Leveraging Social Media for Law Firm Success: Ryan Stygar (Ep. 34)

Episode 34 is nothing short of a masterclass in strategic law firm growth. Ryan Stygar, founder of Centurion Trial Attorneys and social media virtuoso, delves into his personal narrative of career transformation—from aspiring firefighter to trailblazing attorney. As Ryan converses with Darren Wurz, listeners are given a rare window into the strategic thinking that propelled the establishment and expansion of his law firm amidst the unprecedented global pandemic.

The episode pivots from Ryan’s personal anecdotes to his robust social media presence, particularly focusing on how authenticity and relatability became the cornerstones of his digital marketing success. Attention-grabbing content, combined with a trial-and-error approach to social marketing, allowed Ryan to connect with a broad audience and secure his firm’s position in the competitive legal market.

How Attorney Ryan Stygar Turned his Legal Expertise into a Thriving Social Media Empire

In the latest episode of The Lawyer Millionaire Podcast, host Darren Wurz delves into an inspiring conversation with attorney Ryan Stygar of Centurion Trial Attorneys. Stygar’s unique journey from aspiring firefighter to acclaimed legal professional offers valuable insights into career transitions, entrepreneurship, and the role of social media in the growth of a modern law firm.

From Public Service Dreams to Legal Reality

Ryan Stygar shares his original ambition of becoming a firefighter and how his association with the Cal Fire Union ignited a passion for the intricacies of law. Similarly, host Darren Wurz reflects on his career change, creating a relatable introduction that connects with listeners contemplating their professional paths.

The Catalyst of Change – Launching During Turbulence

The onset of the pandemic presented challenges and opportunities. For Stygar, it meant the chance to establish Centurion Trial Attorneys. Amidst uncertainty, he embraced his calling in employment law, taking on new clients and using innovative approaches to navigate the competitive climate of the legal industry.

The Power of Authenticity in Social Media

In a world where every law firm seems to be vying for attention online, Ryan Stygar emphasizes authenticity. By showcasing his personality and sharing relatable content, Centurion Trial Attorneys has crafted a social media presence that resonates with audiences. Stygar advocates for being sincere, embracing controversy, and learning from mistakes to build a genuine social media following.

Building a Robust Business Foundation

To scale his firm, Stygar built a dedicated intake department backed by sophisticated lead management software, being meticulous in hiring to preserve their service quality and firm culture. By offering valuable tips and cultivating personal connections, his social media strategy ensures that clients view his firm as the go-to choice, often without the need to shop around.

The Road Less Traveled by a District Attorney

Stygar’s career initially pointed towards becoming a trial lawyer and subsequently a district attorney. When a pandemic-induced delay hit his job prospect, he took a chance on an employment case, a decision that set the cornerstone for his entrepreneurial venture—the birth of his own law firm.

The Strategy Behind Social Media Success

Throughout the episode, Ryan sheds light on using various social media platforms to attract and engage potential clients effectively. He reveals how TikTok serves as the top of the marketing funnel, which is then supported by a strong presence on Instagram and YouTube. This strategic use of social media has been paramount in the firm’s growth and visibility.

Facing Financial Uncertainty with Grit and Innovation

As many entrepreneurs can attest, the first few months can be financially trying. With no significant savings or family support, Ryan resorted to contract work and took on an array of cases to make ends meet. His story serves as a beacon of hope for other startup law firms, highlighting the effectiveness of outsourcing, hiring for specific roles, and diversifying income streams.

A Glimpse into the Future

In wrapping up the episode, Darren Wurz encourages listeners to spread the word and participate in the discourse by leaving reviews and reaching out with topics of interest. For Stygar, his vision of the future includes mentoring, securing financial stability, and giving back to the community that has shaped his career.

Learn from the Attorney Who Masters the Art of Engagement

Listeners are invited to connect with Ryan Stygar on social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube under “Attorney Ryan.” He also hosts the “Working Class with Attorney Ryan Podcast” and has penned books available on Amazon. With a future release about workplace rights on the horizon, Ryan Stygar continues to impact both the legal field and entrepreneurial world.

Explore more inspiring stories and game-changing strategies by tuning into The Lawyer Millionaire Podcast at thelawyermillionaire.com

Resources:

Wurz Financial Services

Connect with Darren Wurz:

Connect with Ryan Stygar:

About our guest:

Ryan Stygar grew up in San Diego, California. He spent several years as a firefighter for San Diego County and Cal Fire.

