Launching your dream without an instruction manual: A Business Fable

Chapter 2 - The Cost of a Shortcut

Welcome back to our series exploring the "Fable Framework", a journey through the hidden pitfalls of growing a professional services firm. We are using the story of Bob, a seasoned lawyer, and his wife, Carol, to illustrate the hard truths that many owners face but few talk about openly. Whether you lead a law firm, an accounting practice, or a consultancy, this series is designed to help you recognize the "warning signs" in your own business before they become permanent scars.

In our first installment, we met Bob at a breaking point. Burned out by the "salt mines" of his large firm, Williams | Oliphant | Roberts | Kincaid (WORK), he reached a moment of radical honesty with Carol. He realized that to save his sanity and his passion for the law, he had to leave the security of his current role and strike out on his own.

But as any founder knows, the "leap" is only the beginning. In the rush to escape a bad situation, it is easy to grab the first lifeline thrown your way without checking to see what it’s attached to. 

Bob thinks he’s found the perfect partner to help him dig out of "Debtor’s Prison." Carol, however, is starting to see the red flags...

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“What I need is a partner and I know just the person that I need to call…”, Bob announced.

The words echoed in Carol’s memory. Bob appeared to have derived so much energy from their conversation that she didn’t have the heart to probe on his last statement. Thinking back to the results of his Working Genius assessment, she remembered that his “Geniuses” (those things he was naturally good at and that he enjoyed doing) were Invention (creating ideas on what to do) and Enablement (helping members of his team and others with their specific needs and challenges). On the other hand, his frustrations (those things he hated doing and drained him of energy) were Wonder (questioning the why and how of things as in “I wonder why…”) and Discernment (evaluating different options and scenarios using intuition and judgment). She hoped that he was going to be willing to accept help (from her, who had Discernment and Wonder as Geniuses, or anyone else!) versus doing a DIY project.

“...and, I guess it goes without saying, we’ll definitely have a well-stoked bar for both clients and us!”

Bob was pumped.

He’d approached Steve and was thrilled at the reception he’d gotten from him:

• Yes! Steve was sick of working at WORK, too.

• Yes! Steve totally was on board with the idea of going off with him to start their own firm.

• He loved the idea of Steve’s practice area complimenting his. Bob’s low hourly rate was a hassle (though it generated steady, albeit low margin, revenue) and Steve’s would provide them a nice blend.

• Steve’s independent streak was admirable; he seemed to really be a lone ranger and all sorts of buddy/cop movies were going through Bob’s head as he basked in the afterglow of their meeting.

Of course, there were a few things that seemed different from what Bob had in mind but, hey, compromise was essential in any partnership, right?

“How was work?”, Carol asked as Bob came in.

“It was GREAT! I am so pumped!” Bob announced.

Carol turned around from the meal prep she was guiding one of their kids in to stare at him - had he changed his mind about leaving WORK? Was he delusional?

“Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t gone crazy OR lost my nerve. Steve and I went out to lunch today, solved all of the world’s problems, and are in TOTAL alignment. We’re doing this thing!”

Carol’s heart fluttered; this was huge news. However, a little voice whispered in her ear that Steve, as good of a guy as he appeared to be, was the wrong partner for Bob.

“Fill me in on the details; we already have a sitter coming over tonight so we can debrief in private and map out next steps.”

Driving to their favorite bar, Bob was excitedly reviewing the interaction he’d had with Steve. Interwoven in his comments, Carol started to see little flags: some green, others yellow, and a few (unfortunately) red.

“Bob, tell me what you think is the BEST aspect of this whole possibility. Why Steve? Why not Sally, Bill, José, or any other attorney you know? It’s not quite as important as finding a spouse, but it’s up there!”

“Carol, I told you. This guy is great! Our practice areas are not only complimentary but his higher bill rate is going to finally give us a way to get out of ‘Debtor’s Prison’! He’s got a great work ethic and I can really see us building something together that can be different and a haven for other folks wanting to get out of the salt mines at WORK, or any other big firm like it.”

