It’s so easy for Marketers to tell you what you “should” do to grow your law firm. They don’t practice law. They aren’t in the trenches. They aren’t drafting complaints- motions- dealing with mountains of the other side’s BS discovery- They aren’t having to put life on hold while dealing with an intense trial- or strategizing to negotiate a settlement-
But here’s the deal; I’ve been right where you are. When I started my law firms- and built them from the ground up, I had to juggle the same stuff you do. I feel your pain. I burned the midnight oil regularly. 12 – 18 hour days were normal.
Typically I’d be in the office by 7:30- hit it hard all day- have lunch brought in so I could stay on task- and then come home at 6 to see my kids, eat dinner, and then leave again around 9 pm and stay at the office till midnight.
I was driven- maybe innately, but also by the necessity of providing for a growing family, too.
It is so easy for folks who haven’t been in your shoes to tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing.
But here’s the thing- I’ve been there- right in your shoes. And I’d like to share a secret I learned along the way: You think you don’t have time to market your law practice because you have too many “real” responsibilities in your law firm.
But honestly, you won’t truly grow your firm and change the rat-race trajectory you are on unless or until you carve out a few hours each week to work “on” your business rather than “in” it.
And I did just use the word “business.” At the end of the day- the truth is that your law practice is a noble endeavor- a professional and worthy pursuit- but it is also a business. Plain and simple.
Unless and until you are able to shift your mindset, you will be caught in a proverbial hamster wheel.
Now I’m not trying to overly simplify the process because some long days and late nights are inevitable when you are building a law firm. BUT not every day should be. Not every day has to be.
