Hanging my own shingle ended up being the same as any other endeavor I have taken on. I dont mean to say it was mundane or easy, I mean it was something at one point too much, and now is something I have done. Like applying to lawschool, sitting for the bar, filing my first case, or conducting my first trial - its really not all that horrible once you actually get into it. Leading up to those starting moments though, all the anxiety and uncertainty runs rampant. Yet the moment I committed to my firm, I was able to see the path forward and the anxiety began to subside. Same exact experience as those other things I mentioned. A constant reminder to not burn so much anxiety on something that hasnt happened yet. With that in mind I want to share how it came about, how its been going so far, what i've learned, and some future stuff.
I first came across a book called "Solo by Choice" by Carolyn Elefant a little over a year ago. It completely reoriented how I was thinking about my career. Mainly, the potential and possibility of starting my own practice and making it a success. Along with encouragement from my friends and family, I couldnt ignore wanting to try it for myself anymore. The more I thought about it, the more I read, the more I started to see how doable it all was. Eventually I had put together a massive checklist of what I needed to do to start my own thing. Everything from getting my business license, to setting up my website, setting up my accounting, case management system, billing, banking, time tracking, invoicing, marketing, ein number, etc, etc. As I began to chip away at this super checklist, slowly but surely my firm began to take shape. Not much later I quit my job and fully sent it with G Counsel.
Before launching I planned to take some time to get as much of my system in place as I could. This allowed me to take on initial clients, open cases, and start billing immediately. In my off time I would just work on my website, read more, and build my brand. I ended up loving building a website. I learned a lot through that whole process. Like what it means to have the right DNS records set up so your domain is pointed to the correct servers. Or the use of web hosting, Wordpress, Cascade systems, Netlify, Google search console, and the like. I ended up completely scrapping that first site a few weeks ago and started from scratch on this one. I am so pumped about it. Everything is functioning perfectly, and I added a blog page.
In summary of the last few months and the work I have done so far, its been precisely equally tough and rewarding. I will be honest though, there is real crazy making that flames up when the last billable work you did was over two weeks ago, and none of the bobbers are bobbing. But pretty quickly you realize there is an ebb and flow to it all so long as you keep working it. Some weeks are better than others, much like any other job. A difference though now is I dont get paid for my slow weeks. Not to mention the people who dont pay their bills or try defraud you. Yes, both of these things have happened already. Did you know that "the average law firm collects only $728 of every $1,000 of billable work - meaning roughly 25% of earned revenue is lost." Thats from the American Bar Association and Clio's Legal Trends Report. Despite all that though, I am enjoying my work so much more now. I am so pleased I took the chance. Tremendous new gales are behind my sails now to take me as far as I need.
Anyway, thats all I have for now. To be continued. I think this will be a fun part of the total effort. I'll be sharing what I learn and hopefully it can inspire some others to do more of their own thing too.
"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” - Marcus Aurelius
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