippin is the founder and CEO of Women Who WOW, a mentoring and coaching platform for female entrepreneurs, and she joins the podcast to share her tips on how to market yourself in this day and age.

Takeaways

  • Marketing is extremely important. It’s not always the best attorney that makes the most money, it’s the best marketed attorney that makes the most money.
  • Be suspicious of “in order to” goals. These are goals that you set up in order to get you access to other things, i.e. writing a book in order to get speaking gigs. We spend too much time on these when there are better goals to have in place.
  • It’s easy to make money, but it gets more difficult once you start limiting the factors by listing things you won’t do (travel, go to events, etc).
  • Look at what everybody else is doing and don’t do that. You don’t need to follow the same path as everyone else to be successful. Try creating your own path to success.
  • Nothing sells as good as a conversation. For attorneys, a legal conversation can be a huge help to a potential client and it is far more effective than an ad on a bus stop bench.
  • There are two main rules to follow if you want to know if something is a valid content marketing piece: 1) is it true? and 2) does it help anyone?

Quote of the show

4:03 “It's not the best surgeon that makes the most money or the best attorney that makes the most money. It's the best marketed surgeon and the best marketed attorney. And it shouldn't be that way. I will admit it shouldn't be that way, but that is the way it is. And it's funny because I said that I accidentally became a coach. And really what happened was I always had like a traditional business, until 2007, 2008 hit.

And then all of a sudden, my little shameful backstory of having no money to invest and the sweat equity and the bootstrapping, and when everybody else's credit dried up and their second mortgages or home equity lines of credit were pulled all of a sudden, the way I learned how to market very directly became in demands. And that sort of began my journey as a coach and in demand copywriter.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellepippin/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichellePippin
  • Company Website: http://www.womenwhowow.com/
  • Blog: https://www.bmichellepippin.com/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube : https://youtu.be/iB2vwFI-TUw

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Brad Swezey is the president of Just Small Biz Marketing and Vice president of PR4Lawyers. Brad joins host Kory Underdown to discuss marketing strategies. It can be difficult to gain traction when you are a small business. Brad is here to provide solos and small law firms with ways to successfully market your business.

Takeaways

  • As an attorney, you can’t assume that your skills will automatically attract new clients. Don’t rely on one way to get clients because if that one way doesn’t work, you won’t be getting any new clients.
  • Lawyers are viewed in the same way as auto repair shops. You don’t think about that field of work unless something has gone wrong.
  • The advantage that solo practitioners have is that they really focus on each case with more detail than the bigger law firm companies who are using someone straight out of law school.
  • The more you can connect with your potential clients the better off you’ll be.
  • You don’t need a full time staff who is in the office. It doesn’t matter where your employees work as long as they are doing the job that is asked of them.
  • Voicemail is the quickest way to kill your new leads. If a client calls you and reaches your voicemail, odds are they are already looking for a new lawyer.

Quote of the show

35:52 “I went to the Air Force Academy and - you will have no choice. This is your boss. These are the people you're working with. I don't care if it's, you know, 1130 at night, we needed to work for another five hours or whatever. It doesn't matter. We have a little bit more control as solo practitioners and small businesses, which, you guys are, and we are.

The goal is to work with people and find the people you need when you need somebody and you can bring them in and, and use them to help you and you can help them and give them that experience. And you start developing a team of people who work well together, regardless of where they are.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-swezey-justsmallbiz?trk=people-guest_people_search-card
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/justsmallbiz?lang=en
  • Company Website: https://pr4lawyers.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto

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After a devastating experience when she was a young attorney, today’s guest decided she would devote her life to helping others understand wills and the power of asset protection.

Today’s episode features Elisabeth Pickle. Elisabeth is the founding partner of the Mindful Counsel, where she has been helping businesses, families and individuals with estate plans and brand protection for over 20 years. Navigating the world of wills can be a little scary, but Elisabeth is here to help guide you through it.

Takeaways

  • Elisabeth used to work in a psychiatric hospital and had a passion for finding out how the human brain works, but didn’t like the way people were treated there.
  • Elisabeth’s grandfather asked her to draft his will, and a family member inherited the family farm but the family member lost it in a divorce. This was her driving force to help others understand how to avoid mistakes like that.
  • Being yourself and being authentic is the best decision you can ever make, not just for yourself but also for your business.
  • Focusing on who you are and who you serve as a solo practice will help you grow tremendously.
  • A unique way to market yourself: Tik Tok. Elisabeth made a Tik Tok to get her name out there and found it to be a great way to reach a whole new audience.
  • Don’t be afraid to make a video of yourself about who you are, who you want to help and ways that you can help. Just be natural.
  • Elisabeth’s advice to her younger self: Don’t be afraid to take more risks.

