Evelyn Ackah: Creating A Team of Dream Builders

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Evelyn Ackah discuss:

• Reframing challenges as opportunities
• Building security through owning your book of business
• Designing a firm around delegation and technology
• Protecting culture by hiring and leading with intention

Key Takeaways:

• Success begins with asking whether challenges are happening to you or for you. A growth-oriented mindset is not optional for entrepreneurs and rainmakers. Those who thrive train themselves to see obstacles as openings, not endings.
• Relying solely on servicing others’ clients limits mobility and control. Developing your own clients creates long-term security and professional freedom. Rainmaking is a learnable skill built through systems, discipline, and study.
• High-value leaders focus only on work they alone can do. Everything else can be delegated, automated, or systemized through tools and virtual teams. Intentional tech stacks and strong delegation enable autonomy, even four-day workweeks.
• Skills can be trained, but values and attitude determine long-term fit. Toxic hires damage momentum and must be addressed quickly. Great leaders invest in coaches, mentors, and team development to sustain growth.

“Your staff are your dream builders. They help you create your dream. And so you want to invest in them just as much as they’re investing in your success.” — Evelyn Ackah

Check out my new show, Be That Lawyer Coaches Corner, and get the strategies I use with my clients to win more business and love your career again.

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About Evelyn Ackah: Evelyn Ackah is the Founder and CEO of Ackah Business Immigration Law, a cross-border firm representing corporations and professionals in Canadian and U.S. immigration matters. With more than 25 years of experience—including leadership roles in Big Law and at Ernst & Young—she delivers strategic, business-focused immigration solutions tailored to her clients’ goals.

Originally from Ghana and raised in Canada, Evelyn brings both personal insight and professional depth to her work in global mobility. She is passionate about legal entrepreneurship, leveraging technology and innovative systems to build a scalable, client-centered practice.

Evelyn is also the host of the Ask Evelyn Ackah Immigration Lawyer podcast, where she interviews industry leaders on immigration and related business topics.

Connect with Evelyn Ackah:

Website: https://www.ackahlaw.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AckahBusinessImmigrationLaw/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ackahlaw/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ackah-business-immigration-law/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelynackah/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ackahlaw/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw7M2pQKwsRteq-nThuaELQ

Connect with Steve Fretzin:

LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin

Twitter: @stevefretzin

Instagram: @fretzinsteve

Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.

Website: Fretzin.com

Email: Steve@Fretzin.com

Book: Legal Business Development Isn’t Rocket Science and more!

YouTube: Steve Fretzin

Call Steve directly at 847-602-6911

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

 

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Steve Fretzin  [00:00]

Hey everybody. Steve Fretzin here, and if you’re looking to make it rain in 2026 you’re going to want to join me and a bunch of other lawyers for sales, free selling. How to Make It Rain without selling. This is a program that’s going to show you how to do business development without selling, pitching or convincing. All you need to do is go to fretzin.com/events and join us. It’s on February 19, and we do hope to see you there for now. Enjoy the show.

 

Narrator  [00:28]

You’re listening to be that lawyer, life changing strategies and resources for growing a successful law practice. Each episode, your host, author and lawyer coach, Steve Fretzin, will take a deeper dive helping you grow your law practice in less time with greater results. Now here’s your host, Steve Fretzin, hey everybody.

 

Steve Fretzin  [00:51]

Steve Fretzin, here and welcome to the be that lawyer podcast. So thrilled that you’re with us. We are in the difficult time in Chicago, where it’s just freaking cold, and there’s a reason people move south, and unfortunately, I’m not one of them yet. But and you’re not, you’re not to warm yourself up north. Are you?