While not fighting fires, Ryan was a desert-rescue specialist in the Ocotillo Wells State Park area. During his time as a firefighter, Ryan responded to everything from massive flames to complex rescues for trauma patients.

After four years of service, Ryan left the fire department to earn a law degree. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from California Western School of Law.

Since then, Ryan founded Centurion Trial Attorneys, a California-based employment litigation firm. Ryan has also devoted much of his time to writing.

His nonfiction focuses on helping lawyers and law students develop trial skills.

Today, Ryan is recognized as a leading voice in the field of Labor & Employment law. He has gained a massive following on TikTok as @AttorneyRyan aka “The Labor Lawyer.” Through his videos, Ryan empowers employees and small businesses by educating them about the law and worker’s rights.

Ryan is passionate about promoting education. That is why he started the Young Visionary Project, a nonprofit committed to empowering young people and building strong communities.

His young-readers’ series, the Snot Rocket Adventures, has inspired young scientists, leaders, and entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. Snot Rocket uses hilarity, outlandish villains, and wild action to teach readers about math, science, and history.

Ryan currently lives in San Diego where he is an active member of the legal, literary, and political community.

Transcript:

Darren Wurz [00:01:01]:
What would it be like to go viral on social media? Many lawyers and law firms are turning to social media instead of more traditional advertising avenues. Cracking the code to social media success is elusive for many, but not for our guests today. With over 267,000 followers, we’re about to hear the story of one of the most followed attorneys on Instagram and the powerful strategies that propelled his firm’s meteoric rise, unlocking new possibilities and expanding his reach far beyond his wildest dreams. Welcome to the Lawyer Millionaire podcast, where we bring you insights and inspiration to help law firm owners unlock their true financial potential. I’m your host, Darren Wurz, financial planner for law firm owners. Today, I have the distinguished privilege of speaking with an extraordinary guest who harnessed the power of social media to turn adversity into opportunity. Ryan Stygar is the founder of Centurion Trial Attorneys in San Diego, a firm that quickly gained recognition and a strong following on social media. Ryan’s journey is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and seizing opportunities even when they aren’t part of the original plan. Ryan, welcome to this show.

Ryan Stygar [00:02:26]:
Darren, thanks so much for having me. You’re too kind with that introduction. I appreciate you.

Darren Wurz [00:02:31]:
I do my best. And I have to admit, I am a bit starstruck. I’ve been following you on Instagram. I see a lot of the great stuff you do. I love your content and all the great things you’re doing. But before we dive into that, why don’t you tell us and our listeners a little bit about your firm and some of the things that you guys do?

Ryan Stygar [00:02:51]:
Yeah, absolutely. So for those who don’t know me, I’m attorney Ryan, and I’m probably best known on social media as the labor lawyers. And a lot of the content we put out is about your rights at work or maybe interesting cases. In employment law, we’ll cover some celebrity cases, almost like a legal news show. But we also offer practical tips. How do you talk to HR? How do you deal with high conflict situations at work? What can you do if your pay is messed up. Even things that may not have a legal avenue, like requesting a raise. We’ll give people tips on how to negotiate, improve their value, and I think that’s been part of the success of the channels. We’re not just on Instagram. We also do TikTok and YouTube, and I think people appreciate that. In addition to telling people about their rights, we’re also trying to give them tips on how to just have a better life and make more money at work. The response from the community has been fantastic.

Darren Wurz [00:03:44]:
Yeah. These are topics that everyone is thinking about dealing with. So relevant, so timely. It’s good stuff. But I want to go back in time for a minute and let’s go back to the very beginning. What was the plan? Did you want to be an attorney when you were a kid? What originally inspired?

Ryan Stygar [00:04:02]:
Absolutely not. Darren? No, it didn’t cross my mind as a kid, no. So my path was pretty unusual. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter. That’s all I ever wanted. I even remember one of the first birthdays I remember was a firefighter themed birthday that my mom threw for me. And one of the gifts I got was a little toy fire truck. And we still have that toy fire truck. It has seen better days. It is beat up, but we still have that truck. Anyway, that’s all I ever wanted, and that’s what I ended up doing. That was my first career. I was a firefighter in Southern California. I worked for Cal Fire. I was in the San Diego County Fire Authority. I was a volunteer, I was a reservist, I was a seasonal firefighter, and I was a full time firefighter. And I did that for a little over four years, and I really had no intention of being an attorney. I thought I was going to be a fire chief one day. That’s all I ever wanted. But around the fourth year, quite frankly, there was a voice in my head, and I realized I wasn’t happy anymore. And for the longest time, I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was unhappy being a firefighter because it was such a competitive career to get into. I had to work so hard to get there. And the idea that, wow, I might need to change course now, it was scary. So I ignored that voice for a while. But around the fourth year, I finally decided, this isn’t what I want to do for the next 2030 years. I want something else. And I had done some work with our union, the Cal Fire Union, and I didn’t know this at the time, but that work planted a seed. Basically, I was helping one of our chiefs draft some documents for our memorandum of understanding for the collective bargaining unit, and I didn’t realize it then, but at the time, it planted the seed. That a good lawyer who understands labor law can directly impact people’s quality of life. And it wasn’t until I went to law school that that seed kind of sprouted. And now we’re here. I’m an employment lawyer.

