“New or more information is *not* what you need—a new plan of *action* is. It’s time to create new behaviors and habits that are oriented away from sabotage and toward success. It’s that simple.”
– Darren Hardy, Author of The Compound Effect

So I’ve been reading this book lately, The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy.

In it, he talks about how consistent, small actions are going to have a much more profound effect on your life than any large, radical change.

Let me ask you a question- would you rather have:

1. A) $3 Million right now

or

1. B) One penny that doubles every day for 31 days?

You might feel silly choosing to start with a penny instead of $3 Million, and you might not feel any better about it on the 20th day when you are looking at just under $5,300.

In fact, it’s not until the 29th day that you just about break even, but then by the 31st day you’ve better than tripled option A.

In order to maximize your gains, you must have the planning and foresight to know how things will turn out in the future, and most of all you need to be consistent with your little decisions that add up huge over time.

And it makes sense, right? If I go to the gym and pound away for 15 hours tomorrow after not going for years, I’m not going to walk out of there in any better shape. But if I instead went every day for a year, the results would be unmistakable.

Then I got to thinking about the opposite- what if I didn’t go to the gym every day for a year, but instead went to a fast food restaurant for lunch every day?

I think we all know I’d need a new wardrobe by the end of the year!

Small, smart choices + consistency + time = Radical Difference

“A daily routine built on good habits and disciplines separates the most successful among us from everyone else. A routine is exceptionally powerful.”

Look at the above formula and quote. They both have to do with the power of routines, but they only show you the good part.

What if instead of “small, smart choices”, we made “small, bad choices” consistently over time? The Compound Effect would still occur, and it would still yield a “radical difference”, except it would be negative.

Switch the word “good” for “bad” in the quote and the same point is illustrated.

And that’s the thing about the Compound Effect- it’s happening right now, today, whether you mean for it to happen or not.

You’re either getting better or getting worse, a little bit every day.

So which are you going to choose today?

It’s a no-brainer. Law firm owners fall victim to this all the time. They are so busy, so bogged down by the day to day managing of things that they don’t even realize the tiny, damaging decisions that are piling up and ready to blow.

Sometimes it takes an objective set of eyes. That’s what happened to me. I was lucky enough to meet a mentor who took one look at how I was doing things and set me straight. My only regret was not meeting him five years prior. He was able to see how I had stacked bad decision on top of bad decision. (FYI, NOT making any decisions at all and being in denial is a form of decision. And a bad one.)

Awareness is powerful tool for profit. And if you need that second set of eyes, you can schedule an appointment with my team anytime by clicking here. Prepare to be asked some tough but vital questions if you do talk to them. My guess is, like me, you’ll wish you had done it sooner.

2019 – Before the planning, it’s all about the decision

It’s here. The end of Q4. With all your systems humming along, I am hoping for those who have been hanging around HTM for more than six months, you were thinking of Q1 2019 as early as Q1 2018. I will cover more on planning later, but for now, I want to delve into the first step for a successful 2019. It’s called…

Wait for it….

The Decision

Before you begin thinking of AR and numbers and metrics to help you decide the plan for 2019, the most important thing is understanding that all that stands between you and what you want for your firm, is you.

Before you begin your calculations and planning, the fuel you need to move ahead in a big way lies in the power of the decision. It is, by far, the toughest part of all. And, it is more than one single decision.

You have heard my “No Assholes” policy.
To be clear, I never “enjoy” enforcing our No Assholes Policy. In fact, in most cases when this policy is applied, it more of a person operating from a deepened black abyss of fear rather than a person who behaves badly because that is who he is at his core.

Short List of Decisions for 2019

1. How much income do you want to earn?

2. Which projects are the ones you need and want to mark
the milestones?

3. How many days do you want to work in 2019?

4. How will you spend your resting days?

5. What “stuff” will you want to add to your law firm or your
personal life in 2019?

You will tweak these decisions throughout the year, so don’t get stuck in the weeds over this. Why tweak? Part of the process lies in adjusting and evolving your goals as they grow more visible and tangible. You will also begin to realize how much more you are capable of in your growth and you will begin to dream even bigger. Additionally, you will also decide how much you must make in 2019 to set up 2020 for success.

The Planning Begins

Next, it’s time to do a Brain Dump of where your opportunities lie, where your leaks are, and where you can tighten up your processes, projects and systems. A round number for most attorneys (if they are honest) is about 100 items with some being projects, to-dos, tasks, or more decisions. Projects require planning. Tasks simply require an appointment to knock them out. As you begin fleshing out the entire year, leave off the tasks as they are not big picture, still important, but they are not strategic.

Example of a task:

Writing the long overdue thank you note to someone you meet is a task.

Example of a project:

Setting up a dedicated station in the office to write thank you notes, training the team on when, why and how to write thank you notes, and installing a monthly thank-you-notewriting contest and a system for keeping track– that is a project.