 

Evelyn Ackah  [01:10]

Evelyn? No, I’m not. I’m in Calgary. But you know what? It’s actually we’re having a Chinook, which means that the weather warms up sometimes 1520 degrees, and the sun is out and the sky is blue, so no complaints up here in Alberta,

 

Steve Fretzin  [01:25]

all right? Well, that’s beautiful, and and we just have no relief here. So good. Good for you. I’m very excited, happy for you, and somewhat angry as well for that relief, but so happy you’re here. And hey everybody, we’re gonna have a great show today. We’re gonna talk about all the stuff you never learned in law school and all the things that you need to learn to be that lawyer, competent, organized and a skilled Rainmaker. Love to start off with the quote of the show, Evelyn. Here we go. In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein. He’s a he said a few good things.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [01:55]

He did say a few good things. I really love that quote, because that’s kind of how I try to live my life, and obviously running the business is when you have struggles, when challenges occur, it’s kind of what comes out of it. What’s the lesson? So for me, it’s always like, let’s deal with the problem, let’s fix it. But then what’s the lesson? And that’s how I operate my law firm. There’s always plugging the holes, finding out this didn’t work. Okay, take the lesson. And so it really kind of resonates with me, because it’s about taking the good from the bad.

 

Steve Fretzin  [02:25]

Yeah, I said something similar to my wife a few months ago, and we’ve been kind of going back and forth about it at each other. Is this happening to me or is this happening for me? Yes, and it’s right in milk, like people that that’s a little bit of a mind blowing thing, but for me now, I’m stuck in traffic and I’m angry about and somebody just cut me off. Did that happen to me or for me? And how am I gonna play that out? How do you pivot from changes the whole yeah narrative, yeah. And I like the other piece where it’s like, I get to like, I get to make a vision. I get to get out of bed and go to the gym because my body works. I get to, as opposed to, oh my god, I have to. So I love trying to pivot how we deal with mindset, and that’s a huge part I think, of being an entrepreneur is your mindset? Yeah, 100% Well, everybody, you’re in for a treat. Today. We’ve got Evelyn Ackah she’s, as you’d heard, a Canadian attorney, a CEO of ACA business immigration law. And I think what stood out when we first met was just like, how together you are and how you know you’ve sort of learned these tough lessons, and come out the other side, which we’ll get to near the end, but take us through how you came to be.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [03:33]

Okay, well, I was born, we don’t have time for that. Was a tough C section. We don’t have time for that. But I’m originally from Ghana, which is West Africa, and my family immigrated to Canada and Vancouver, British Columbia when I was five. And I always tell the story that I actually met my father when I was five years old, because the whole immigrant experience is he came first, you know, had that first opportunity, then my mom came. And my mom had was pregnant when he left. So literally, when he came back to get me at age five, that’s when I met him at the airport. And so somehow, in all of that, I went to law school at University of British Columbia. I worked in Toronto at big law as well as E and y Ernst and Young for 12 years, and then they moved me. The law firm I was with moved me to Calgary if I off, I wanted to be closer to my family, and I did want to be an hour flight versus a five hour flight. And I started my own law firm 15 years ago now, at the business immigration law, when I started having, when I had my kids, and it was kind of like life had to change, and so I had to make those changes.

 

Steve Fretzin  [04:38]

Yeah, and there’s something about, you know, again, you know, a lot of lawyers are going to find this in the coming years, if they haven’t already, but there’s something about being your own boss, or something about starting your own jam that I figured my father, by the way, the late great Larry, the lawyer, who was a solo his whole career. But the wisdom he instilled in myself and in my sister was, if you ever have a chance to work for yourself, take it. You. So when I in 2004 saw an opportunity, knew I was going to be an entrepreneur, didn’t know what I was going to do. Then a lot of dunkin donuts or what. And I ended up finding a passion for what I’d been doing my whole life, which was, you know, sales and teaching sales, and that did it. But how did you come across like, Hey, I’m going to be my own boss, and this is, this is my path.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [05:20]

