Today I want to talk about something I failed to appreciate in the early years of our practice: the value of operating within constraints.
This is a lesson that took us years to learn, but once we did, it transformed how we build and operate Sterling Lawyers.
Our Early Mistake: Growing Without Constraints
When my partner Tony and I started Sterling Lawyers in 2014, we came out of another business with valuable digital marketing experience and financial resources. We started with a lot of gusto, foot on the gas, trying to grow as quickly as possible.
And it actually seemed to work. In our first 18 months, we grew to eight attorneys, and from a size perspective, our egos were being stroked. But under the hood, I knew we were mediocre and not very good. That just ate at me, and it certainly ate at Tony as well.
I remember telling him, “Tony, I can’t give my career to something where we’re mediocre and we stink.”
Looking back, that mediocre growth happened because we did not force ourselves to operate within reasonable constraints. We didn’t constrain ourselves in the quality of our client service, in our hiring, or in our choice of practice areas. We just threw money at every problem.
The Turning Point
I remember going to Florida with Tony 18 months into the practice to meet with consultant Lee Rosen. We came back thinking we needed to hit absolute reset and start over.
We cut the practice in half to focus on the area we knew we could be exceptional at: family law. That first recognition that we needed to practice within the constraint of our actual expertise was pivotal. That forced constraint turned our business into what it is today.
But I wish I could tell you the lesson was learned at that point. It wasn’t, because we still had financial resources. Every time we confronted a problem or wanted to open a new area before we’d successfully grown the prior one, we just threw money at it. Our expenses got out of control, and we spent money like drunken sailors for many years.
What Are Constraints?
Constraints show up in several ways:
Time constraints: Not having enough time to do everything you want, need, or feel you must do to grow your practice.
Money constraints: Not having enough financial resources to hire the people you need, buy the tools you want, or get the office space you feel you need.
Expertise constraints: Not having the skills or legal abilities to grow into certain practice areas or offer specific solutions to clients.
Network constraints: Not having the connections to reach out and partner with others or find the right resources.
Why Operating Within Constraints Actually Works
When we operate within our time constraints, recognizing we don’t have enough time to do everything, we’re forced to identify the few things we can do to be successful. This forces us to find better, more focused solutions.
Constraints also give us the capacity to find simpler solutions. Complexity creeps up everywhere, and given enough time, most of us tend to make things more complex than they need to be. When we only have limited time or financial resources, we find simple solutions that almost always work better than complex ones over time.
When you have fewer decisions to make because you don’t have time for many of them, you tend to make better decisions. You avoid decision fatigue, and your front-end decisions tend to be stronger and simpler.
I’ve found that when you have lots of financial resources and aren’t careful about guarding and managing them, your profits erode. Expenses creep up like plaque in your practice.
When we’ve operated within constraints rather than trying to push beyond them, it’s forced us to make essential, critical decisions. This led to cultivating talent and resources that would have otherwise gone undeveloped.
Here’s something rarely talked about: when you operate within constraints, it gives you an abundance mindset rather than a scarcity mindset. You know you have just a little bit, so you tend to find more abundance out there than focusing on the narrow few things you think you must have to solve a problem.
How to Leverage Different Constraints
Time Constraints: Move fast, break things, fail fast. Find those few essential things you can do and execute them quickly. Figure out what’s working and what’s not. If you only have a few hours a week for marketing, think carefully about the most essential activities you can execute and do those things.
Money Constraints: Think creatively. Find creative solutions rather than throwing money at problems. Find ways to do things outside the box that are more creative than you would have otherwise forced yourself to do.
Expertise Constraints: If you want to offer a legal solution, you don’t have the expertise to deliver, don’t offer it. Become more focused on what you can deliver exceptionally well. This will sharpen your marketing message and telegraph to clients that you only focus on a few problems but do them exceptionally well.
Network Constraints: Don’t waste time trying to build a massive network. If you only have limited time to build relationships, focus on those few relationships that will give you the biggest return.
The Bottom Line
Constraints aren’t limitations to overcome—they’re powerful tools that force focus, simplicity, and better decision-making. Operating and building your practice within constraints pays off by creating a stronger, more focused, and ultimately more successful practice.
The key is recognizing your constraints and using them strategically rather than fighting against them or trying to spend your way out of them.
