Houchin Consulting PLLC
Layers and other professionals have been discussing the difference between “Practice” and “Business” for a long time.
What I’ve figured out through hard lessons is this:
PRACTICE = worrying about how to pay the BILLS next MONTH.
BUSINESS = planning how to invest the PROFITS next YEAR.
We’ll be discussing how to make that transition to YOUR BUSINESS next Friday, March 19th at Noon Eastern. Sign up for the free call @ www.spacebetweencenter.com
Last week I announced that I had resigned my working relationship with Alexis Martin Neely and the Creative Business Lawyer (CBL) program. Immediately, business attorneys from all over the country asked me if I was going to start my own program, because if I did, they wanted to know about it. I was very proud of the work I was doing as part of CBL, but it became apparent that progressing down that path was not a good fit for me. I sincerely wish Alexis and the members of the CBL program the best as they move forward.
While the CBL program was small, I knew the attorneys in the program were on to something powerful. They were on the way to changing how lawyers work with entrepreneurs from the old lose-lose hourly rate model to a model that empowers both the attorney and the client and forms a true “Trusted Advisor” (go read the book) relationship. I couldn’t give that up.
But, I couldn’t just take what I was doing with the CBL program and slap a different name on it. While I could do that legally, it didn’t feel “right.” If I was going to do my own program for small business attorneys, it needed to be the type of program I would build without the influence of someone else’s vision, style, and habits.
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I’ve kept a journal since the day my dad passed on way back on Memorial Day, 1991. My journal entry dated 7/7/09 includes a description of an organization that helps foster the spirit of creative business. I called it “The Space Between Center for Creative Spirit in Business” and I kept coming back to the concept over and over. It would keep me awake at night.
Last week, I had a choice to make: was it time to bring The Space Between Center to life?
So, I thought about it for a little while. Then it hit me… I could build my program for small business attorneys as the first initiative of The Space Between Center. It had been waiting for months for the right time for action.
Every day at least a few emails came in from attorneys around the country continuing to encourage me to start my own program. If you’re and entrepreneur, you shouldn’t ignore customer demand.
I formed The Space Between Center LLC last Friday. It felt REALLY GOOD!
Since then, I’ve been defining what my program would look like, how it would operate and what partners I will bring in to make it all come together. The idea is too big for me to implement alone. I found the right partners. They’re on board and almost as excited as I am.
And, inquiries from business lawyers keep coming in…
As of NOW I don’t have to say “wait just a few days.” Now I can say “go to www.spacebetweencenter.com and sign up for a free informational/introductory call on Friday, March 19th at Noon Eastern.”
There will be other initiatives of The Space Between Center, but for now we’re focused on helping small business attorneys develop win-win relationships with clients. The program based in part on the success I’ve had implementing my flat monthly fee model over the last year. This model changed my life almost overnight.
My clients love it.
The members of the Creative Business Lawyer were having success with it in less than two months.
So, I want to share it.
I’m keeping a few new benefits of the new program secret until the call. These new elements will go beyond just learning the business model and provide some tremendous value to the members.
In case you’re wondering – no, it’s not some kind of “private coaching” scheme.
If you are an attorney and want to know what’s going on, join the call. It’s free, so it won’t hurt you to listen in. Oh, and my friend, attorney, and marketing consultant Ben Glass will be co-hosting the call. Ben is NOT associated with the program financially, so you know he’ll keep it real.
If you are an entrepreneur, tell your lawyer about this and ask them to listen in on the call. If you don’t have an attorney using a flat fee monthly model, then we’ll just have to do something about that soon…
Now back to work.
I’m sad.
Yesterday I posted a tweet that I was struggling with an important and difficult business decision. That decision was whether or not to remain a leader/member of the new Creative Business Lawyer Program that I helped create with my friend Alexis Martin Neely.
Alexis is one of the most creative and hardworking people I know. I have a great deal of respect for her.
Yesterday, however, it was confirmed that we have a fundamental difference of perspective relative to the program and after much consideration (I didn’t sleep much last night), I’ve decided that the best thing for me to do is withdraw from participation in the program.
If there’s interest, I may continue helping attorneys find new ways of serving small creative businesses. I honestly don’t know how that will shake out.
What I do know is that I wish all the members of the CBL program only the best in their personal and professional endeavors.
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OK, on to the other business of the day…
-Kevin.
Thursday, March 11th, 12 Noon to 1pm
Art Lab Fort Collins, 239 Linden St. (next to Cozzola’s Pizza)
Grab Your Brown Bag Lunch and join your marketing, design, and web friends for an informative yet entertaining lunch learning session:
Help yourself and your clients create brands for their companies, products, or services that will be both MARKETABLE and PROTECTABLE.
Before going to law school Kevin was a graphic designer. He wasn’t one of those people who would just buy a Mac and some software from Adobe and then call himself a designer.He spent 4 years at a top university and have a BFA in Graphic Design. He started his career in the design department of a Fortune 500 company and then built an Art Department in a small advertising agency. He built his own design studio, worked as Vice President of Marketing and Internet for a retail software company, and finally provided large-scale branding and communications consulting for colleges and universities all across the United States.
Kevin has designed dozens of logos and branding systems and supervised the design and implementation of dozens more.
The hardest part of those jobs: lame names.
This session walks you through the discussions Kevin has had with his clients. If you attend the session and then follow the steps in his FREE ebook (available free at www.houchinlaw.com – just input your email address) you will understand how to help yourself and your clients create brands for their companies, products, or services that will be both MARKETABLE and PROTECTABLE. It’s not easy. It can be frustrating, but the right name is the hub of your brand and few businesses or products will succeed in today’s market without a great name.
It’s almost the end of February, 2010. The last 8+ weeks have been a blur of activity, but some cool things have happened:
1. H&A has welcomed a new client every week so far in 2010 on average, with another handful pulling a few final details together before pulling the trigger to start their new companies. Almost all of these new clients are start-up businesses with some incredibly creative plans. Some are existing businesses that are launching new products and services and need our help structuring joint ventures or helping with intellectual property strategies. We LOVE working with these kinds of folks and they fit right in with our existing base of creative business clients. On that front, our existing clients haven’t stopped their creative output – while we love new clients, it’s just as fun to see the growth and success of the people we’ve helped before.
2. I get to say “we” now because now I have an Associate Attorney on staff again. I had a part-time associate back in 2007, but I honestly didn’t have the consistent flow of work needed to support the position back then, so I took a couple years to figure some things out (including the flat fee model introduced last May – more on that in a minute). I’m happy to announce that Christina Robertson has joined me as a full-time Associate Attorney as of a couple weeks ago. Christina graduated with a J.D. from The University of Denver College of Law and will complete her M.B.A. this semester – with an emphasis on entrepreneurism. Obviously, she’s a perfect fit for H&A and is already helping me catch up on work. I REALLY needed the help and she’s stepped into the role quickly. Welcome Christina!
3. I’ve officially started The Creative Business Lawyer Program with my good friend Alexis Martin Neely. This program is helping other lawyers who focus on the needs of small business people change their perspectives and business model to better serve their clients, themselves, their families, and their communities. One of the key elements of being a CBL member is learning how to implement the monthly, flat-fee client relationships that have literally changed my since last May. I’ve basically eliminated hourly billing (which NOBODY likes). If you want to learn more about this program (I have over 30 clients on the flat fee model now), go over to www.creativebusinesslawyer.com and let us know you’re interested. If you are an entrepreneur, we’ll send you a list of our attorney members and you can find one that fits your needs. If you’re a lawyer who wants to make some SERIOUS improvements in your life, then let us know you’re interested and we’ll get you signed up for our next open membership enrollment call on March 18th.
4. We’re finally settling into the new office space in the Fort Collins Museum of Contemprary Art. This building is a historic landmark. It was built in 1912 as the Post Office for Fort Collins. Wonderful vibes. My assistant, Nora, just told me she has ideas for opening her own business now that she’s been exposed to so much entrepreneurial and creative spirit coming from our clients and our new location. Good things are happening.
5. Speaking events. I have a bunch of speaking events starting to book including Ignite Fort Collins on March 4th, a lunch lecture on Trademark on March 11th, and a couple fun presentations at The National Guild of Hypnotists Annual Meeting and The American Bar Association Annual Meeting – both in August. I’ll post details on those soon.
I’ll try to do better about blogging, but it might take a little while. I have several major writing projects that need my attention, but more on those as they get closer to completion.
Tobin (my 6-yr-old daughter) just woke up and is asking for breakfast. Gotta go.