You know, I always feel like young lawyers should work in a law firm. I know there’s so much education that comes from it, and I worked at big organizations, and, you know, experienced all the good and bad. And you learn when you’re in a big firm, you learn quickly, like the learning curve is very steep, and it’s a great opportunity to just immerse yourself in becoming the best lawyer you can be. So I always believe you start there, but then when you’re in an organization long enough, you realize what you like and what you don’t like, right? And some of the challenges, or the lack of flexibility to move and direct a big ship takes so long compared to being more agile. And so for me, it was I wanted to provide the best service to my clients. I wanted to flat fee. I wanted to use technology more, and I felt like after learning so many great skills at these large, global law firms, and being a partner and thinking as a partner, seeing wasn’t that much better, you know, it wasn’t that much better than anything else. There were more challenges with being a part of a global partnership that I decided it was time, because I had a large book of business. I wasn’t opening the door with nothing. And those lawyers that do that, I’m I give them all the praise, but I’m not necessarily that person. I needed to know that I had security. And 99% of my clients came with me, because even though they stayed with the big firm for corporate litigation, whatever, I was their immigration lawyer, and there’s something about immigration for corporations and professionals that’s personal, even if it’s business oriented. And so that’s how I started my firm 15 years ago.

 

Steve Fretzin  [06:56]

But I think if we go back and we talk to the lawyers listening who are at these firms, why it’s so important to have your own clients, why you can’t be the service partner and have and not have those relationships. Because at some point, if you decide to move or you decide to move up, or you decide to go out on your own, you know you have that base of starting with something versus starting with nothing, which can absolutely scary, quite

 

Evelyn Ackah  [07:19]

Oh my God. See, like, one thing I learned a lot at the professional services firm was how to sell within the firm. You know, I always say, like, you might not have to go out of the office or out of the your network in the firm to grow yourself a practice. So there are every opportunity to take training that was available, for business development, for sales, for presentation, for executive presence, for all the things. I took them all, because actually when you leave most accounting firms, you leave with nothing. Even if you’re in the immigration Global Mobility group, those people are enmeshed in the firm. But I was able to approach several large law firms and say, This is what I know. I built this. I could do this again. And so I had a business plan, and I said, boom, boom, boom. And within a year and a half, I built by internal networking and clients that actually did find me another, you know, seven figure law firm that was just my practice. And so I think you should always take opportunities to learn.

 

Steve Fretzin  [08:14]

Always. What do you think is the the reason why lawyers don’t sort of figure out, like the lawyers listening to this show, I think, have figured out, or they’re on their way to figure it out. But there’s, I mean, a large percentage of the legal population in big law, mid market, whatever it might be, that are just happy to be doing the work that they’re getting. And I get it like that’s the easy, sort of the easy path, to some degree, versus having this whole other monster called, you know, personal branding and marketing and all of that and business development. But why do you why do you think most people are still hiding from the reality of what they should be doing?

 

Evelyn Ackah  [08:50]

You know what? I think it’s all about personality too, and people’s desire. I don’t think every lawyer is going to make a good entrepreneur, right? Honestly, I think it’s about having a certain vision, drive, personality, a real sense of risk taking, because being entrepreneurs, you know, means you have to be comfortable with risk, and not everybody is. And so some people absolutely are, the grinders and the miners and the minders in a law firm. And there’s value in what they do, no doubt about it, many firms grow because of those two roles, but I think that just like the person that goes out and finds the business, they also usually have this unique skill set, and sometimes they might not be the best lawyers. You know what I mean? Like when I was in law school, they would say, these people up here getting straight A’s, sitting at the front, doing all the great things. They might not be the best lawyers at the end of the day, they might be academically inclined, but the lawyers that are doing B’s like me and B pluses, but not killing myself or a pluses, they’re the ones that have the personality, the social network, the connections, and so you have to decide, I think, what kind of lawyer you want to be, and also what kind of lifestyle you want, even though I. Think everybody should know how to sell. Not everybody does. And sometimes selling sounds like a four letter word, you know,

 

Steve Fretzin  [10:06]

it certainly, certainly comes across that way in many industries, not just legal. The thing that I would say is, you know, there’s that, hey, that person’s a natural born Rainmaker, or has the personality for it. I get that. And there’s people that are going to have an inclination for like I did, like I came I was selling shoes at 16 years old at Kenny, me too. You were okay. So I

 

Evelyn Ackah  [10:28]

was selling at a department store in the sports department, absolutely I moved around.

