I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend in Atlanta attending the NCAA Final Four and National Basketball Championship Game. So many lessons to be learned by such an intense weekend, but the one that stands out most was of my wonderful buddy who went with my son and I.
The day before arriving in Atlanta, he decided to begin the weekend with a 5K race. So early Saturday morning we got up and cheered him on at the finish line. He succeeded; imagine that, quick decision, not a lot of preparation, and he was able to complete the 5K in around 30 minutes!
But what’s the rest of the story? Well for the next two days he was in such pain he could hardly walk. His muscles would give out every so often and given that my pedometer said we walked over ten miles on Saturday – it was an absolute challenge for him. So what’s the moral of the story?
Preparation. Many of us (especially us quick starts) are quick to make decisions in the moment that sounds good. We may even prevail, as my buddy did. But the question is, at what cost? How could this have played out differently? Same is true with running a law practice. So many people, as Michael Gerber says, have the entrepreneurial seizure and go start a practice or have some bright marketing idea to try. Many times, we accomplish what we set out to, but like my friend sometimes it is at a painful cost.
To have a successful law practice takes preparation. It takes diligence and a structure that you build up to, just like preparing to run a race. The three key elements are:
– Understanding the legal technical;
– Understanding marketing from a wholesale, retail, and branding perspective; and
– Having the proper infrastructure to help you monitor your current reality on a daily basis and get the work done timely and competently.
That’s what’s enabled me to thrive in my practice for the last 20 years and that’s what has enabled over 1,000 of those that I’ve worked with to succeed as well.
So are you off for a quick run? Or are you ready to begin the preparation so that when you’re done with your run (or bright idea), the consequences are minimal and the rewards are great?
David J. Zumpano, CPA/Esq., Co-founder Lawyers With Purpose, Founder of MPS, Founder and Senior Partner of Estate Planning Law Center
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