MEMBERS PAYING IT FORWARD Meet Josephia Rouse
One of the toughest parts of being a law firm owner has been the tug-o-war between “what I’m supposed to do” and “how to do it.” I think a lot of us live in that gap. We know we should be saving, paying ourselves, planning, tracking things… but the “how” feels like a moving target. Before I could get serious about my financials, I had to get really honest with myself that I didn’t actually know my numbers.
I think as lawyers we can really beat ourselves up about not knowing things. Because that’s literally what we do all day: We analyze, and predict, and we inform our clients about their reality. And how can we give advice to our clients about reality, when we don’t really know our own? It just hurts. I joined How To Manage about 5 years ago. And I made a commitment to myself to start looking at my financials. I read Profit First for Lawyers. I started thinking about my financials the same way I think about the dashboard in my car: When a tire light pops on, you don’t panic, you look at the gauge. You see which tire is low on air, how low, whether it’s getting worse, and whether you need air or a new tire. You don’t wait until you’re driving on the highway with the rim sparking.
I hired smart financial professionals and built a dashboard that gives me the same clarity on the financial health of my law firm.
Now I have daily “gauges” I look at. And I want to be clear that I couldn’t have done it without a 40-hour per week bookkeeper. Because I’m not doing it, I’m directing the work that needs to be done. I’m managing what I expect, and looking at the numbers that matter so I can make better decisions. Having real financial controls has changed my life. My firm is more profitable. I was able to buy a house! I’m tackling my student loans. I’m consistently paying myself a salary. And look, I’m not telling this story like I magically woke up one day loving spreadsheets. I did not come into this world somehow “wired” for numbers. I have resources. And I was able to invest those resources into building a system that gives me the right information so I can make informed decisions. If you haven’t set up your financial dashboard yet; if you haven’t hired competent financial experts; it is so worth it. Do yourself a favor and make it a priority.
–Josephia Rouse
WHAT’S NEW WITH ME AND MY OWN How Emily Learned to Chase What She Really Wanted Emily Britton on my team recently bought a house, and I could not be more excited for her. Coming from someone who freely admits that personal goals used to be the last thing on her list, this was a huge moment. For years she was “the job.” She had no problem pursuing professional goals, but when it came to her personal life, she’d catch herself saying, “someday.”
NOVEMBER 2025 MEMBER BULLETIN
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