Darren Wurz [00:05:55]:
Yeah. Wow. That’s incredible. So that you got a taste of that and that sort of planted the idea for you, and now you own this law firm that’s growing substantially. And as we talked before and by the way, I just want to go back I am familiar with that story. I don’t know if I shared this with you before, but my background was in education and same kind of thing. I came to the realization that I wasn’t happy, and it was a difficult realization to come to, but life has a way of turning into different interesting avenues, and things happen for a reason. So that’s incredible to hear. But now, today, you own this great firm, centurion Trial Attorneys, and you started this during a pandemic. Did you always see yourself as a law firm owner? Tell us about the journey to starting your firm.

Ryan Stygar [00:06:51]:
I had no intention of starting a law firm, to be honest. So when I decided to be a lawyers, remember that seed? I didn’t realize that it had been planted. I thought I wanted to be a trial lawyer, and I thought the best way to do that was to be a district attorney. I wanted to be a criminal law attorney, a prosecutor. And that’s the path that I chased, and I chased it hard. And when law school was ending and the pandemic was still at its peak, I had this job offer to go work for the district attorneys, but they kept delaying the start date because of the pandemic. And it got to a point where it was like, I can’t just hold on to this job offer without real income. I got to do something here. And just by chance I’m not a strong believer in fate, but I almost think the universe did this to me on purpose. I had a client kind of fall in my lap. It was an employment case. It was someone I knew who trusted me. And I realized at that moment, I remember my heart rate elevated when I got the call. My hands got sweaty because I realized I had an opportunity. I could take this person and hand them off to someone else and they would be grateful, but that would be the end of it. Or I could run with it myself. And one client eventually became two, two became three. A couple of videos went viral and suddenly, we’re here. I got started in employment, and I stuck with it. I didn’t realize how much I was going to enjoy the practice area because it wasn’t really on my radar to start. And then I started doing it and I realized, wow, employment law is awesome because it’s situations people deal with every day. Most of us need to work for a living. And when things go wrong at work, it’s not just your pride and your feelings that are getting hurt. It’s your livelihood at stake. The stakes are quite high for employment law, and the clients we get, they’re hardworking, grateful people. It’s an honor to serve them. So it’s been fun. It’s been fun. Now, starting a law firm in a pandemic without a lot of experience and without much money don’t necessarily recommend it. It was rough, but here we are, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

Darren Wurz [00:08:56]:
Yeah, well, I just love that because it just is a great example of everything kind of working together for a reason, even when I’m sure at the time it didn’t really seem that way. Did you envision yourself being here?

Ryan Stygar [00:09:14]:
No. I’m going to be honest with you, and I hope that if there’s someone listening to this podcast, maybe it’s someone who’s thinking of starting a firm, or maybe they’re not trying to start a firm. They’re just trying to break into a new practice area or apply to a really prestigious firm. They’re not sure they’re qualified. I got to be honest, every step I took for the first year and a half of my firm, every step, it felt like I was making a mistake. Every step. I told my friend the other day, it felt like I was walking on a frozen lake. And every step, I wasn’t sure if the ice was going to give. And that’s just the name of the game, man. There’s plenty of people who will sell you a handbook, how to start your firm, but none of the handbooks really help. There’s no written map, there’s no guide. You just go out there, you do the best you can for your clients, you find a practice area you like, and you try your best.

Darren Wurz [00:10:03]:
Yeah. And one of the things my dad has said it’s coming to mind now, is that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. And you certainly had a combination of those two things.

