#128 How I became THE lawyer for Coaches, Creatives & Consultants
I often get asked about how I’ve become known as the go-to lawyer for coaches, creatives and consultants. There is a bit of a backstory as to how I ended up with this speciality, and today I’m sharing how my business evolved to where it is today.
In the initial stages of my legal career, I practised dispute resolution and litigation. Over the span of 12 years, there’s nothing that I haven’t seen. I’ve acted in courtrooms, provided mediation and arbitration support, and tackled complex business challenges.
I believed I needed to cast my net wide and see where it landed, and as I engaged with clients and honed in on their needs, a pattern naturally emerged. Together with this and my desire to enrich people’s lives, I embarked on the journey of starting my own business.
The key for me in my practice has always been not to end up a jack of all trades and a master of none. I talk about the value of niching down and having specialist expertise, an approach that has served me well and continues with me to this day.
Now, I certainly do not consider myself a creative person - just ask my family and those who know me best. However, what's remarkable about working with those in the creative space is the natural synergy that exists between us, and I put a lot of this down to the law of opposites attracting. The inherent alignment in values and respect for expertise, and I discuss the importance of being aligned with clients in order to create relationships that flow.
Honing in on my strengths and specialist areas has led me to unexpected opportunities, such as featuring in masterclasses, workshops and Q&As. I talk about deepening my expertise, which resulted in becoming a sought-after authority in my field.
I’m extremely grateful for the people and experiences I’ve encountered through my business. I hope this episode gives you valuable insight into finding your own area of expertise and in turn, the most rewarding and fulfilling version of your business.
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[00:00:00] Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Rise Up in Business Podcast. For those who know me, know that I have a real focus in my business on being the lawyer for coaches, creatives, and consultants. There's a bit of a backstory as to how I ended up with this specialty, and I'm gonna talk about that on today's episode.
The reason I'm doing an episode on this is because I'm asked a lot how it is that I ended up with this specialty and why it is that I focus on this area. So I'm gonna share that in today's episode. I'm gonna start though by saying I do have clients in other practice areas. I absolutely do. I support small business [00:01:00] owners across a range of industries, product-based and service-based. I do a lot of work to support small business owners and meet them where they are, regardless of the industry that they're in. But the way my business has evolved, I magnetise clients who are service-based businesses and who are coaches, creatives and consultants. you're a long time listener, you'll know that I have a lot of experience in dispute resolution and litigation. And some people often still say to me, what is that? That is where business owners ended up in dispute with someone, usually over money. Not always, but usually over money, and they needed a dispute lawyer, so we were either in court suing on behalf of our clients or defending if they were being sued. Mediation, arbitration, simple pure negotiation strategy, trying to work out how to support clients to get outta those tricky situations.
But the first part of my career, just [00:02:00] over 12 years, was spent in that practice area. So I have a lot of runs on the board when it comes to experience being in the arena, sleeves up, getting stuck in helping clients when it all goes wrong. And I've said on here so many times that there is nothing I haven't seen when it comes to what can go wrong in business. And that's why, because of those years in court and supporting clients when things have gone wrong, there's nothing I haven't seen.
I say that hand on heart. Fast forward to why I started this business, and it really was underpinned by a desire of mine to enrich lives. I wanted to help people. I wanted to enrich lives. I wanted to make a difference. I didn't know what that was gonna look like. So when I started my business four and a half years ago, I just knew that I wanted to harness the skills and expertise that I had, and I wanted to use that for good, and I wanted to protect business owners so that they didn't end up needing a dispute and litigation lawyer. When I [00:03:00] started my practice, I practiced in dispute and litigation and leasing and commercial strategy and contracts and agreements.
And I did all the things because like so many of us, I thought I just need to throw the net wide, see where it lands, and see where the demand is and see where people need me and see what they want. So I did that and I was naturally guided by what it was that clients were coming to me for, and as my brand awareness increased as more and more people learned about me and connected with me and worked with me, and then referred their colleagues and friends to me. My business gravitated naturally towards service-based business owners, the majority of whom were coaches, creatives and consultants. It wasn't targeted on my part then. I was being guided by where I was needed, and that just so happened that it was coaches, creatives and consultants.
I [00:04:00] personally was thriving with these clients that were gravitating towards me or being magnetised to me, however you want to say it. I was thriving because no two businesses are the same. And what I found when I was acting for clients in this space is they had such a respect for themselves and their craft and their expertise that in turn, they had such a respect for my expertise and I value this so much.
I'm not creative at all. You can ask my family. I'm very open about it. I am not a creative person naturally, and I think there's a lot of opposites attracting here when it comes to those that are in the creative space, because there's a synergy there and a connection there that just happens so naturally and with so much ease and because of the level of mutual respect that's already there and we don't even have to work hard for it, you don't have to work for it at all, it's just there, the relationship flows and the [00:05:00] value that I can add has been mind blowing. I'll be honest, I didn't anticipate when I started this business that I was going to be able to add this much value to my clients.
And so I've really leaned in to listen and learn from the clients that are reaching out to me to understand what it is that they want from me so that I can deliver, to enrich lives and to make a difference, and make the impact that I've set out to make. What a lot of my clients have said, and this is consistent feedback over the years, is that I'm not just providing them with legal support, but I'm teaching them how to run a business.
