Take a look at our September newsletter!
The point isn’t that everyone should necessarily have a paper newsletter program (actually, you should). The point is, paper helps you reach people you’d never reach with digital-only methods. It allows you to show up in ways that are often more flattering than how most people show up digitally, partly because digital is so cheap, and therefore people don’t pay much attention to how and what they send out. Imagine if every email you sent cost $1.50 or if it cost you $1.50 per person for everyone who saw your social media post. You’d probably give it more care and attention, wouldn’t you? Paper forces discipline, and sending letters through the mail forces more discipline, too. So, here’s my challenge to you today — and if it doesn’t produce at least $1,000–$5,000 worth of new business referrals or $10,000 of new business directly or through referrals within the next 90 days, write me a letter and I’ll write you back an apology. Here’s my challenge: Take out a piece of paper. It can be fancy stationery or something that comes off the printer; it doesn’t matter. Using a pen (preferably blue ink, but any color will do), write a thank- you letter to someone who did something good for you in the past 90 days. Don’t worry if you think it’s been too long. No one will be upset if they receive a thank-you letter. Within 90 days, find someone else. Next, find someone you can send a letter to compliment them. Next, find someone you can send a letter to compliment one of their employees. Next, find someone you can give a compliment to for taking great care of someone you referred to them. Next, find someone to thank for something they’ve done for one of your clients. Next, find someone to write a letter to thank them for doing something good for one of your employees.
Sept. 1, 2025, was not only my son Taye Astuya’s 10th birthday (cue “Fiddler on the Roof’s” “Sunrise, Sunset”), but it was also National Letter Writing Day. You may have noticed that you’re holding this newsletter in your hand, printed on this material called paper, and delivered by something called the Postal Service. You may have carried this newsletter with you for days, weeks, or months. I’ve even had people come back and hire How to Manage after carrying around a newsletter for more than a year until they finally got around to reading it and taking action. Email may be cheaper to send, but what difference does it make unless it’s more effective than paper? Here’s another way to think about it. It costs me about $1.50 to print and mail this paper newsletter to you, compared to nothing; it’s zero if I just sent an email. We have about 600 law firms under our management. Multiply that by $1.50, and it equals around $900. What if a single newsletter produces a single referral, just a single member who feels cared about and remembered, and that makes the difference for them to play all in and double their business? What if just a single newsletter reminds a single member about a single resource? What if it solves the most important problem in your business, which causes you to renew your engagement with How to Manage at the end of your current cycle. All for $900! I’d call that a great ROI.
Figure that each letter will take you about two or three minutes to think about and write. Divided by 60 minutes, that equals 15 to 20
letters, handwritten, hand-stamped, heartfelt, and sincere. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.
Put the letters in the mail, wait for the business to come, and keep me posted.
1
MEET KRISTIN ROBERTS
MEMBERS PAYING IT FORWARD
Kristin Roberts, founder and managing attorney of Trestle Law APC in San Diego, started her firm to help seven and eight-figure businesses take their intellectual property and turn it into revenue engines. When she joined How to Manage a Small Law Firm in 2018, she was 13 weeks pregnant, unsure of what was next, and worried her firm would fail. “It was a panic attack at the end of every month,” she said. “I thought we were going to lose everything, and I would drag my whole family down.” Kristin wanted the freedom to take time off with her baby without worrying that the business would collapse. The pressure created a constant cycle of feeling like she had everything under control, and then spiraling when another challenge came along. As the firm grew, so did the complexity of her problems, and she realized she couldn’t continue alone. Since joining, Kristin has grown her firm an average of 50% per year, going from the $200K range to $1.2 million, even while taking four months of maternity leave in her first year. Hitting seven figures came with its challenges. She made a string of bad hires, including a high-salary attorney who wasn’t a good fit, which hurt profitability and morale. In 2024, she overhauled her hiring process using DISC assessments, intentional interview questions, and involving her team to ensure culture fit came first. She also solved a profitability problem in
her trademark department by hiring a paralegal, which freed up her associate to focus on revenue- generating work. “One of the biggest things that helped me was getting the DISC analyses done. It became a hiring tool to prescreen them and ensure they know what’s required. Now I have an actual set of questions I go in with, ready to ask them.”
The payoff for Kristin was more than just numbers. She took a 30-day sabbatical as a litmus test to see where systems break down. That month became the highest-grossing in the firm’s history, proving the firm can thrive even when she’s not there. When you know your numbers and have a thoughtful hiring and training system in place, there’s no need to approach hiring with fear. You’ll be able to see clearly where you need new team members and bring them on with confidence. And if it turns out someone isn’t the right fit, let them go. Hire slow, fire fast when needed, and you’ll protect your time, energy, and peace of mind while building a firm that can flourish.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
90- LOOK
9/1
Labor Day
9/10
Business Plan Boot Camp Start (Runs for five weeks)
9/12–9/15
Unleash the Beast Mastermind led by Erika Ferenczi (Dallas, TX) Iron Sharpens Iron (RJon Groups 1–3, Oscar Group #1)
9/15–9/20
“My name is Michelle Rober Bay Area. At my law firm, we fighting fo
9/17
HTM Town Hall (Internal)
10/17 Discovery Day 10/18–10/19 Live Quarterly Meeting (San Diego, CA) 11/20–11/23 Workshopalooza 11/24–11/28 HTM Closed for Thanksgiving
“I joined How To Manage in October 2024, and w ran my revenue numbers for Q1, I was already at program didn’t just increase my earnings; it helpe “I decided to stop hoarding cash because I knew it woul San Francisco, so I currently have zero debt. Now, I’m look me to look at my numbers, I caught a $57,0
“I’m not just growing my business, I’m building a foundation fo
MICHELL
2
How Beth’s Mindset Shift Helped Her Kick Sugar WHAT’S NEW WITH ME AND MY OWN
Earlier this year, Beth Freeman realized she needed a win. She was tired, low on energy, and frustrated with how she felt in her own skin. After attending HTM workshops and a mastermind, she recognized something important: the only way things would change was if she stopped waiting and started taking action. She decided to do something that could give her a quick “win”; she cut out sugar completely. A few weeks later, when she was starting to feel really good and had gained back some of her energy and mental clarity, she decided to go all- in and commit to a strict diet plan.