Ryan Stygar [00:10:17]:
Preparation not going to discount luck. The role of luck is substantial. And I’m never going to be the kind of guy who sits here and says, oh, yeah, I’ve got it figured out, and I’m a genius and I’m talented, and that’s why this worked out. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I sincerely believe the reason things have worked out so well is because of the very high volume of shots that I take. I take a lot of shots, Darren, and I miss 95% of the time. I should keep a log one day to show people, anyone who looks at me and says, wow, Ryan’s got it figured out. I can’t believe how lucky he is. He just wins all the time. I need to show you my loss record. I deal with rejection constantly. Even with the relative notoriety I’ve gotten, I still get rejected constantly in terms of the social media game. If you’re just starting out, the worst thing you can do is try to be perfect and try to knock it out of the park right away. High volume is the game. If you’re like, I want to be the next attorney. Ryan, I’m telling you, don’t hire a marketing firm. Save your money. Don’t give anyone your money. Just point your phone at your face and make five videos a day. I know it sounds like a lot, but these are short videos. You can make five a day in two minutes or less. Tell people who you are. Tell them what you do. Tell them why it matters, and do that over and over and over again. And that high volume. You do 200, 300 videos very quickly, one of them is going to catch some attention, and then you can ride that momentum. So what’s the role of luck, really? It’s just been a high volume of attempts.

Darren Wurz [00:11:50]:
Yeah. That’s incredible. More attempts. Keep at it. Keep trying. Keep seeing, experimenting.

Ryan Stygar [00:11:59]:
Watch your data. Yeah. At first, you’re just trying to see what catches some traction, and that’s the purpose of the high volume. Just spray and pray, and you’re going to notice a couple of hits. Some things are going to blip. Pay attention to that. Pay attention to the videos that hit. And then try to recreate it a bit. And your first couple of attempts to recreate, you’re going to think that it was a fluke. But again, high volume. You’re going to notice what specifically about those videos your audience liked because they’ll tell you, absolutely.

Darren Wurz [00:12:27]:
That’s going to be a quote meme for this episode. Spray and pray.

Ryan Stygar [00:12:31]:
Yeah.

Darren Wurz [00:12:32]:
I love that. I love that. So how did this get started? Were you always on Instagram, or did you just say, one day, hey, I’m going to try this Instagram thing, TikTok or whatever?

Ryan Stygar [00:12:42]:
Okay. I’ve been on Instagram since 2012, I think. I never had more than maybe 300 followers, just people I knew from high school and college. I was just a regular guy. TikTok is where things blew up. So if you imagine a funnel for your law firm and you’re trying to get leads into your funnel, each social media this is a mistake so many lawyers make. Each social media platform serves a different purpose. You can’t treat them all the same, okay? TikTok is the very top of the funnel because of the way the TikTok algorithm works. It’s just showing you videos from random creators you may never have seen and you may not have been looking for. There’s not really a strong explore page on TikTok. They have one, but most people just use the for you page and swipe. TikTok is your opportunity to get in front of people who aren’t even looking for you, but who might need you. And if you show up in front of them enough times, they eventually might follow you. They might not follow you. The first video or two, but eventually they’re going to say, wow, wait a know, look at this Darren guy. He’s giving great advice. I like him. He’s concise, good content. I think I’ll give him a follow. TikTok gets you out in front of people. Instagram is the next step down in your funnel. These are people who are not only interested in the videos, but maybe they want to get to know your firm a little better. Instagram is a little more intimate than TikTok is. They get to know you a little better and then your diehards, your disciples, the people who will refer you even if they haven’t actually used you, the people who absolutely love your stuff, they’ll follow you on YouTube. So there’s this funnel effect and you’re building a community of people who see you as an expert and trust the advice you have to wow, that’s there’s.

Darren Wurz [00:14:24]:
The handbook right there. TikTok at the top. Instagram, YouTube. So you really figured this out. Was this just all kind of self learning? Were there books you read or was.

Ryan Stygar [00:14:36]:
Great, was this was spray and pray but mark your data. That’s what I tell people. I say just super high volume, very high volume. And we just paid attention to what was working and we’ve tracked our data over time. And so what we’ve done is, look, I don’t have a lot figured out. There’s so much I have to learn about running a law firm. And even as a practicing lawyer, it’s the practice of law. I have so much to learn. But one thing we’ve got figured out is the social media. We’ve got it pretty much down to a science. We know where people are coming from. We know where they go. In the social media game with us. We know where our leads come from. But there’s not really a shortcut. A lot of marketers are going to hate this. You can go pay a big fancy marketing agency $50,000 a month or whatever the hell they’re charging these days and they’ll tell you all the fancy things they’re going to do for you. But the honest truth is everyone’s journey is going to be a little bit different. And without just doing really high volume in the beginning, you’re not going to know what your listeners and followers are looking for. Wow.

