Solo de Facto solodefacto

Richard Claywell is the Owner of J. Richard Claywell, CPA. He has been in business since 1985, and he has a wide depth of experience and knowledge to share. He sits down with host Tom Dufton to share some tips on how to run a successful solo practice. 
 
Takeaways 
Don’t be afraid to consult experts. It’s ok to not know everything, and sometimes you might need advice from an expert to help you out.
Not all CPAs are created equal. You want to make sure that you are getting the best of the best. 
Immerse yourself in your work. Running a practice can be difficult and demanding, but if you put the time and effort into it you will be successful.
Help your clients by educating attorneys through nuances. 
When handling a case, think about how many years of experience you have in that case and consider if you are the right person for it. 
Attorneys often think that because they handle a couple of cases they are experts in the field, but every case is unique and should be treated as such.​
Outliers can have a major impact on your business. 
 
Links
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-claywell-0467767/
Website: https://www.biz-valuation.com/

Ways to Tune in:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
YouTube - https://youtu.be/GZqulYfrd1I

Allison Williams is the Business Coach for Solo Law Firm Owners at Law Firm Mentor, LLC. She’s seen firsthand what working too many hours can do a person, and she wants to get the word out about it. She joins host Tom Dufton to talk about how to avoid burnout and gives her tips on how to run a successful law firm. 
 
Takeaways 
Systematize everything. The more organized you are, the easier your work life will be as everything's in its proper place. 
Outsourcing helps if you want to have more time. Having more time on your plate allows you to focus on the areas you are strong in.
Always look to hire someone who can bring in more money. They might cost more in the short run, but at the end of the day the money they are bringing to your firm is greater than that of someone you would spend less on.
Invest in your people. Taking the time to train your employees and making sure they are a good fit will provide a great benefit in the long run.
Set your mindset so that you are focusing on things you can accomplish. It’s easy to get weighed down by the negative. Believe in your goals. 
Even when you work from home, act and dress as if you are at work because you are still on the clock.
Don’t be a victim of burnout. Make sure to stay sharp and set boundaries in your work life so you don’t spend all your energy and time working. 
 
 
Quote of the show
 
13:24 “We tell people, do a rinse and repeat on your mindset. Let's figure out what is working. And let's figure out what's not working. Leave the things that are not working. You have to be more aggressively in pursuit of what you are seeking, but when you do that, the right person sees the right message in the right time for them.”

Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/law_firm_mentor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisoncwilliams/
Website: https://www.lawfirmmentor.net/

Ways to Tune in:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
YouTube - https://youtu.be/6rMmtgX2KBI

Russell Farbiarz is a Partner at Antanavage Farbiarz PLLC. Being yourself in a law practice can be a positive experience, and it can help your clients connect with you on a better level. Russell sees this and encourages everyone not just “think like a lawyer” as he was taught in law school. He joins host Tom Dufton to share some of his other tips on how to successfully run a law practice. 
 
Takeaways 
Running a law firm is like running a business. You can’t practice what you love if you aren’t able to pay the rent. 
In law school, students are often taught to “think like a lawyer”, but you have to be willing to step outside the box.
You need to have empathy for your clients. They can tell when you are being sincere or not and it makes a difference. 
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. You want clients who feel comfortable with you and will keep coming back to you, they won’t do that if they know you aren’t being your true self.
Have a plan. You can’t run a successful business or law practice without a solid plan in place. 
You can’t be everything to everyone. It’s ok to admit that you don’t know something, and take the time to learn more and be more well rounded.
Set quarterly goals. This will help you to stay on task and will help you to determine if your business is working or not. 
 
Quote of the show
 
3:08 “Law school is all about teaching and learning a particular way of thinking. And that would be, you know, a very analytical thought process. But if they took some of the time that they spent in law school, teaching us how to use citations and use what's called the blue book, and took some of that time and actually taught us,  how do you talk to clients?  How do you create a business plan?  How do you manage a staff?  How do you market?  Those would all be helpful tools as well, and probably more practical than blue book citation.”
 
 
Links
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-e-farbiarz-esq-a131274/
Website: https://www.antanavagefarbiarz.com

Ways to Tune in:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
YouTube - https://youtu.be/wBVCiAc9_-U

Nequosha Anderson is the Founder and Managing Attorney at Anderson Law Firm PLLC. She is also the co-host of the Professional Use Only Podcast. She sees the importance of time and how precious it is, and she has some great advice on how attorneys can use their time wisely and how outsourcing can help with that. She joins host Tom Dufton to share that and more information for how to successfully run a solo law practice.
 