 

Steve Fretzin  [10:32]

I had American Eagle and Foot Locker, and I did all I wore the stripes. I did the whole thing. But that, that being said, what I found truly made me successful in business development or sales is having a good structure, having processes to follow, and actually becoming a student of the game and recognizing that well, my personality is going to help me, because people like me, or because I know how to build relationships very easily, it comes naturally that there’s actually systems that we can follow that allow us to get where we want to go in a more efficient way. That’s what I’m trying to put out into the ether with the lawyers. Is, you know, it’s you’re an introvert, you’re uncomfortable, you don’t like crowds, all these things, but you love systems. You love processes. Okay, well, let’s lean into that and think about how we can leverage it to get the book built, even if sales makes you freak out, right? So let’s think about ways that we can do it, in a non salesy way, but also using processes

 

Evelyn Ackah  [11:28]

totally I totally agree, you know? I mean, I’ve worked with people like yourselves, professionals. I think every lawyer needs a business coach on a regular basis. So in my 15 years, it’s quite a lonely experience. You know, I always say being the leader is lonely, and so you need that partner, that person, that organization, or expert consultant who can help you with sales, business development, help you with dealing with staff challenges, looking you know somebody’s looking at your books, giving you that different perspective. And so whatever you’re not strong at is what I think you need to hire for so I have always, always had business coaches. I’ve been members of so many different things, because I feel like you need to be surrounded by people that help you elevate yourself. Otherwise, it’s easy to get worn down by the people. They’re like, Oh, we’re not so busy. And you know that negativity? You go to bar meetings and everyone’s like, and, yeah, you want to be the one that’s rising to the top, so you have to invest in yourself. And I’ve spent a lot of money and time investing in myself, my team, the business, my philosophy, my brand, because I think that’s what’s going to help take care of my family and help me take care of my my team’s family members too.

 

Steve Fretzin  [12:40]

Yeah, you know, in interviewing, you know, hundreds of rainmakers, and the book behind me is 100 of them in, you know, it came down to a few things. Number one is positivity. Number two is systems, having systems. And number three was there was usually someone that helped them along, that, you know, a mentor, a coach, somebody that took them under the wing and taught them things they didn’t know to your point, and that’s just, you know, I think, even if it’s not a coach, find someone that is doing things in a way that you would like to emulate and have a conversation and see if they’re willing to share what’s working for them. And it might not be as complicated as you think.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [13:19]

I definitely, I mean, I think mentoring is critical, and I received a lot of mentoring when I was a young attorney, and I give a lot of mentoring, and I think I will talk to anybody about what I’m doing, because I it’s not a secret. You know, I don’t feel I don’t feel like it’s a zero sum game. I feel like there’s enough for everybody, and everybody brings different things to the table. So, you know, I do definitely do a lot of mentoring. And I also think about, who do you spend your time with? What do they say the five people you spend your time with, the most you know, reflect on you. And so I’m thinking, I want people that are positive, people that are growth minded, people interested in scaling and personal development, and usually doing way better than me. Because if I’m in a pool of a small pool, I’m a big fish, there’s something wrong. I always think I want to be in the room where there are those people that are doing things that I can even imagine doing, because I want some of that, and I want to learn from them. So, you know, lawyers need to invest in their development, absolutely.

