1 – Q) Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A)
- Ally Law Group is a law firm that focuses on Personal Injury and Employment Law cases.
- Many people do not know what Personal Injury entails, but it is basically the majority of cases where someone is injured. For example, cases where people are injured in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, uber/lift accident etc. Or maybe they were injured when being bit by a dog, slipping and falling, getting hit by a car while walking or riding a bike etc.
- Our Employment Law division protects employees against their respective employers from violating their rights at work. Our cases range from Harassment, discrimination, unpaid wages, meal and rest break violations, whistleblower, and wrongful termination to name a few.
2 – Q) Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A) I grew up in Michigan and attended school there. My parents are immigrants that came to the united states to escape religious persecution. My dad worked 3 jobs and my mother went back to school while I was in elementary school to help our family. I watched my parents work extremely hard to take succeed and that gave me the determination to become the first member of our family to graduate with a doctorate degree. I felt going to school and becoming an educated professional would help alleviate the workload for my family. I could use my brain instead of hard labor to help my family. I went to law school and was one of the only people to graduate early. I believe it was me and one other person. The dean of the school had to approve the schedule because it was so rigorous she thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I went to school all year round and took no breaks. I also went to the gym daily, worked at our family business and learned how to play the piano during law school. The dean had no idea of my ceiling of what I could handle because my parents instilled hard work in me. I became a lawyer in Michigan and shortly after met my significant other, whom is now my wife of 6 years in California. I moved to California and opened my own law firm focusing on immigration. I helped numerous immigrants become lawful permanent residents and citizens of this country. Some I saved from being killed which is an awesome feeling to know I was able to save lives as an attorney. I then transitioned into personal injury and employment because I seemed to find more enjoyment with those cases.
3 – Q) What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
A) When I moved to California I worked for a law firm that turned out to be the worst experience of my life. I was not happy in life and I watched this law firm screw over nearly every client that walked through the doors. They chased money instead of actually helping people. The only happy clients that walked out the door were my clients at the firm. So I decided to open my own law firm and be my own boss. I couldn’t handle people trying to tell me what to do especially when it didn’t align with my values. So I started with around $1,800 to my name and told my wife I would rather sleep under a bridge until I make it, than work for another law firm again. She supported me and that is when Ally Law Group was born.
4 – Q) What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A)
- Work efficiently and try their best to stay consistent
- Social media is extremely important and to work hard at it
- The anxiety level will be extremely high many times throughout and you will question if you are cut out for it. You will have imposter syndrome and feel like you are always falling short, but stick with it there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it will be worth it. As long as you work hard to please your clients, keep up with social media and networking, and know there is a light at the end of the tunnel they will succeed.
5 – Q) What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A)
- Time Management
- Social Media and marketing
- Systems and processes to make your daily operations more efficient
6 – Q) How many hours do you work a day on average?
A) I work when I want to. That is part of being your own boss. Some days are 8-12 hours and other days I go golfing and enjoy time with my wife. It honestly all depends on what is on my plate at the time.
7 – Q) To what do you most attribute your success?
A) God, family, my wife, and friends/mentors I have met in my field.
8 – Q) How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A)
- Social media
- Instagram and tikto
9 – Q) Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it?
A) I had no capital. I started in my living room with my laptop and a printer.
10 – Q) How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A) No investors
11 – Q) What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A) The best way to achieve long term success is to build a foundation, systems and processes, and fill the pipeline with good quality clients.
12 – Q) Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
A) I see myself having multiple locations in California and potentially some in Arizona and Michigan
13 – Q) Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A) Porsche. Their cars are for a very particular person. Most people look at a Porsche and say it isn’t very nice, but some say it is beautiful. Porsche has stuck to its unique look and hasn’t gone away from it to please the masses. They know who their clientele is and they are stubbornly sticking with it. I am the same as a law firm owner. Most people tell me to do things in a certain way and I tell them no. I am different and sticking to my way. I run my business a lot like Porsche and that is one reason I love their company.
14 – Q) How important have good employees been to your success?
A) Employees are obviously extremely important. A great employee that gets paid more can ultimately save you money when being compared to a bad employee that gets paid less. A company has a team of employees. A team needs to work together to get tasks done. One rotten employee can ruin the entire team. So making sure all employees are good employees is vital to the success of any business.
15 – Q) How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
A) At least a month or two. Ideas need time to mature. Nothing shows over night.
16 – Q) What motivates you?
A) God, my family, wife, and the idea of creating generational wealth for my family.
17 – Q) What are your ideals?
A) I am a devout Catholic, so everything I do needs to be in line with my lord and savior Jesus Christ. I will never do anything unethical, immoral or wrong in my business to make money. I run a tight ship and will always be able to rest my head at night knowing I made the right decisions in my business. Money doesn’t drive me, God, family and happy clients do. If you work towards pleasing those people in your life and work hard, the money will come as a result.
