Side Hustle: Your Hobbies Can Help You Market Your Practice

I’m fond of telling lawyers that if they’re not making enough money out of their practices to generate a viable living, then they have a hobby, not a business. But, I don’t mean to denigrate hobbies.  Hobbies are great.  And many lawyers are far too focused on being lawyers to develop one – but, they should!  Lawyers are people, too, and need an outlet.

Sure, it’s good to be a well-rounded person; but, having a hobby can also help you to drive business. Look, everybody’s got specific things they’re interested in; and some of them are weird, frankly.  But, the crazy thing about it is that there is a community out there for everyone.  Like basketball?  You can find others who do too.  Maybe scrimshaw’s your thing?  Somebody else likes it too.  Collect state spoons?  Somebody’s grandma does, and you two can hang.

The point is that attorneys can lean into their hobbies to meet like-minded individuals.  And those like-minded individuals can become referrals sources.  Just making yourself visible within a group, without even selling anything directly, can lead to the generation of new clients and referrals.  Everybody asks you what you do, at some point.  There’s your in.  And, this is also a great way to meet non-lawyers, which attorneys generally don’t make enough of an effort to do.

Now, joining a group is one thing; and, there are plenty around.  But, what’s even better is if you can start your own group.  Organizing a rec basketball league for your lawyer friends, setting up a scrimshaw group in your neighborhood, or even hosting a weekly meeting to address current issues in state spoon collecting – that makes you look like a boss, and as the leader of the group, you’ll get the most referrals.  People who believe you’re competent in one area of your life (like running a group), will assume your competency in another area, like practicing a specific type of law.

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Want to become a group leader?  We can help!

The Wyoming State Bar offers free law practice management consulting services through Red Cave Law Firm Consulting.

To request a consult, visit the Wyoming State Bar’s law practice management page, and start running your law firm like a business.

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