 

Steve Fretzin  [14:13]

Hey everybody. Steve Fretzin Here and@lawyer.com They don’t just market law firms. They help them grow from connecting millions of consumers to trusted lawyers to smarter intake and industry leading events, they’re building stronger connections across legal visibility, intake, events, growth. That’s lawyer.com Check them out today with proven SEO and digital marketing strategies that drive actual clients to your firm. Rankings.io. Prides itself on proof, not promises. Mentality. The best firms hire rankings.io. When they want rankings, traffic and cases, other law firm marketing agencies can’t deliver, get more rankings, get cases and schedule a free consultation@rankings.io today. Hey everybody. It’s Steve Fretzin. Listen as the, you know, I’m the host of the be that lawyer podcast, and if you’re serious about growing your law practice, let’s talk. I’ve coached hundreds of attorneys to build bigger books of business without selling, chasing or wasting time. This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a real 30 minute strategy session to explore what’s possible for you in your practice. Just head over to fretzin.com and grab a time that works for you. And let’s make this your breakout year. And how do you keep positive and keep on track? When things get busy, things get hard, what do you have? Like a secret sauce for that?

 

Evelyn Ackah  [15:32]

Oh, my goodness, secret sauce, Wine, wine. No, we called it, oh, I was gonna say mine is bourbon. What’s yours? Mine is red wine. But, you know, no, I think for me, it’s, I exercise. I have to, like, I feel like, you know, we all have to find our thing. For me, it’s four or five days a week in the gym. I have a trainer that makes sure I show up. But I think that helps clear my head when stuff is just going crazy, yeah. And I think too, having a family kind of takes you out of the office. And so for me, it’s the great reason to be like, Well, I gotta go. I’m home for dinner, and it just shifts that dynamic, and you don’t want to bring that home. And so, you know, I do read a lot, as I said, I listen to podcasts. I’m always trying to find ways to lift the spirits, because some days are just grinding, days we all know there are. Sometimes can’t make everybody happy all the time, but I think it’s important not to absorb it and try to find ways to deflect it and move on, you know? And so for us, that’s our policy in the firm, is shit will happen. If I could say that crap will happen, bad things will happen, and we learn from them, and then we fix it the best we can, and we move on. And it doesn’t carry the next day.

 

Steve Fretzin  [16:40]

Well, I think a big part of it for you and I has been the ability to sort of recognize where our sweet spots are, what our special skills are, and what we enjoy. And we figured out sort of how to delegate and automate things away. I was we were joking before we we hit the record button that we both take off Fridays. And I was telling my wife how busy things have been, and I’ve got, you know, full load of clients and all this. She goes, Why don’t you start working Fridays again? I go, No, no, no, I’m not. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube when you take it off Fridays for a while.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [17:14]

So that’s another way for you to keep your sanity, right? For me too,

 

Steve Fretzin  [17:19]

it is. Yeah. I mean, so the my Thursday afternoon is celebrated. We’re actually Thursday afternoon right now. We are so like, let’s celebrate together, because tomorrow I have a few, a few appointments. They’re the ones that I want to take their clients that that need me, and I’m here for them 100% but nobody’s controlling my Friday

 

Evelyn Ackah  [17:38]

Absolutely, and that’s what I do. I have a fabulous executive assistant. She knows Friday is blocked, but that means, I mean, I’m still going to do one meeting with the team. It’s some kind of like a, let’s regroup, Team Build, spend an hour, but that’s basically it. And the rest of my days you just spent doing things that matter to me, thinking about the business networking, you know, reaching out to people and looking for referrals and those types of things. Or I take the afternoon off because my kids get home by two it’s early on Friday, and then I’m with them. And so for me, that’s my happy time, and that allows me to be focused on them, because that’s why. So I think Monday to Thursday could be very intense, because I’m saving the Friday, and for the most part, it really helps me kind of start the weekend that way.

