I started Momentum Law Group to create a firm that was different.
Most law firms (particularly those in larger metropolitan areas) focus on one of two things: one or more practice areas, such as family law, criminal law, or admiralty law, OR they focus on a particular industry(ies) or vertical market(s), such as government contractors, auto repair shops, restaurants, etc. When I started the firm, I too wanted to create an area of focus for both myself and for the firm that I was to build, however, neither building a practice based upon practice areas nor vertical markets spoke to me.
Thankfully one day,
I had an epiphany.
A client, let’s call him Bob, called me. Bob owned a home health care company and needed some advice regarding a personnel issue. Personally, I like Bob well enough and our conversation was fine and we worked through the issue he had. Just a little later that day, another client, let’s call her Jane, called. Coincidentally, Jane also owns a home health care company. As soon as I saw her name on the caller ID, I was grinning ear to ear. I love talking with Jane! She too had a personnel issue to discuss with me. Our conversation was engaging and fun and filled me with energy. When we got off the phone, I was still grinning.
I found myself wondering how I could have such a completely different reaction and response to Bob on one hand and Jane on the other when I was providing similar services to them (in each case, talking about employee issues) and they were also in the same industry. How could I pick a path of either focusing on a practice area or a vertical when I had such a different experience with Bob and Jane?
So, what was different about them?
What I realized is that Jane is an entrepreneur. She wants to scale her business to new heights. She wants to climb the proverbial mountain and take over her corner of the world. Bob, well, he isn’t an entrepreneur. He was self-employed. He appreciated the status quo and had no desire for change or growth. Each of these calls was indicative of Bob’s and Jane’s personalities.
While I pass no judgment regarding either personality type, I found that it was way more fun to work with Jane. In fact, it was so much fun that it didn’t feel like “working” when I spoke with her or any of our clients like her. And like that it hit me… I only want to work with people like Jane. What makes Jane “Jane,”, in other words, how would I know whether someone was like her? What became crystal clear is that Jane is an entrepreneur.