Darren Wurz [00:15:37]:
And so with this high volume, obviously you’ve learned some lessons along the way. Can you give us some high level ideas about tips for what works, what doesn’t work? You’ve been at this a while. I’m sure there’s some broad brushstroke lessons you’ve learned.

Ryan Stygar [00:15:56]:
Being personable works, being authentic works. Here are some examples that are really successful. I’m doing pretty well on my social media lawyer page. Paige Sparks, good friend of mine, love her to death. She is doing better than me. She’s ultra personal. She gives advice like I do, but she also does these little videos every week where she just says oh, here’s me riding my horse. Here’s me having a drink after work. Here’s me going to a park with my friend. And she invites followers to be part of her world. So what’s happened is she’s so much more than an expert. She’s almost like the legal bestie to a lot of people. I think she’s a really good example of someone who’s nailing that. So at the high level, how do you beat your competition? Stop trying to be the professional lawyers. Stop with the arms crossed posed, and we fight for you and get results. And we’ve been in business 30 years. No one gives a shit. No one gives a shit. What they want to know is what you can do for them right now, and they want to trust you. But if you’re being really stuffy and put together in your videos, they’re not going to trust you. They want authenticity.

Darren Wurz [00:17:04]:
Wow. Yeah. I thought you were going to go there with being authentic. The unfortunate part is that’s not a simple formula to just check off the boxes. As you said, there’s no shortcuts. This really has to come from the heart.

Ryan Stygar [00:17:22]:
It’s got to be sincere. So if you’re a firm and you’ve got a couple of people, you might want to try someone who’s the least camera shy, because it’s funny. You’ll have the most charismatic, interesting, successful, competent attorney in the world. You put a camera on them, and it’s like their brain fell out of their head. They can’t talk anymore. That’s fine. That doesn’t have to be your superpower. Okay. But you got to find someone to be the face of your firm, someone who in front of the camera. They can speak freely. They don’t get too hung up on trying to be perfect, and they’re willing to make some mistakes. And you got to be willing to embarrass yourself a little bit. You got to be willing to be a little silly, and you got to be willing to be a little controversial. Take a walk down my comments sometimes. Not everyone likes me. In fact, a great number of people very aggressively hate me. But that’s okay, because if you want followers, you’re going to have to get some haters too. That’s the price of this. There is no way to generate a lot of momentum on social media without getting haters, and you got to be comfortable with that.

Darren Wurz [00:18:31]:
That’s the price of admission. Yeah, it is. Well, let’s talk a little bit about the growth of a law firm and some of the things you’ve learned along the way. You had the interesting experience of having to scale quickly. As you shared with me, business started pouring in, and scaling a law firm can be challenging. Can you tell us a little bit about the steps you took to successfully scale your law firm and to handle the increased workload?

Ryan Stygar [00:19:02]:
Yeah, well, I will put the disclaimer that I would not consider this a fate accompli by any means. We are still every day figuring out how to scale, how to improve our systems and how to grow this thing. A year and a half ago, maybe a year and eight months ago, it was still just me and an assistant, and now we’ve got a headcount of eight. So we’re growing slowly but steadily. I’m very selective in who I hire. I could probably grow faster if I wanted to, but protecting our culture and protecting the high standards we have for the service our clients get is paramount. So I’m actually intentionally slowing our growth. But to go back to the beginning and to answer your original question, the social media just exploded, and we were getting 80 to 100 leads a day, and we still get about that number. It’s been just chaos trying to control that influx of people. So one of the first things we did is we started building an intake department. We have three people in that department now. We have an intake manager and two intake specialists below her that handle the workload. And I’m not paid. This isn’t sponsored, but I use lead docket. And lead docket was a game changer for us because instead of manually handling each and every questionnaire, each and every call, we can, with a few clicks of a button, get control of all these leads. And we can monitor our referral network, and we can pick the choice leads to send to our team for further work. So investing heavily in the intake department was one of the smartest things we did. I made some mistakes. I hired some third party call centers for 24 hours phone service. We might do that again in the future, but we’ll do it in house. I would rather only be available during business hours than risk a bad customer service experience. And that was an expensive lesson I learned early on. And look, some people are going to hear this and this is blasphemy. No, you got to be available 24/7. They’ll just call someone else. Okay, well, I get 100 leads a day. They can go ahead and call someone else. That’s fine. I would rather lose the opportunity than risk a bad first impression. It’s that important to me.