 

Steve Fretzin  [18:24]

Here’s the dirty little secret, everybody, that the reason that we were able to do this, and I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but is that we have become really good at delegating and automating. And so when I look at all of the things that I’m that people think I do, and then there’s the actually what I do, they’re very different, right? I’m doing the coaching and the training, and I’m meeting with prospective clients, and I’m doing the podcast and I’m doing that. But when you think about like Steve, like all this content you’re putting out into books, and you’re doing this and doing that, two podcasts, all this stuff, and what people don’t understand is it’s almost all delegated, like everything that I if I’m the talent, great, I’m the talent. Thank you. I’m so happy, but everything around that is being done through just paying for just not like paying for it and getting it off my plate.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [19:08]

Me too. That’s something I had a hard time. I think a lot of lawyers have a hard time letting go 100% and I think I know, I think I mentioned to you that covid was one of my challenging times as a law firm owner, was the hardest, and in 2000 had our best year in 2019, and then 2000 hit, and it’s like borders were closed. And I’m a cross border immigration lawyer. I do Canadian from all over the world into Canada, but also do Canadians into the US. And now we have US attorneys that are also of counsel, that do all the US. And so when the borders are closed, I have a problem. And everybody went home to work from home, except for me. And I was in the office, sending careers and all the things. And so it made me realize I had to delegate so the people that were home, they were being delegated to. We already were in the cloud, because years before, there’s this big flood in Calgary, and although I was on the top floor of my tower, I thought, we’re. Fine, but our server was plugged into the wall at the time, and all the power downtown had been turned off because of this huge, you know, flood all of downtown Calgary. So I learned in 2013 we’re in the cloud. So I’ve been in the cloud since then. So we had no trouble pivoting. Take some screens home, and you’re good, but it really shifted how I operate. And so I hired my very first virtual assistant because I needed more support, and people didn’t really want to work. Some people were struggling with different things, and so she’s been with me for five years, and she was my first hire on Upwork, incredible woman, and she helped me grow the remote team we probably have now. I think we have eight, eight or nine people that are remote, that are like offshore, and then the rest of our team is in Canada, and they work from home in the office, whatever works for them, because I offer that flexibility, but we use so much technology that binds us together. So from our practice management system, we use Clio manage, we use lawmatics, we use Zapier, we use case status, we use all these forms, programs, plus all the social media stuff that’s done behind also with the VA that does most of my stuff, and a marketing company and a podcast. So when you think about all of those things, they all have to be delegated, because I can’t do them. I sleep. You know, you and I sleep, we still need to sleep at night. So I think people understanding the importance of technology should be your friend, not something to fear, because if it frees you to do this type of thing, the real face to face, or the real meeting clients in my boardroom when they want to come in and meet me, if they’re in town, those are the things that I can only do. And so I focus on what can I only do, and anything that someone else can do my team of 18, they have to do it. Yeah, and

 

Steve Fretzin  [21:44]

it’s become a necessity that we have virtual assistants, or that we have more people than we can put in an office, or that can fit in an office. In the world, the world is, you know, much more flat now, from a standpoint of finding talent. And also, there used to be a kind of a negative connotation of, you’re taking them away American jobs or Canadian jobs or whatever. I think we all agree like that, that ship has sailed.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [22:08]

It has failed. Look at those accounting firms. I remember when I was in the accounting firms were the first ones to start doing accounting offshore, like I remember those days, and it was a big deal, and they sent them to India or, you know, just to maybe a first draft, and then it would come back, of course, right?

 

Steve Fretzin  [22:24]

Yep, yep. And I want to also just really quickly give a shout out. So before we had our chat today, I was on a zoom with my friend Greg Eisenberg. He’s got a business tech stack support, you know, Greg, yes, I believe. Oh yeah, okay. Lawmatics, right, lawmatics, and he just walked me through. I mean, I mean, he just walked me through stuff. There was just not a chance ever that I would figure out what I needed to do. And he goes, click that, click that, click that. And all of a sudden I had this, this whole new, you know, area of a pie. I mean, yep, sideline, I love it. I love it. So shout out to Greg. Greg Eisenberg, and by the way, that’s another example of it’s not a coach, it’s not a mentor, but it’s somebody that’s gonna take the technology, customize it, and help you automate it in a way that’s going to just take, you know, huge amounts of time, hours,

 

Evelyn Ackah  [23:14]

amount whatever. We worked with them. It was great. They built our pipeline. We first joined Matic. So it’s worth it to invest in that, because if you have technology, my view is, you got to use it, otherwise, get rid of it. You’re spending money if stuff you’re not using fully, right? 100% 100%

 

Steve Fretzin  [23:30]

so last thing I want to get to before we kind of wrap things up, and that is, is there one or two additional either automation tools or delegation tips for I mean, lawyers are that are building a tremendous amount of hours, and they’re just have all those pressures. What are some things that you found that make it easier to to get stuff off your plate?

