Starting a Law Firm | Strap in For the Roller Coaster Ride

I didn't realize it when I first started, but starting a law firm is a lot like riding a roller coaster. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs, when you think you've reached the height of success, you can easily begin on a downward fall. And the whole thing is both wonderfully exciting and wonderfully scary all at the same time.

The only difference is, and it's an important difference, is that you get to control how big the peaks and valleys are. And if you aren't sure which way you should be leaning, the smoother the ride (the more level), the better.

This lesson really hit home for me in the last couple of months. Over the first year of starting my law firm, my income numbers were fairly steady. There would be a bit of a down time here, then I'd have a decent month there. And then May came, and it was significantly higher than any of my other months. I was pumped.

And my first thought was immediately that I'd made it over the hump, that I was on my way to greatness. And then June came. June was not a great month.

June was not a great month for several reasons, but I think the main reason was that I got complacent with a lot of the things that helped me have a good May, and good months before that. I was quick to respond to potential clients, I kept my nose to the grindstone, and I continued working toward the ultimate goal - sustainable success for this new law firm.

And it wasn't like I just took June off. I was still working, and still working hard. But I just wasn't working the same way that I had been. And it showed in my income results.

So, the lesson for this week is to keep at it. Sustainable success probably won't be there for years. Until your phone is ringing constantly, and over half of those calls are referrals, I wouldn't consider you're business to be over the hump. Until that time, keep your nose to the grindstone. Keep hustling for those clients, and always, always give your clients what you promise.

Roller coasters can be fun. But they can also be scary. Here's to hoping yours is as flat as a pancake.