Hanging a Shingle

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A few weeks ago I blogged about working from home, which seemed to resonate with folks.  There are dozens of us.  Dozens!

A related topic that I get asked about a lot when I meet new people (especially other lawyers) is what it’s like to be out on my own.  Why did you decide to do it?  What’s the hardest part?  How do you get clients?  Do you miss working for a company?  Do you think you’ll ever go back?  I was going to answer all of these questions but it would have been a 10 page blog post and aint nobody got time for that so I’ll break it into a few different posts.

Generally speaking, lawyers are pretty risk-averse and they always say things like “I've always wanted to do that but I never could.”  The funny thing is that the people who say that are often the ones I really admire, who are objectively way smarter and more successful than I am.  They could definitely do that!  But I have learned through the years that fortune truly favors the bold.  I keep telling Lily this in the context of basketball- just grab the ball and shoot.  Even if you miss 80% of the time, you'll score more points than if you never try and people will only remember the scores anyway.  Such a metaphor for life in general. But I digress...

Why did I decide to jump of the bridge of a secure job into the waters of uncertainty and volatile income?  I wish I could say that I had a really great, carefully thought out plan.  Nope, I was just really unhappy and knew I needed to make a change.  Jim was talking about doing his own thing and around May 2015 we started discussing the idea of doing it together but I was still pretty scared.  

Then June was a truly horrendous month for me at work.  I was struggling with some of my responsibilities and I couldn’t see a way out.  I was also navigating a really difficult personality in senior management who was in an awful pattern of boosting me up so he could cut me down.  Again, I couldn’t see a way out.   

I was also struggling with my own management responsibilities (previously, I had only managed two lawyers and now, I was managing a team of 10 non-lawyers) and on top of that, my narcolepsy was getting out of hand.  I had a cot in my office for my mandatory power naps but I could almost never actually take them.  I was so tired.  All.  The.  Time.

This all culminated in me having 2 completely nutso crying attacks in my car on the way from work to pick up Lily from school.  In a decade-long career full of the difficult people and professional disappointments that we all face, I had cried only once before at work (and that was related to the difficult personality above) so twice in one month was a clear red flag for me.  We took a much-needed vacation to Chicago in early July and I had a lot of time to think and talk it all over with Matt.  In the middle of our vacation I called Jim and told him I was in.  I quit the first day I was back in the office and the rest is history!

Letting loose on the 4th of July 2015, after deciding to quit my job.  I swear, I lost all the tension in my neck and shoulders, overnight!  Just knowing I was going to make a change was life-changing.

Of course, I don’t go into this with colleagues, clients, and others.  They get a simple “I was ready for a change.”  But let’s be honest- if you’re reading this blog it’s because you’re family or friend so you get the real, gritty truth. :)  If there’s one thing I’d want to drive home from my experience, it’s that starting your own business is probably more accessible than you think.  We all doubt ourselves but we’re capable of a lot when push comes to shove.  You just need to be bold so fortune can favor you.