 

Evelyn Ackah  [23:50]

Well, I always tell everybody, hire a VA. And it’s funny, because I’m in a group, I think that’s how we came to know each other, professional group, and and a young lawyer reached out, and I said, hire VA. And then a couple months ago, she reached out to go. I hired my first VA, and I was like, good for you, because it’s just little things like your calendar, your scheduling, yeah, appointments that suck up so much time, and even email management. So actually, email management, I just started using something called serif.ai Okay, so I do have an old EA, but Sarah helps her, because the volume is crazy, and it even starts drafting. Yeah, I just

 

Steve Fretzin  [24:28]

started trying Jace. Jace. Ai like you and I are, I don’t know, like you and I are connected. I’m a

 

Evelyn Ackah  [24:34]

total technology geek, because if it makes my life easier, I want it. And so I’m trying it, and I love it. And of course, you train it and but, and it still has to sound like me, right? So I would say, find a VA or hire an assistant in office if that’s more significant to you. But sometimes that leverage helps when you’re you don’t, maybe have the revenue yet, so you start small. I would say, look at technology like a serif.ai Have a practice management system, but a lot of your stuff should integrate. So use apps, use make use those programs that will make sure your technology all talks to each other. I think that’s very important. And I think what I have, like I have on my on my desk every day, is, Am I doing the one thing that only I can do? And I think you need to think about that, like, are you time keeping you should not be writing your time out. You should not be, you know, even entering it. If you have an automatic system like a Clio manage, where you’ve got a clock, you start and stop. It automatically captures your stuff. It can bill and volume. It depends on how you bill. So I’m always looking for integrations. And I think when you choose technology, make sure they have API integrations. If you choose something that doesn’t, then it’s basically a standalone and it becomes a piece of junk if you don’t have the ability to pull and push information back and forth, I think those would be the advice that I’d offer. Fantastic.

 

Steve Fretzin  [25:56]

All right. Well, let’s have some fun with this. What’s everyone’s big mistake? Oh, my God.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [26:02]

Oh, well, you know what? I think hiring has been the hardest thing for me, new lawyer, when I new entrepreneur, when I started and I made lots of hiring mistakes, and I used all the things that you’re supposed to use to hire, testing and Colby and disc, and I still made mistakes. And I think for me, the biggest mistake was when you find one person that joins the organization and starts to create toxicity, you need to end that quickly, real fast. I wasn’t I got to a period where I had one, and then there was another, and then there was another, and I was just like, didn’t even want to come to my own office. It just felt so you know. And I remember thinking, I should have, I should have let this go. And in the end, when I finally did it, it caused a big up where I basically started from the beginning. So it felt like I had to clean house, because it’s almost like you let one, one bug come in, and then it just creates a whole infestation. And so I have really, really focused on firm culture, firm values. I I hire for values, not for knowledge, because I think you can train anybody that has the interest and desire to learn, you know, the non legal work, I would say, particularly all the admin related stuff. But they have to have the right attitude, and they have to fit my values. And so even as a team, now, we’re all actually women. It just which most people are, like, what you’re all women. We all are just happened that way. I’ve hired men before, but our group is tight, and if somebody comes in, I hired somebody last year, COO, because I really need a COO. And I was like, I’m going to hire somebody. And within three weeks, nope. And everybody was telling me, she’s not a fit. Evelyn, try again, and that was it. So I’ve learned my lesson is, is take your time to hire, but also fire quickly if you have to, because you kept the rot and you make it fast and you move on.