Who Does What

If you are very small, it will be simple to decide who does what. If your team is larger, bring your leadership together and choose ownership of those top three to five projects in each category. Years ago, when Ale and I were starting out we were cash-strapped and because of this, choosing
priority projects that would yield the quickest ROI was our “M” “O”. Only those projects that would produce results the fastest were allowed on the list. When you are broke and have no line of credit, no angel investors, no saviors, you are not thinking of those “nice to have tools like blogs or newsletters. No, you are thinking which stepping stone is going to give us the biggest push forward. We had to be ruthless.

You must be ruthless.

The number of projects you choose to focus on is directly related to which stage you are in the growth continuum. If you are early along that timeline, you are doing more things yourself. Realistically, you and your team are unable to take as many projects. As you grow, the numbers of people taking on projects grows, therefore, the number of projects also grows.

Hungry for Success?

Consume the Right Diet by RJon Robins

Another year came and went. Hello 2019. Did your firm meet its goals for the year? Did you? Have
you been on the fence about taking action in some way in your firm?

• You know you are two months too late in hiring a paralegal.

• Your business plan is past due and you are just not sure how to take the first bite out of it.

• Perhaps you have been trying to decide if How to Manage is right for you.

The thing is, another year is going to pass whether you do any of these things. It always
does. The hunger you have for a firm that serves you personally, and that serves the
community the way you know it can is not going to go away. Sure, you can satisfy your
appetite by small burst of starts and stops in your firm, but without that decision to act
consistently, you will likely be having this same conversation with yourself one year from now.

How are you making decisions in your life? In your firm?

1. Are you taking advice from someone who not have what you want?

2. Is your broke family member telling you how to get more clients and manage your staff?

3. Have you tracked your numbers in your business to help you know what is working
and what isn’t? (Do you even know this is a thing?)

4. Are you still answering the phone, meeting with clients and prospects, and making the
coffee in your firm?

It can be overwhelming figuring everything out on your own. Maybe you have no idea
even how to jump in and get busy. Everyone has been there. Whether you are someone who wants
to power through it all and grow quickly, or you just want to see progress, you have that power.

It’s all a decision. Followed by a whole lot of action.

Remembering 2019 is coming, ready or not. Make the Decision. Take the Action. Trust the
System and JUMP.

We got your back if you want us to.

Happy Holidays and TAYEASTUYA in 2019.

– RJon

Meet Holly Moore of Moore Family Law

A How to Manage 18-month Reflection

Holly Moore was drowning. Her law firm had been helping family law clients for 10 years. But something was wrong.

“I had no systems, no policies, no defined procedures, and I had no idea about who to hire or even when to hire or the right person to look for. ”

“My firm was in chaos.”

Holly was considering a career change around the time she learned about HTM.

“Family Law practice is very draining. When you add the chaos and you do not have the help you need, it’s a disaster. I knew I had to do something or die of a heart attack.

Holly and her firm took the plunge July 17th of 2017. At first, she thought to herself “That won’t work or I don’t want to do that!” Remembering her commitment to her husband, her firm and herself, she went all in and trusted the process.

HTM showed her while building a law firm is not easy, it IS simple. She learned to build a very basic structure of systems throughout the seven parts of her business.

“It was groundbreaking–The Moore Law Firm changed in every way,” says Holly.

The chaos was gone and my staff grew happier. Her systematic and structured firm allowed her to triple the firm’s revenue. Plus, one amazing unexpected benefit was the shift in Holly’s personal life. She was able to abandon the practice of working around the clock, cramming court preparation, and living a frenetic, unhealthy existence. She now works a normal work week schedule.

The beginning of becoming a Happy Lawyer with a healthy firm begins with being fiercely

honest and self-aware. She says there are two questions attorneys must be able to answer with conviction:

1. Why are you in the law firm business?

2. Why does it matter?

Without the WHY, Holly explains, no one does what’s uncomfortable. And without tackling what’s uncomfortable, growth rarely happens.

“Working with HTM to get my firm on a structured, solid path improved my family and my team. I have always had core values in my firm, and I always knew my why, but now our team is excited about the mission too. It’s awesome to love what I do again.”

TOUGH QUESTIONS, HONEST ANSWERS WITH HOLLY MOORE

Was it harder than you imagined?

“Yes, of course it was harder. It’s all a part of growth. Growth for your firm and even more, growth for you as a person.”

What was harder, living the day-to-day to chaos of your former firm or putting How to Manage to work in your firm?

“There is no question. Living the chaos far more difficult, not only for me but for my entire team.”

What would you say to a person who is on the fence about taking the plunge?

“I’d say get out of your comfort zone and go for it. Today, my firm is a machine that not only serves me and my needs, but feeds six or seven families.”

When you are told by a colleague: “I don’t know if I can swing the cost,” how do you answer?

“You cannot afford NOT to do this life changing thing. The benefits–structure, smooth procedures, policies, satisfied clients, stable staff– offers you a chance to enjoy life and work again.”