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If you're in the early stages of building your legal practice, don’t try to serve everyone. Focus on serving someone.
It may sound limiting. But narrowing your focus is actually what gives you traction. It’s what helps you get found, get known, and ultimately, get hired.
It’s a lesson I learned when I started a small law firm.
A Quick Story from the Trenches
In early 2009, Detroit was in the middle of an economic free fall. The Financial Crisis had already scorched the national economy, and the automotive industry—Detroit’s beating heart—was heading straight into the fire. General Motors and Chrysler were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and distress was rippling through the entire supply chain.
Amid that chaos, I left BigLaw and launched a small law firm with a colleague. We had solid restructuring experience and figured that, given the obvious need for bankruptcy help, work would naturally flow our way. Some did. But we quickly realized we had to be more strategic and aggressive about business development. Not just more hustle—also more focus.
At the time, every firm in town was chasing the big Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers who would be impacted by the impending OEM bankruptcies. So we chose a different route. We zoomed in on a smaller, overlooked segment of the industry: auto dealers.
So we reached out to a lawyer I knew who served local dealers and asked for insights and introductions. We got involved with the local dealers association. We gave free talks. We wrote content. We explained, in plain language, what was about to happen when GM and Chrysler filed—especially how franchise agreements might be rejected in bankruptcy. The association eventually hired us and set up a 1-800 hotline (remember those?) so its members could call us directly to answer questions.
The work we did and investments we made led to real relationships. And those relationships led to referrals. Auto dealers are a tight-knit community. Once we earned the trust of a few, word spread quickly.
Focusing narrowly on this one segment didn’t constrict our opportunity. It unlocked it. That foothold helped us build credibility, land real clients, and expand from there.
Why Narrow Works
If you’re trying to figure out who to market to or where to start your outreach, the temptation is to cast a wide net. That feels safer. But in reality, it often leads to watered-down messaging, scattered time, and slow progress.
A broad approach is hard to execute. A narrow one is manageable. It gives you a clear path to:
Know where to spend your time
Show up consistently in the right places
Build trust in a specific community
Become known for something
It’s what author Gary Keller calls "the one thing":
“Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus … when you spread yourself out, you end up spread thin.”
Think of it like this: when you target a smaller group, you can go deeper, faster. And once you’ve gone deep—once you’ve built credibility and results in that space—you have options. You can double down. You can expand into adjacent markets. The confidence you build and results you achieve serve as a springboard. But first, you need traction. And traction starts with focus.
Jay Harrington is president of our agency, a published author, and nationally-recognized expert in thought-leadership marketing.
From strategic planning to writing, podcasting, video marketing, and design, Jay and his team help lawyers and law firms turn expertise into thought leadership, and thought leadership into new business. Get in touch to learn more about the consulting and coaching services we provide. You can reach Jay at jay@hcommunications.biz.