 

Steve Fretzin  [27:49]

I mean, I think values, some of the top things that lawyers are looking for right now are someone that has good values and someone that has a strong work ethic, and I think that’s something that is missing more than we’d probably like right now. How do you in an interview, or how do you over time, before you hire, figure out that someone has those qualities?

 

Evelyn Ackah  [28:09]

Well, I think we do a lot of interviewing, and now we do a lot of screening. So it’s not just it’s not just me. You know, I have an operations manager. She’s in Arizona. She does all the first interviews, and then I do the second interviews, and then we usually have the team do a group interview. We all get on Zoom, and we interview the person. And if the person is in Calgary, they’ll come by the office, and everybody will be on zoom in the boardroom. And then we do testing, so Colby testing, disc testing, predictive index, like I really need to know. And then we usually give them, depending on their role, some tests to do that are like samples of doing their work. Yeah, right. So you can see if their writing style isn’t good, if their grammar is not right, you know, and how quickly they do it, or if they ask for extensions all the time. You can see, I think, in that, but at the end of the day, I make it very clear, we all work hard, but then we also go home, and we also have lots of fun together. You know. We had a big retreat last summer, and we were drinking and eating and biking around town and doing all kinds of fun stuff. And I’ve been to the Philippines to meet my team there, you know, two years ago, like, yeah, so I really believe in investing in them, but we need to see that they also show up, and my team works really hard, and they know that they’re the success of the firm. You know they always say, my your staff or your dream builder, Steve, they help you create your dream. And so you want to invest in them just as much as they’re investing in your success as a firm or business owner.

 

Steve Fretzin  [29:33]

Yeah, I love it. I love everything about it. Fantastic. Let’s take a moment, of course. Thank our wonderful sponsors, a lawyer.com, rankings, io and Evelyn. People want to get in touch with you. They want to check out, what’s your podcast? Tell everybody about that.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [29:48]

My podcast, I’ve had for about five years is called Ask Evelyn Ackah immigration lawyer podcast, because it’s all for SEO. And we talk about not just immigration, Canadian and US, but we also talk. Talk about all the related fields that come around immigration. So I usually interview people in tax, accounting, HR, coaches, professionals like yourselves, people that I meet through my networking that I think my listeners will be interested in. And so feel free to sign up if you’d like to learn more about what I do, but also my network and what they do and how they can support my clients.

 

Steve Fretzin  [30:22]

Yeah, and it’s best to find you on LinkedIn or website.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [30:25]

Yes, LinkedIn, I’m there. Evelyn Ackah website, ACCA, business, immigration law. Feel free to reach out with any questions. I’m happy to connect anytime.

 

Steve Fretzin  [30:34]

Yeah, well, I think this may go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. This has been an absolute pleasure, and I think I don’t know you and I are very tightly aligned in a lot of ways, kindred spirits.

 

Evelyn Ackah  [30:46]

Yeah, so I’m gonna have you on my podcast. Steve, this is your invitation. Please love it,

 

Steve Fretzin  [30:52]

don’t I don’t turn down many and I love it 100% love to be on yours, and I appreciate that. So thank you. I just excited about this launching. So thank you got it. You got it. Hey, and by the way, everybody, thank you for showing up. Spending 30 minutes with us today. I’ve got my usual page of notes. I’m going to put out some video clips on above the law and Attorney at work. And want to mention, if you love this podcast, please give us some kind reviews. Let it let Apple know that you like us. And also February 19, sales, free, selling, how to become a rainmaker without selling, pitching or convincing. Go to my website, fretzin.com/events, and sign up, and we will talk you through how we do sales without selling. Thanks, everybody. Be safe, be well, and we will talk again very soon. You

 

Narrator  [31:42]

Steve, thanks for listening to be that loyal, life changing strategies and resources for growing a successful law practice. Visit Steve’s website, fretson.com for additional information and to stay up to date on the latest legal business development and marketing trends for more information and important links about today’s episode, check out today’s show notes.