Quote of the show

24:39 “I would have told myself to take more risks. Lawyers by nature are very risk averse, but when you’re a solo and you’re on your own, running your practice you have to take risks. You will fail, and you have to be ok with it and pick yourself up and start again.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabethpickle/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/pkmndfl?lang=en
  • Company Website: https://themindfulcounsel.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc29sb2RlZmFjdG8uY29tL2ZlZWQueG1s
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/ZVDgGRX9ZEU

View Details

In this very special episode of Solo de Facto, Kory is joined by her podcasting mentor as well as working together in marketing.

Today’s episode features Casey Cheshire. Casey is the Founder and CEO of Ringmaster Conversational Marketing, and he’s here today to share his unique tips and tricks on how to attract customers through a great medium: podcasts!

Takeaways

  • New clients come from connections. There’s no better way to create those valuable connections than through podcasting.
  • Podcasting is a great way to build a rapport with someone. By the end of the episode, you and the guest will know each other much better.
  • When you like someone you’ll listen to them, but when you trust someone you’ll do business with them.
  • Podcasting as a business sense is a relatively new concept. You don’t need a huge budget to get it started and it’s a great way to reach a whole new audience.
  • On a daily basis we are overloaded with ads from all different sources, but nothing beats having a conversation with a potential client and getting to build that relationship.
  • You have to be unique if you want to reach a wider audience in today’s day and age, don’t be afraid to go outside the box.

Quote of the show

11:34 “Think about advertisements, we're all, you know, marketing, trying to get people's attention, advertise all the things you're trying to do out there to get people's attention, billboards, all that stuff we've gotten so used to zoning it out that we don't even notice it.

I think there was some stat that showed you encounter 5,000 ads a day, you know, and you don't even realize it. Because we've done them all, but one person saying, Hey, what's your story? Where'd you come from? Right. Priceless.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseycheshire/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/caseychesh?lang=en
  • Company Website: https://ringmasterlive.com
  • Book: https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Automation-Unleashed-Strategic-Growth/dp/1599327384

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube -
Marketing Automation Unleashed: The Strategic Path for B2B Growth

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This special episode of Solo de Facto features Emily LaRusch, founder and CEO of Back Office Betties. Emily joins host Kory Underdown to discuss how while the average person may not be able to take care of their legal issues themselves, a solo practice attorney may struggle with some common issues of running a solo practice. Emily offers her expert tips and advice on how to successfully run your solo practice.

Takeaways

  • You shouldn’t be getting burned out running your own business. When starting your own firm you try to do it all but that gets overwhelming very fast.
  • Don’t be afraid to increase your prices. If no one is complaining about your prices you are undercharging.
  • Don’t undervalue yourself. You spent all the time in law school and it’s your area of expertise.
  • Offer to apply the fee for consultations toward the case work. The conversions are much higher on that rather than having them be separate.
  • A fractional team is a great team. Fractional CMO, CFO and others will save you money and time. Utilize a fractional paralegal.
  • While it can be time consuming and difficult to train someone, the reward of getting that person trained is well worth it.
  • When running a solo firm, some important statistics are how many calls were leads, how many were spam and how many were existing clients.

Quote of the show

2:58 “Somebody got really blunt with me and said your business will not survive if you don’t make a change. You need to go and you need to do this fast. I took him really seriously because I was scared at that point in being a new business and things just were not going really smoothly.

I went home that day and I rebooked our pricing and I sent it to my customers and my worst fears were realized, a couple cancellations came in. So I’m thinking they were wrong, I knew it, I knew this was going to happen, this is the most terrible thing ever.

And then what happened was, with just a tiny little increase, the few people who just got upset about it and left over a few bucks were inconsequential. Now we have less work, and we actually had our revenues go up a little. All in all, if you’re afraid to do it, don’t be. Just pull the trigger. It's going to be ok. If no one is complaining about your prices at all, you’re underpriced. “

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-larusch/
  • Company Website:https://backofficebetties.com

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc29sb2RlZmFjdG8uY29tL2ZlZWQueG1s
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube - https://youtu.be/VTjclGxB4nw

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When running your own solo law practice, there will be so many different options for software that you can use in the office that it might seem intimidating. Fear no more, we have the perfect guest for you!

