I was talking with my dad this week. I’ve got Inbox Collective — four years in and going strong — and my sister has a little side business of her own that she’s thinking about expanding.
My dad wanted to know one thing: “This is my fault, isn’t it?”
In the best way, dad, it is.
See, some three decades ago, my dad left the corporate law world to go out on his own. He built a great solo law practice for himself. Was it as lucrative as working at a big law firm? No, but he gave my siblings and I an amazing life. And in the past decade, long before the pandemic, operating solo allowed him to work remotely — working some days, volunteering some days, and taking some days off.
Having a dad like that as a role model made launching Inbox Collective a whole lot easier. I’d already seen that it was possible to go solo and make it work — I’d been watching my dad do that for years.
And I’ve been incredibly lucky to have his support over the years. Launching a solo thing — especially a business like mine — requires a lot of contracts. I’ve been lucky to have a lawyer happy to work pro bono to support my business.
Not everyone gets so lucky to have a fine example, pro bono lawyer, and enthusiastic cheerleader in their corner.
Anyway, I just wanted to say: Thanks, dad.
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That’s us, skiing this week out in Utah.