I'm providing them with the business support, and I didn't set out to do that, and I didn't realise I was doing it, to be honest, until they started sharing it with me and telling me, and this is why, very rarely, do I act for a client as a one-off. Usually what happens most of the time what happens is we build a relationship and it just flourishes from there.
So it often starts with some strategy support or some legal [00:06:00] documents. And from there, once I've taken the time to get to know them and to get to know their business, it flourishes going forward. There's no cutoff or end point once we've finished that suite of documents or once we've settled on that strategy, because I'm a part of the team and they may not need me a lot initially, but when they realise I'm just a phone call away or I'm just an email away and that I don't send invoices for six minute increments. I read your email. I perused your email. I had a five and a half minute phone call with you. I don't do that. Yeah, there is a real warmth that that helps cultivate in that relationship. And there's a level of comfort that clients have to get back in touch with me, and if I can help with a quick yes or no answer, or if I can help with just a quick phone call to talk someone through something or give someone some clarity, I'm so happy to do it.
And if it turns into a new scope of work or a new project or something else I need to do, I always provide your fee estimate upfront, let you know what [00:07:00] it's gonna cost, when we're gonna do it, the timeframes, everyone's happy, the communication is clear and transparent. It sets us up for success, and I pride myself on that and I talk a lot on the podcast and in all of my social media content about the value of crystal clear communication, and my business is proof of it because it has set me up for success with my clients and we have such beautiful relationships and I love connecting with my clients on an ongoing basis, and I love that they reach out to me when they need me because I'm here. As things happen in life and in business, I suppose, when you start becoming known for something more and more, people hear about you and learn about you, and I started becoming known for the lawyer for interior designers, and stylists and building designers and coaches and consultants, and business consultants, HR consultants, you name it.
I began being known as [00:08:00] the lawyer for these service providers. And what that meant was my knowledge became so focused that when issues arose in industry, a great example is the silicosis issue that arose in the interior design space, I was all over it because I was in that space so often. I'm able to guide my clients. They're really current. And then I was getting invited to speak on current topical issues in masterminds and memberships and other containers, and it allowed me to share my knowledge far and wide and really enrich lives of more and more business owners, which is what my business is all about.
And so now, because I have focused expertise, because I am in the space so often because I am current, because I can provide fast, up-to-date, responsive advice to questions that come through from clients, it's positioned me so that not only do I have such a love of working for these service [00:09:00] providers, but I'm being recognised for it.
That to me, fills my heart with joy. I've gotta say. That is why I do what I do. So it was a real organic process of niching in to be the lawyer for coaches, creatives, and consultants, and the level of personal fulfillment that I am experiencing because of this has exceeded any expectations I ever had.
When I was working in traditional legal practice, I didn't know that it could feel this good. I didn't know that every single day when I wake up, I would be grateful for the work I get to do, that I would look forward to jumping into my workday. I don't have an inbox that stresses me out anymore. I don't have overwhelm from my inbox.
There is rarely anything that lands in my inbox that I think, Ugh, I don't wanna deal with that. Because my clients are also beautifully aligned and there's such a mutual respect that I know that I'm adding [00:10:00] so much value to them, and I hope they know that they're adding so much value to me by trusting me and allowing me to do what it is that I do best.
Something else that has been a beautiful extension and most surprising for me is the amount of collaboration I get invited to do with my clients and industry partners. So as I mentioned, I get invited to do masterclasses and workshops and Qs & As, all sorts of things in containers for clients in this space and that's not something I ever set out to do. It's not something that I expected. It's not even something I turned my mind to when I started my business. So it's a beautiful surprise. It's a beautiful extension, and it's just another way that I get to get my message out and that I get to share my knowledge to educate and empower business owners to set themselves up properly so that they don't end up having to call a litigation and dispute lawyer when things go wrong.[00:11:00]
It wasn't intentional on my part, so this is the answer to a question I get asked a lot. Did I intend to focus on coaches, creatives and consultants? And no, I didn't. It wasn't intentional, but I've listened and I've been open to the clients that approach me, and I've leaned in to clients that gravitate to me so that I can better serve. And what that's done is allowed me to sharpen my focus, increase my reach, deliver a stellar impact to the clients that I work with. I'm grateful. I'm so truly grateful for the work I get to do every day.
That's the insight I wanted to share with you in answer to the question of how it is I became the lawyer for coaches, creatives and consultants. But please know if you're listening along and you are not in that space, it doesn't mean that I won't act for you. I act for so many clients that aren't in that space. And when small business owners reach out, regardless of where they're sitting, if they need me, and if I can help [00:12:00] and add value, then I absolutely will.
The key for me in my practice has always been not to end up a jack of all trades and a master of none, so you will never find me doing someone's property conveyance or someone's will, advising someone on personal injury law or workers' compensation. I've never subscribed to that generalist style. I've always respected the value of specialising and having specialist expertise, and that has clearly served me well and it continues with me to this day, and it's something that I share and mentor my junior lawyers with so that they're able to land in a space that's aligned for them.
I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I've really loved sharing this with you. I've received so much feedback, so much amazing feedback on some of the more personal episodes that I do bring, so it's felt really natural and timely to share this episode with you. Thank you so much for listening. As always, I really appreciate your time.
If you've loved the [00:13:00] episode, please share it with more colleagues or business owners that you think might also find it valuable, because that's how we help get the podcast into the ears of even more small business owners. I'll catch you next time.
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