Today’s episode features Andrew Legrand. Andrew is an attorney and founder of the business law firm Spera Law Group. After graduating from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 2011, he decided he wouldn’t be happy in a traditional law office and set about to change that! He’s all about empowering business owners and he’s here to help businesses find the best software for their office at a reasonable price.

Takeaways

  • Rather than looking into a specific piece of software you might have heard a lot about, try thinking of the problem you want that software to solve.
  • Keep in mind your usable price. A lot of software has a lot of different price points, so think about what is important to you and what is within your budget.
  • Consider software that isn’t specifically made with lawyers in mind, it might be more beneficial.
  • Sometimes the marketing for the feature of a product isn’t exactly what it is on the back end, so make sure to do your diligence so you aren’t switching products within a few months.
  • Make a spreadsheet that keeps track of different ways of looking at products, ie, things that you need, things that you want, etc.

Quote of the show

1:16 “I’m from New Orleans and in 2005 this big storm named Katrina hit. And going to law school seemed like a good way to move back home and not commit to a career. But as I started going through law school I realized that one way that I can use my law degree to help my hometown rebuild is by helping business owners. By helping business owners create jobs and grow the economy and create opportunity.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlegrand/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawByLegrand
  • Company Website: https://speralaw.com/

Ways to Tune in:

  • Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
  • Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
  • Google Play -
  • Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
  • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
  • YouTube: https://youtu.be/_Cd_LpAAGuo

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Today’s episode features multi-talented John Hinson. John is an Administrative Director and Marketing manager at Spotlight Branding, marketing professional who helps attorneys market their law practice. He’s also an author of travel memoires and historical fiction as well as a fellow podcast host. He’s here to give you tips that will not only save you time in marketing, but also money.

Takeaways

  • Content writing is an art form. There are certain formulas to success that you can follow to give you great results.
  • Give out evergreen, solid information rather than self-promotion. Answer the legal questions that keep your audience up at night.
  • Instead of focusing on keywords for SEO, focus on good writing and the right audience will find you.
  • Business owners make themselves the focus, but really the client should be the focus. You are not the Luke Skywalker of the story, you are Yoda, there to help and guide the client.
  • You can’t know who you are marketing to if you don’t know who your audience is, it’s a good idea to focus your marketing toward your audience.
  • You can create many different types of content from a single video, and if you can create even two videos a month, that becomes what is referred to as pillar content.
  • Check out spotlightbranding.com/solo for the latest information on SEO and content writing

Quote of the show

6:54 “The big mistake in terms of copy writing is that business owners, especially lawyers, make is they make themselves the hero of the story, but in reality the client is the hero of the story”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhinson/
  • Personal Website: https://johnhinsonwrites.com
  • Company Website: https://spotlightbranding.com
  • Podcast: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/our-weird-world-1193937
  • Books: https://www.amazon.com/Something-About-These-Fields-Hinson/dp/1304622231
None

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Welcome to Solo de Facto! There are plenty of different classes in law, but this podcast will explore the business of law and the secrets to successfully running your own solo practice.

Today’s episode features energetic math whiz Brooke Lively. Brooke is the founder and CEO of Cathedral Capital, and author of her own book “From Panic to Profit: How 6 Key Numbers Can Make a 6 Figure Difference In Your Law Firm”. Brooke built a seven figure company in under two years before she started her own company. Brooke joins host Emily LaRusch to share some of her tips for success!

Takeaways

  • Owning your business can be a great reward, but it can also come with great risks if you aren’t careful.
  • Business owners need someone who can hold them accountable and keep them in line.
  • In a law firm, your biggest expense is your people and also the biggest source of revenue.
  • 5 pieces of the A/R puzzle: Get an initial retainer that is equal to the first three months of work, have an evergreen retainer, have a stop work policy, take payment out of the clients hands, have a fee agreement.

Quote of the show

2:13 “We like to think of ourselves as financial Sherpas. Because when you own a business, any business, but a law firm is a great example. When you own a law firm it is like climbing a mountain. It is exhilarating, it’s fun, it can be beautiful. It can also be cold, lonely and dangerous and no one has ever climbed Mt. Everest by themselves, they have Sherpas.

The Sherpas job is to tell them what is coming up, help them avoid things, so they don’t fall in a crevasse or die on the mountain, and that’s what we do for people.”

Links

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookelively
  • Website: https://www.cathcap.com
  • Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Panic-Profit-Numbers-Figure-Difference-ebook/dp/B08B41C393
From Panic to Profit