Goals
When you’re first sketching out your law firm business plan, you may just have a goal of “get my firm up and running.” A good goal! But as you dream on your initial strategy, you’ll find it helpful to set some initial short-term excellent long-term goals. Yes, these goals may change as you learn and grow. But setting goals upfront will give you a path to start on.
Short-term goals
Look to your initial vision and values for your first goals. If you’re a family law firm that wants to do low-conflict divorces, you might have a client acquisition goal aligned with this.
For example, you could say: In the first six months of my firm opening, I want 50% of my new clients to be low-conflict separations and divorces. You’ll see this goal follows the S.M.A.R.T. formula: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound.
Another short-term goal might be systems-oriented: I want to get a client onboarding process written down and documented in my first three months. (If not implemented.)
Think through all the different parts of your business and see if you can achieve one short-term goal.
Long-term goals
Long-term goals can be a little trickier when you’re first starting. Thinking 1, 2, or even five years out might seem impossible. But this is where you can begin to dream a little.
A long-term goal might be that in 3 years, you want a staff of 5 people, a complete operations manual, X amount of new clients a year, and Fridays off each week.
Remember, these goals might—and likely will—change. But give yourself something to work with in the beginning.
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