18 – Q) How do you generate new ideas?
A) Randomly or if I see another company doing something I think will work in my field
19 – Q) How do you define success?
A) Success is different for everyone. Some people are millionaires and unhappy. Some make $80k per year and are super happy. Success to me is working hard to continue to grow each year and hit goals, being able to be proud of the work you do, while also staying happy end enjoying time with your family everyday.
20 – Q) How do you build a successful customer base?
A) Referrals, networking, social media, and doing good work to help your clients.
21 – Q) What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
A) No one tells me what to do and I have so much freedom.
22 – Q) What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
A) I had a client that had been to 3 different law firms before me for her car accident case. Her policy was $50,000 so there wasn’t a way to get more than that. 1 of the law firms she had hired was a top law firm in California. Another one she hired is a top law firm nationwide. The other was a smaller firm. They had her case for nearly a year and a half. All 3 of the prior law firms together were only able to get her a settlement offer of around $30k. She came to me and the other law firms told me she is going to be a terrible client and not to take her, but I felt so bad for her and wanted to help her. So I took on her case. I sent out an initial demand and immediately obtained the full $50,000 policy for her. To know that I was able to outperform top law firms and get my client the settlement she deserved was very rewarding for the both of us. Again, as an entrepreneur you will have imposter syndrome and feel like you can’t compete with the big firms, but this case was a reminder that there is the light at the end of the tunnel and we can do it!
23 – Q) What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
A) Different personalities. Some people need to structure and higher ups telling them what to do. Others have the personality that cannot work for anyone if their life depended on it. I absolutely hate the idea of working for anyone. I can’t do it. I get offers that sound so amazing and I turn them all down because I will never work for anyone. For others, having a boss doesn’t bother them. Clocking in and out, taking lunches, asking for a day off etc doesn’t bother them. For me I feel like I am making money for someone else for something I can do on my own.
24 – Q) What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
A) I do not like to micro manage employees. I let them work on their time and give deadlines for when I need stuff done by. I allow my employees to work freely. If I see that I need to be more strict then I do that, but to start I give some freedom to my employees because I feel it creates an easier and happier atmosphere. I hated being micromanaged, so I try not to do it to others.
25 – Q) In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
A) Rollercoaster
26 – Q) If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
A) Work for a larger personal injury and employment firm for a couple of years and then open up my own law firm.
27 – Q) How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
A) It allows me to spend as much time with my family as I want, which is great. I can travel and do whatever I want.
28 – Q) What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
A) Greatest fear is failure or screwing up. I manage my fear by knowing God has my back. I also think about the worst possible scenario and realize it isn’t the end of the world no matter the outcome. There have been many obstacles in my life that I thought were so daunting and I have gotten through all of them. I sit here today and do not stress about any of my past obstacles or things I was afraid of. So then I think to myself why be afraid now? When I know I will live and get through it and in the end I won’t be afraid of it. Looking back I will say I can’t believe I was afraid to do that and now it is so easy to do. I try and manage my fear based on my past and knowing I got through those fears and I will get through the next obstacles and fears just fine.
29 – Q) How did you decide on the location for your business?
A) Based on where my wife was going to school.
30 – Q) Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
A) Yes there is. Once you figure out the formula for success you can basically apply it to any business and succeed.
31 – Q) If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
A) Jesus. He loved everyone, even the people that persecuted him. He is the most known person in history. His life impacted all of humanity. We are in the year 2024 and the only reason we have that number is because of his life. We know in detail where he was born, what the setting looked like, who his parent was etc. we are talking about a man born thousands of years ago.
32 – Q) Who has been your greatest inspiration?
A) My wife and family. I just want to make them proud
33 – Q) What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
A) The Bible
34 – Q) What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
A) not being more aggressive in social media when the algorithms were more friendly to organic growth. I was one of the first 3-5 attorneys on tiktok and didn’t take advantage of my opportunity at that time. I got so tired of social media and making videos that I gave up on it.
35 – Q) How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
A) Be organized and calendar things. Be ahead of schedule and don’t procrastinate. Plan things out.
36 – Q) What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
A) Golf, piano, guitar, gaming, building things, gym
37 – Q) What makes you happy?
A) Spending time with my family and friends.
38 – Q) What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
A) Rejecting a steady income with a guaranteed paycheck for the potential to make the yearly salary for a lawyer at a different law firm in a month or week at my firm.
39 – Q) If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
A) a. Name a couple of people in your field that have opened doors for you and helped you along the way?
i. I think it is very important to give credit to those out there that help others that are starting out. I couldn’t do any of this without my colleagues in the field. They have helped me every step of the way without asking for a penny in return. Doing it just to help others grow is amazing. I also help anyone that needs guidance and help growing their brands as well. Being an entrepreneur can feel lonely and having others that have gone through it before you can really help you get through tough times.