Every year, the Entrepreneurial Attorney Nation recognizes top attorneys for their exemplary marketing efforts and business growth. The Entrepreneurial Attorney of the Year (EAY) competition sees one deserving winner earn an all-expense-paid trip to my Club Partners event in August, plus a mastermind opportunity with a special guest, last year’s winner, and myself.
At the event, networking opportunities and the chance to build referral partnerships abound. Plus, attendees can benefit from my experience of helping attorneys create a thriving practice where they have the financial and practical freedom to enjoy life on their own terms.
I recently hosted a podcast where I interviewed the EAY finalists to discover some of their secrets to success and business growth, while also allowing them to share why members should vote for them as Entrepreneurial Attorney of the Year. Watch the podcast to the end to hear their thoughts.
Attorney Joe Jeppson – Jepson Law Office Shares His Tips for Incremental Growth
Joe Jeppson of Jeppson Law Office talked about how he increased revenue by 18% in 2019 and by 21% in 2020, far above the market average. “I’ve worked for years to try to keep the lows higher. I don’t hit a lot of home runs, but I don’t strike out much either,” he told me.
The key to his success? A mindset adjustment that led him to take chances, along with raising his prices. “If you’re undercharging, you’re undervaluing yourself,” he said. “Remember, the last guy doesn’t know what you’re charging the next guy, so the problem is between your ears.”
Attorneys Bill and Roxanne Ausman – Law Offices of William Ausman Discusses the Moves He Made to Skyrocket His Firm
Bill Ausman of the Law Offices of William Ausman found that to grow, he had to let go–of his bookkeeper. He noted that my Partners Club program served as a catalyst to embolden him to invite his long-time bookkeeper and office manager to “be a superstar in someone else’s organization.”
The move empowered other employees to step up to become the shining stars. He also hired more attorneys for his firm, freeing up his time to act more as a business owner and less as the attorney on the front lines in his business. “I’ve always been a businessman,” he told me. “But I was limited because there was only so much of me to go around. Now I love going to work.”
Attorney Emily Smith-Lee – Law Offices of SLN Law, Talks About Changing Her Life
During the podcast, Emily Smith-Lee shared a moving story with me about being able to spend time with her octogenarian mother in the last year of her life. She could not have found this work-life balance without the Partner’s Club.
“It was a clear moment for me that I had to stop and change the rules in my office and in my life,” she says. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime perfect storm of things for me, so I decided to stay in Western Massachusetts with my mom.”
Her expectations and wants for her firm and her life completely changed amidst Covid.
“We started 2020 on the launchpad,” she said, noting that she thought it would be the year she would achieve financial freedom. But the freedom she found was far more valuable in a fully clockwork business, where staff would work remotely.
Attorney Annie Scott – The Law Office of Annie Scott, Highlights Importance of Truly Establishing a Business
Rounding out our list of finalists was Annie Scott, a hustling lawyer in need of focusing on her business as a whole. Annie, of The Law Office of Annie Scott, was like the Lincoln lawyer, running from meeting to meeting, practicing out of her car, and never taking the time to focus on truly growing her business. Despite seeing her firm’s revenue grow by 68%, while increasing her total owners benefit by 64%, she didn’t necessarily see herself as a business owner.
“I didn’t have a business; I was a briefcase lawyer. I’d carry by bags wherever, whichever court needed me,” Annie expressed on the podcast. “At that time, I was only getting court appointments, so I didn’t know how to obtain or retain clients.”
With some help from her first Partners Club meeting, Annie gathered valuable intel from the like-minded attorneys, who had faced similar circumstances, and left with a newfound approach to addressing her business specifically.
“When I left Partners Club, the first thing I did was to look for some help. Because I had been flying solo for a while and hearing about all the different team members that some of the other attorneys had in their office, I was really inspired to take that plunge and find someone that could help me get organized and stay on top of things.”
Are you ready to take your law firm to the next level, positioning you for a life of personal and financial freedom? Click here to self-schedule an appointment and take a pivotal step towards growing your practice.