Forgive me for waxing philosophic for a minute, but I spend a great deal of... you guessed it.... time contemplating the very issue of time. Talk about the grandest kind of irony. Time is one of my favorite things to ponder and I am not really sure why. On occasion it feels as thought we have all the time in the world. The next thing we know we don't have enough time in the day to get everything down. It amazes me that some can be so infinite and yet so finite at the same time. It reminds me of the drastic weather deviations we would see from time to time while I was growing up in North Dakota. One day it would be 35 degrees Fahrenheit below zero and two days later it would be 40 degrees above zero. I understand that isn't the perfect analogy but you really cannot appreciate the weather in "Little Canada" (North Dakota) unless you have experienced it firsthand. In any event, I best get back to the topic or I run the risk of spiraling out of control.
Time as defined on Dictionary.com. Definition of Time. As you'll see the definition of time is quite lengthy. I am not going to dissect or nitpick the definition. Instead, I am just going to briefly discuss the concept of time as it relates to starting and building a law practice. One usage of time pops up when we first think about going solo. We ask ourself if it is the right time to go solo. If not when will it be the right time? This is fertile ground for excuses and self-doubt. Next we get to a point when we make the decision to go solo and then we lay out a business plan. If we are employed or are a law student we may have time on our side. If we are unemployed or we are days from graduation or the bar exam, then time is wearing the visiting uniform across the field. Now our infantile business plan sets a start date six, nine or a twelve months out so we are left with time for planning and implementation. Six months seems like an eternity when you are excited by the idea and let's be honest, impatient. So in the first few weeks we spend all of our time drafting, fine-tuning, then re-drafting our business plan. The energy is flowing freely so it is easy to knock out two or more blog posts a day and to brainstorm numerous ways to "brand" or set your law firm apart. At some point the energy wains and the time remaining before the launch seems like more of a burden than a benefit. The truth is the time passes at the same rate regardless of how fast or slow we may think. The differences lie in how we use the time we have. If we hit the wall in the first month or two of planning, we are in for a difficult fight. If we keep plugging ahead, we are better able to manage our time to withstand the long-haul. After all it is a marathon not a sprint.
When you decide to start you own law firm you may find, as I have, that time is one of the most interesting things to ponder. You either have too much time on your hands (i.e. idle hands are the devil's playground) or not enough time in the day. Either way I would advise you to use your time wisely and by that I mean do not sprint out of the gate and do not become lazy. Maintain control of not only your sanity but your time and probably most importantly your energy. If you allow the mania to drive the solo train then you are also likely to let the depression serve as the brakeman. I know of only one person who can both thrive off of the excitement (fist-pumping) and reign in his emotions (ice in his veins) at the same time and he is the best in the world at his craft because of it. His name is Eldrick Tiger Woods. I know enough to know that I am not Tiger's equal in either ability or emotional strength. Because of that and through my own experience I am convinced that allowing your time and your emotions to flap in the wind is a grave mistake. Do what you can to make time your friend as opposed to your enemy while you make your solo law firm dream a reality.
Sorry for the pun, but this is a timely post for me.
I decided to begin planning to go solo one day in January while driving to work. I decided to give myself a year to put the plan into practice. The choice of a year was random - it just seemed like a good, round number.
Since that time, I've done little to push the plan forward except to talk to family and to friends who've made the leap and to surf the Internet. I've also ordered Foonberg's book. I have some rudimentary ideas of how to start putting together a business plan, but I've yet to sit down with pen and paper in earnest.
Even though my plans are in their infancy, your comments hit home with me. While I'm thinking about my own business, I'm still working in the job I'm planning to leave. And despite the fact that I do not have my ducks in a row, I begin to think a year is too long. I'm having trouble not just abandoning my current job and running off all unprepared. Which I recognize would be a disaster.
As you've pointed out, it's a real challenge to balance the excitement/fear with the waiting. Right now time is moving far too slowly for me. Glad to hear that it might speed up as this process goes forth.
Posted by: Beatrice | February 18, 2008 at 09:46 AM