We’re approaching the end of 2017 and, as people tend to do at this time of year, I’m reflecting on the many ways that my life – and my business – worked well, hit glitches and contributed to making the world a better place. Thankfully, in both my life and at Savvy, I think we faced and accomplished significantly more good than bad and I am left feeling a sense of gratitude for all the people who shared my journey in 2017.
First, I’d like to give a shout-out to my family, which supports me and the Savvy team in this whacky entrepreneurial quest that we’re on. When I bought this company 4 years ago, my wife and I knew that we were taking on a family endeavor that would challenge us in many ways. Luckily, we’ve learned how strong we are through this process and how blessed we are to have the support of our extended family and friends. Savvy takes a Village!
Next, I’d like to recognize the (growing) Savvy team! I hear from clients all the time about how much the people at Savvy care about their work and our clients’ success. Not a week goes by when I don’t get an email about Terry’s incredible responsiveness, Katy’s amazing training insights, or Jay’s all-around industry knowledge. I’ll share more about my team later in this article, but suffice it to say that I work with some deep-down good peeps.
Finally, but not least importantly, I’m grateful for Savvy’s clients. We have many clients who have been with us for years and I’ve heard that they are as excited about the future as we are. I wouldn’t want to keep working this law-firm-training mission without the passion, humor and vision that these people bring to my days.
To our newest clients, “Welcome to the family!” We’re so glad that you found something at Savvy that resonates with you. Beyond training products and services, Savvy is a culture, a professionalism, an attention to detail, a commitment to customer delight. At its core, Savvy is dedicated to fantastic relationships with all of the people on the other side of the computer. If we can achieve that, then we will be doing everything right.
In addition to gratitude, I’ve been reflecting on achievements in 2017 and what I’d like to achieve in 2018.
2017: The Year of Rollouts and Advancements
- I saw many, many law firms purchase and rollout massive technology improvements and upgrades. You people were grinding through really tough, labor-intensive advancements that will set your law firms up for success!
- I also heard from many law firms that used 2017 to prepare for rollouts in 2018. Those people are now taking a collective deep breath, rolling up their sleeves, kicking dirt out from under their loafers like a bull about to charge, and taking aim at a successful rollout in 2018.
- Here at Savvy, our team grew to support all of these advancements! Katy Lumley joined so that we could provide concierge, white glove service to all of our SavvyAcademy LMS clients. With both training and content creation experience, Katy was a fantastic addition to our team, helping the inexhaustible Terry to take Savvy’s training vision to the next level. We also added Jay Stromberg, who has worked in the legal industry for over 20 years and is passionate about helping law firms boost their productivity to boost their bottom lines.
2018: The Year of Making It All Work for You
Here’s what I’m focused on for 2018: Now that we have all these new technologies and people, how can we make them work better for us?
- Clients and prospective clients: You have invested (or will be investing this year) heavily in technologies that should make your lives easier, your firms more secure and productive. But unless your staff and attorneys know how to use them well, you won’t be able to achieve the goals that you set when you purchased all these new gadgets. Isn’t that the elephant in the room? You have (or will have) the most advanced tools for the work that your firm does, but if no one is using them properly, or only using 15% of their capabilities, your firm will likely never achieve the efficiencies that the technologies promised. (You know where this is going…) You need rollout and ongoing training support so that your firm maximizes the technologies available to it.
- At Savvy: As I think about our 2018 goals, I’m reminded of the old Outward Bound saying, “Our job out here is not to rough it; It’s to smooth it. Things are rough enough in town.” (That may not be a precise quote, but it’s close.) Savvy’s job is to smooth things out for our clients. We continuously improve our technologies, our training content and our services so that our clients can maximize their processes and deliver the absolute best service possible to their customers.
Let’s Make the World a Better Place Together
Allow me to get a little sentimental: I think we can all agree, no matter our politics, religions, backgrounds or dreams, that the world faces many significant challenges today. Most of the people I know who became lawyers did so because they wanted to make the world a better place in some way and because they love the law. By delivering the finest legal insights and products to your clients, you bring positive change. My goal is that Savvy Training & Consulting enables attorneys and law firms to apply their legal training and acumen to some of today’s biggest challenges, resulting in positive change in big and small ways.
What is the role you want to play in the world and in your professional life in 2018? Can Savvy help you get there? We’d sure love to try!
Happy New Year!