“Yes, I heard that and those things all sound wonderful. What did you mean when you said ‘Lone Ranger’? You tend to really engage with your colleagues. How does that fit with someone who wants it their way or the highway?”

“Look, Carol, I get that this isn’t going to be perfect. I am going to have to be flexible about some aspects of how I’d like this to go. When breaking out of jail, I can’t be too picky as to whether I am using a shovel to dig out or if I am hiding in the delivery truck that comes and goes to the prison. I just want out!”

Beads of sweat were on Bob’s upper lip. He had worked himself up into a real lather about the possibility of an “escape”. In his brain, a “switch” had been flipped and it was going to be very difficult to switch it in the other direction.

Six months later

“Carol, I am grateful.”

“Grateful? We’re finishing up hashing out untangling from Steve, the new firm, and all of the headaches associated with it. Are you grateful that we’re getting close to the end?”

“No, I am grateful that not once have you said ‘I told you so’ in all of this mess. I know that you had your misgivings and you brought them up non-judgmentally. I rolled right over them like a steamroller.”

“Look, I’m with you. I can’t be your law partner but I am your wife, mother of your children, and your life partner. We’ll get through this. The good news is that, at least, you’re ‘out of jail’. You were looking for a way out of WORK and maybe that’s exactly what Steve and his idiosyncrasies provided you—the means to exit. I like your take on seeing the upside and it’s a good idea to capture them so we can look at them in the future if needed.”

They stopped under a tree and pulled out a blanket to sit down and rest. Going on a hike had turned into another way for them to periodically connect; it was cheaper, healthier, and created a different engagement environment than hitting a bar or sitting at their dining room table. Those two weren’t necessarily bad, it was just a good idea to add another venue into the mix.

Laying back and looking at the sky through the branches of the tree, Bob sighed and muttered “More debt.”

Carol knew he would start their list of positive things with a negative one and was ready, “Yep, but we’re focusing on the positive so I am ready to pivot that! ‘More debt’ BUT we are free of Steve and his toxic work habits. It’s cost us money to detach from him but we have achieved clarity, LEARNED a bunch of really good lessons, and are actually on a good trajectory. Now, your turn - give me some positive things!”

“You’re right. Okay, how’s this?

• I actually finally left WORK

• Our firm is up and running and I own 100% of it

• We parted relatively amicably with Steve and we aren’t suing each other like what happens in so many business divorces

• We have a lot of possible directions we can take the firm

What’d I miss?”

“That’s a pretty good list; I guess the biggest thing that I’d add is that the cloud that you’ve been under since partnering up with Steve appears to finally be lifting. I can’t wait to see where we go with this firm!”

They paused and looked at each other. Bob looked tired but relieved. They never went over this kind of stuff in law school! Carol hadn’t learned about these kinds of things in her educational or work experience either but she had the gift of (a lot!) of common sense. She knew what she knew and, crucially, she knew what she didn’t know. She knew that Bob was going to experience relief and a sense of purpose again by jumping into his work (Note: here was another unintended positive that she mentally noted needed to be added to the prior list—the initial rush of new business Bob’s announcement of starting his own practice had garnered had slowed to a trickle upon clients encountering Steve. With Bob being a solo, for now, his flow of existing and new clients had picked up again). Carol decided that she needed to take on the action item of exploring the business side of running a law firm. They were being constantly flooded by offers to provide them “coaching” and lead generation. Though those services may be legitimate, she felt they weren’t ready for anything like that. She was convinced that until there was clarity regarding what the firm was going to be (and why!), they would be at risk of Bob’s impulses and desires.

They needed a plan. 

About Author

Alex Muñoz, Principal & Co-owner at CSR, is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in driving strategic growth. Known for challenging norms and fostering significant ROI, Alex's diverse background spans from manufacturing to non-profits.