She sees herself differently now. She has raised her standards for what she’ll tolerate, and she faces down her subconscious when it urges her to quit. Beth’s story isn’t really about food at all. It’s about perseverance. About the true definition of strategy and tactics. A strategy is simply a theory about which outcomes you’d prefer. Beth’s theory was that she’d enjoy life more if she cared for her body, had more energy, and invited more mental clarity. The tactics she chose were cutting out sugar and following a strict diet geared towards giving her body the nutrients it needs to feel great. Change comes from putting it on a calendar, making it a habit, and finding ways to stay motivated when it’s hard. Don’t give up on yourself. When you commit to a goal, choose the steps you think will get you to that result and follow through consistently.
We’re so proud of Beth and the example she’s setting. Lasting change doesn’t start with doing everything at once. It starts with making one brave choice and following through. What choices are you making in your life? And are they getting you any closer to what you say you want?
Six months later, she has almost reached her goal weight, and her doctor says her bloodwork looks amazing. But as Beth will tell you, the real transformation isn’t on the scale. It’s in her mindset.
-DAY KBACK
CONTACT US If you know a law firm owner who’s drowning — burning out, broke, and still somehow
telling themselves this is just “how it is” — do them a favor. Send them here. They don’t need more sacrifice. They need to learn how to build a real business. We can help with that.
rts, founder of Roberts Disability Law, located in the e eat our clients’ disability insurance companies for lunch, or clients to get the benefits they deserve.
within my first quarter as a member, I saw amazing growth. When I 46% of the previous year’s total revenue for the year. Being part of this ed me catch costly mistakes and take steps towards financial freedom. ld be there, and that allowed me to pay off my mortgage on my home in king for my next investment, and thanks to How To Manage, which forces 000 journaling mistake, which I had my bookkeeper fix.
or lasting financial independence and the future I’ve always wanted.”
LE ROBERTS ROBERTS DISABILITY LAW
3
Beth used the lessons she learned from HTM to tackle one of the hardest challenges she’s ever faced. Find out how on Pg. 3
3109 Grand Ave. #188 Miami, FL 33133 888‑765‑7460 HowToManage.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 How a $1.50 Letter Can Make You Thousands 2 The Hiring Makeover That Saved a 7-Figure Firm Calendar of Events
How Michelle Zeroed Her Debt in One Quarter
3 Strategy, Tactics, and the Power of a Single Choice 4 Let Your SKU Show You the Numbers
RESOURCE OF THE MONTH
Our SKU calculator (scan the QR code for instant access) is an Excel tool that lists each service, price, completion time, and how much you pay your employees working on it. It does the math for you so you can see your return on investment on every service. If you can’t fill in any of those details, it’s your signal to dig in and learn who’s responsible for what. I worked with a seven-figure law firm that set a monthly goal for cases worked without doing their SKU homework first. When we finally buckled down and did it together, they realized that they needed to increase their goal by 50% in order to be profitable! Imagine what that business would have looked like 6 months down the road if they hadn’t done the math? This insight helped them transform how they managed work, eliminate redundancies, and ensure that the right roles were doing the right kinds of work. And this story isn’t unusual! We see this all the time, which is why it is so important to look at your data and make decisions based on what it’s telling you. If you are a current member, talk to your CEO or COO about completing your SKUs. If you don’t have a CEO or COO, sit down with your team to define who does what and by when. Use that clarity to streamline the “how,” eliminating those inefficiencies and decreasing wasted time, effort, and money.
Discover Who Does What by When?
My name is Sal Guarino, and I’m a project manager at How To Manage A Small Law Firm. I’m Lean Six Sigma certified, a certified Microsoft trainer and implementer, and a Microsoft Excel master. In short, I’m all about efficiency and eliminating waste. Throughout my career, I’ve seen the same struggle with members and teams: They don’t know who does what by when. Instead, they get caught up in the “why” and the “how.” While those are extremely important, without clear responsibilities and deadlines, processes can break down, money leaks, and profitability suffers. One simple fix is to do your SKU Homework! It’s not glamorous, and it’s not always fun, but it WILL give you invaluable knowledge and insight into your systems, processes, procedures, and sales. In retail, a SKU (Stock-Keeping Unit) is a way to track every product you sell. We have adapted that concept for law firms, and you can think of it as a menu of your services, their true costs, and what you charge.
Remember, cases are projects, and projects have plans. Everyone needs to know their direct numbers.
–Sal Guarino
4
PUBLISHED BY NEWSLETTER PRO • NEWSLETTERPRO.COM
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator