I met Ernie Svenson at a conference and have always been intrigued by how he developed his new business. He used to practice law the “traditional way,” handling complex business litigation cases. This meant he juggled countless boxes of paper organized by many team members.
He did this until he learned how to create a 100% paperless, highly automated law practice. This was a law practice that was financially rewarding and personally fulfilling. There was low overhead, low stress, and more freedom.
Now, Ernie helps lawyers who want to do the same for their practices. He found getting new clients easy and inexpensive; his main marketing tool was a simple website that cost less than $100. Additionally, because his overhead was ridiculously low, he was able to earn a good living without working crazy hours.
On Creating Your Encore Career, I talked with Ernie all about how he actually did this.
1. Mindset
Ernie didn’t realize that his mindset barriers would be an issue at first. He just figured that he was open-minded and willing to try things. That is part of having the right mindset but it’s also about trying things that you don’t think you need to try. This is the first place to focus when going digital in your Encore Career.
Many of us hold assumptions about what certain things are or how certain things need to be done. This will keep us spinning our wheels and, therefore, going nowhere.
What you need to do instead is shift your thinking. This isn’t easy and requires ongoing guidance.
There is a quote by Alvin Toffler that says, “The illiterate of the future will not be people who can't read or write so much as people who can't learn, unlearn, and relearn.” This is certainly true in building an Encore Career.
2. Build a knowledge factory
You should be using your time and knowledge to solve interesting, complex, and valuable problems and spending less time futzing with stuff at the data information level. If you do that, you'll be happier and you'll make more money.
This all comes down to running a knowledge factory. To do this, you need to figure out what the low-level tasks are and assign them to other team members. Then you can focus on the things you’re good at which turns into people paying you for your knowledge.
3. Don’t chase technology changes
When Ernie first started out, there wasn't as much technology. Everything was new and offered an opportunity to spend some time exploring. However, over time, he realized that he was chasing too many things. This is a very common problem for entrepreneurs.
Hear this: you have all the tools you need. Stop chasing new tools. There's no new task management program that will solve all your task management problems. Don’t be reactive or try every new thing that comes on your radar. They will only act as distractions.
Take Ernie’s journey and expertise and get on the path to a paperless Encore Career.