Takeaways 
Hire help as soon as possible. This allows you more time to focus on the things that you know and do the best, while having someone else focus on a different task.
Time is incredibly valuable. You can’t buy back any amount of time, and you can save yourself stress by outsourcing.
Write down all the things you do in a day, and put a value of how much time and money it costs you to do those things, then outsource the ones that take up most of your time.
You don’t have to know everything. It’s ok to not have all the information, sometimes you learn more when you are out in the trenches. 
A big challenge for a lot of solo attorneys is finances. It can be a difficult subject to understand so outsourcing for that will save a lot of money and stress.
Have sympathy for others. You don’t know what other people are going through or what they might know, so have patience and be kind.  
Most lawyers struggle with networking because they weren’t taught to focus on that. But building relationships can lead to new clients. 
 
 
Quote of the show:
 
2:00 “Hiring help early allows you to buy back your time. That's the most important resource that you will ever have. If you can buy back time, it affords you the opportunity to do other things that you wouldn't necessarily be able to do if your deliverables are keeping you in the line of production.”

Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esquire44/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nequosha-anderson/
Website: https://andersonlawfl.com/
Podcast: https://www.puopodcast.com/
 
Ways to Tune in:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
YouTube - https://youtu.be/bHauiv7wuGU

Chelsea Williams is the Founder/Financial Guru at Core Solutions Group, Inc. She sees that while law school is helpful, it doesn’t do everything to necessarily prepare you for running your own solo practice. She sits down with host Kory Underdown to talk about the importance of financial literacy when it comes to running your business.
 
Takeaways 
Law school is a great place to start but it won’t always teach you the things you need to know about running a law firm because that requires you to be an entrepreneur. 
Financial literacy is incredibly important. You won’t learn that from school, but it’s an important skill to have. 
There are 5 key financial players; Your bookkeeper, your tax preparer, your CFO, your banker and your financial planner. 
Human relationships are so important for business. Take your employees out for lunch once in a while, send them good business referrals, etc
When you receive money, set some aside and let it grow in interest. That is the fastest way to leverage compounding interests. 
Outsourcing for bookkeeping is a great solution so that you can save money on it and always receive the services. 
Parkinson’s Law says that with every increase in revenue, expenses will also rise to either meet or exceed that revenue increase unless a specific force is placed against it.
 
 
Quote of the show: 
 
12:15 “What matters is establishing the habit, the habitual action of when you receive you set aside to invest, because there is nothing more powerful that will get you to wealth than compounding interest. And that is what an investment is,it's leveraging compounding interest.”

Links
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-m-williams-%F0%9F%92%B5%E2%9A%96%E2%8F%B1-8303b45a/
Website: https://www.yourcoresolution.com

Ways to Tune in:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
YouTube - https://youtu.be/KtHos54vN94

Katy Mickelson is a Divorce and Family Law Attorney at Beermann LLP. She sees the importance of even the little parts of being a lawyer and the difference it can make in the relationship between a lawyer and their clients. She sits down with host Kory Underdown to share her tips on how to run a successful solo practice. 
 
Takeaways 
Getting clients has a lot to do with who you are as a person. It’s important to be your true authentic self. 
You want to have a good reputation. It takes a long time to build but it all comes down to who you hire, how you handle cases and your ability to relate to your clients. 
Having a good relationship with your clients is important. You have to be honest with them, you can’t always be a yes person. You should always be transparent with them.
Clients need to be heard. If they feel like they aren’t being heard, they will tune out anything you are saying. 
Listening is key. Sometimes the best thing you can do is sit and listen to what the client is saying. 
Lack of explanation and information to the client can be extremely detrimental. Walk the client through the process in a very elementary way to make sure they understand.
Clients are typically in a situation where they are so stressed out that they might not understand things they typically get.  

Quote of the show:
 
5:12 “There's a process of building that trust with the client. I think what comes from that is being responsive, being honest, and telling clients what they might not want to hear. Because I think that that commands more respect than being a yes person.”

Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-homburger-mickelson-580b793/
Website: https://www.beermannlaw.com/

Ways to Tune in:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/923f06e0-f8e6-4cb3-9472-5b4f460c496b/solo-de-facto
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-de-facto/id1586010951
Spotify - ​​https://open.spotify.com/show/6uooFxN96HtKCoFuI3LJ3w?si=ImsDozpARi2_7J4_oWLqDg&dl_branch=1
Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/solo-de-facto
YouTube - https://youtu.be/4YQJBHanMuQ