Grind it out.

Schuyler Rocky Reidel started out very quickly escaping the corporate world. Out of law school, he worked maybe 40 days at a firm before he realized it was not for him. Law firms are by their nature very inefficient, impersonal, and inflexible. Rocky thought he could do better, and he did. Rocky jumped into a specialized, niche practice and hasn’t looked back since. With the advent of technology and specialist professionals, a physical office and seeing clients face to face every day are no longer necessary; much less the best way to build a business.

Before he leaped Rocky did take a long look. “I studied everything I could about running a law firm or practicing law as a solo. My first eureka moment, or so I had hoped, was to find a specialized niche and go where the clients are – and the attorneys aren’t. So, I took some saved money and bought a booth at a large franchise expo in town and planned to hustle all week to get my first clients. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, and I was able to start building my small practice in a niche area with lots of room for growth”.

Rocky quickly discovered his recipe for growth and success: go to where the client is and the competition isn’t. What this translated to was him was having booths at industry trade shows and events where it was a lot of talking and networking, not necessarily fast deal making but lots of friend-making. “In general people don’t trust lawyers, specifically a lawyer trying to get their business (ha). So, my approach is to be an example of the down-to-earth, friendly person (and lawyer) I am”.

Getting Started

To be successful, Rocky would tell you that you absolutely need to have or develop discipline. This is the key to success in any field or endeavor. “The discipline to fight it out and get back up when you are kicked down. The discipline to keep hustling and providing quality product or service after a major deal or success. It’s a roller coaster, just stay on and ride it out”.

 Like most escapees, Rocky’s escape was not easy or glamorous.  It just required a lot of discipline. “Do not expect to have a 4-hour work week for awhile, if ever as an entrepreneur. I traded a potential 9 to 5 job for a 4 (am) to 9 (pm) job, but I don’t regret it at all”.  Initially Rocky didn’t focus enough on sales and marking. He also didn’t setup his business to follow the natural yearly business cycle that is part of his legal world. Had he not been working for another company while he was starting his own business, he might have timed things differently. As a new business he also undervalued his services to clients and left potential revenue on the table. “Competing on price is bad business most of the time. Bad for you as a professional, bad for clients, and bad for an industry as everyone starts to gravitate to the lowest common denominator in my experience”. This is a common problem for a lot of new businesses regardless of what field you are in.

Freedom to Choose

 Today, Rocky Reidel has the freedom to choose the projects, places, and times he works. While he often work more than a typical 9 to 5 job, it is for clients and projects that he enjoys and has a passion for. “I also value being able to live near the beach and stay out of the big city and commuting every day. Currently, my office is based in Galveston, Texas where I live. Because of the nature of my client base and my practice, I don’t have many local clients or a need to see them face to face often. So I have the luxury of being able to live and work near the beach which I love”.

 Now that he is an established legal practice, Rocky is looking to expand internationally and get married. He is systematizing his business and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to improve his business practices. “At this point, I have automated my client project creation and am now automating my client management system/contacts manager. Next steps include automating document creation and review but the technology to make it affordable for smaller firms and solo professionals is not quite there just yet”. Rocky sees the future of law firms and is positioning himself to be at forefront as technology catches up.

Schuyler Rocky Reidel 
Managing Attorney, Reidel Law Firm 
+1(832) 510-3292