In December 2022, EJ Stern and Katherine Wilson launched Fractional Law Firm CMO. The two Atlanta-based moms have a combined 40 years of experience in law marketing and business development between them, and were eager to bridge what they saw as a critical gap in the legal industry with this venture. The co-founders recognized that, while larger law firms can afford the luxury of an in-house marketing department, many small and mid-sized firms lack such resources. Stern and Wilson are determined to bring their expertise to law firms of all sizes, and to offer services that are tailored to their clients’ respective needs and budgets.
Here’s our lightly edited Q&A with Katherine Wilson, from The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project.
How is your business different from others in your industry?
We offer end-to-end strategies that incorporate strategic plans, business development strategies and marketing tactics. Our industry experience gives us unique insights and allows us to maximize the potential of law firms in ways that many other consulting firms cannot.
Tell us about your biggest success so far.
The reaction the market has had to our company’s offerings. We did not purchase ads or pay for leads – instead, we’ve used organic posts on LinkedIn as our largest outreach tool. In our first year, we had the privilege of advising more than a dozen firms across the country, and hired two full-time employees – with benefits!
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
Balancing it all. We are very driven achievers, and we both have elementary- and middle–school-age children. There are only so many hours in a day – often, our business goals take a back seat to client and family needs. For example, we need to revamp our own website, but we have yet to do so.
Have you experienced any significant personal situations that affected your business decisions?
More like “personality situations.” For example, we had a firm express interest in us, but they worried whether some of their upper management would listen to women. So, that was a pass.
We then had another firm owner lecture us about how we should defer to our husbands when it comes to financial matters. That was a pass as well. It is hard to refuse work, but if you aren’t a right fit, the engagement won’t be successful.
What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs?
Let others guide you. We invested in a great lawyer to help us develop a suite of agreements – partnership agreement, service agreements, employee agreements, you name it. It’s so nice to have those buttoned up. We also engaged a fractional CFO who helped us set up our billing, invoicing, reimbursement processes and payroll.
Also, I do wish we had paid more attention to how we set up our file-sharing and other accounts-based systems. Specifically, we registered a lot of technologies using our personal emails, rather than an official company email – and now, we have to transfer everything over.
How do you find inspiration on your darkest days?
It is easy to get overwhelmed with everything you need to do as both a mom and as founder. Having a partner on this journey really helps. We have known each other for 17 years, and worked together for 10 of them. We lean on each other every day. We talk each other off of our respective ledges, and we make each other laugh. Honestly, running this business together has brought us so much light and joy – just by being in partnership with one another, and owning our own destinies. Even the worst days are never that bad.
What is your go-to song to get motivated on tough days?
I am in my Taylor Swift era – just like almost everyone else. When I take a break, I put on some of her songs and walk the dog.
Who is your most important role model?
Other women in the legal marketing space. It’s a very tight-knit group, and the people in it tend to be very generous with their time. We’ve had several CMOs and expert legal marketers connect with us to offer guidance and support.
LinkedIn: Fractional Law Firm CMO
Facebook: @fractionallawfirmcmo
TikTok: @the_law_firm_cmos
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