Darren Wurz [00:21:09]:
Well, and you’re kind of in a unique position where I think if clients or prospective clients are calling you, they really want to get a hold of you specifically.

Ryan Stygar [00:21:19]:
Yeah, that’s something that the social media game will do. And this is why I tell lawyers, stop with the traditional marketing. Stop telling everyone how much money you recovered and how you’ve got the super lawyer award that you paid for and how you’re the best. Give them tips. Give them advice. Be their friend. Invite them into your firm. Introduce them to the office, show them your dog. Because what’s going to happen is over time, they’re going to see you in their minds as their first choice anyway. And then you don’t even have to fight with your competitors. I fear no billboard. Many of the people who follow me have followed me for months, if not years, and they never thought they’d need me. I was just their friendly lawyer giving them some free advice. And then when they needed me, they didn’t even think of anyone else. We don’t have to really compete with anyone. The people who come to us have already made up their minds that they want us.

Darren Wurz [00:22:08]:
Yeah, what an interesting place to be in. And that’s a great marketing strategy, not just to get your name out there, but to really develop that connection with your audience. By the way, I think that’s another slogan to put on a T shirt. I fear no billboard.

Ryan Stygar [00:22:27]:
I love that we’re getting a few of them today.

Darren Wurz [00:22:30]:
We really are. Yeah, absolutely. Well, on this show, we talk a lot about finances and the money side of things. I am curious, were there any really specific financial challenges to starting and scaling a practice, and how did you manage that? What’s your advice on managing the business side of a law firm? Or what lessons have you learned there?

Ryan Stygar [00:22:52]:
Yeah, it was very tough in the beginning because I came out of law school with nothing. Nothing. No family, no real savings, nothing. So I started off just kind of scraping by. And what I was doing at first is I was doing some contract work for some other firms to get me some money. I took on a defense case to give me some billables, and then I had a couple of contingency cases that I was sort of waiting to have pay out. And it was really rough. That first eight, nine months especially, was probably the hardest I’ve ever worked for the least amount of money. It was crazy. I had to keep things very lean. I had to really watch my expenses and just keep things tight. And then once we got our first influx of cash, the hourly billable, contract stuff, that just sort of kept the lights on and kept me limping along. And then when the contingency stuff paid off, then we had to say, okay, we just got a big basket of cash. What do we do with this? And the first idea was, well, free Ryan up to do more legal work. So the first thing that we outsourced was that intake stuff. That was the first thing that got outsourced. After that, the next step was a paralegal. Just help me with some of the routine things that don’t require a lot of creativity, but someone with some training does need to pay attention to. So what we did is we looked at what are the things I’m putting the most time into that don’t necessarily yield money right away? And that’s where we made the calculation that it’s worth hiring someone to take care of those things, other things in the firm case management. We kept things cheap. We use practice. Panther is it the best system? I’ll be first to say it’s not, but it was pretty low cost and it gets the job done. And also leaning on mentors, too, because the funny thing about the employment law game is you will have these big contingency cash infusions that come to you and you’re not sure what to do with them. Talk to attorneys who’ve done it before and ask them what you need to do next. I have a network of at least two who I talk to regularly who are very successful, and I’ll say, hey, yeah, I’ve got an extra 50K here. I don’t really have a line item or a budget for it. Here’s my systems. Now, how can I help us make more money with this money? That’s typically what we do.

Darren Wurz [00:25:14]:
Yeah, that’s a challenge. I hear from a lot of law firm owners managing those fluctuations in income, you have things that come in suddenly and then you have some dry months. And managing that cash flow cycle is definitely a tricky aspect for a lot of folks.

Ryan Stygar [00:25:31]:
Surviving the dry months is hard. So one thing I recommend a lot of law firms do, especially if you’re really heavy plaintiff side like I am, and you do a lot of contingency work. One benefit to really asserting yourself as an industry expert and growing on social media is we actually do make income from our marketing. Our marketing is not an expenditure, it’s actually a profit center for us. So we do make money every month from our social media activity and from the content we put out. Also, we have people who will come to us not because they have a case, but because they want some career advice or they’ve got a weird situation at work, they’re not sure how to handle it. And we can charge a fee for that. We can say, yeah, it’s a couple of this is what we’re going to talk about with you. And that actually becomes a good revenue center, too. You’re not really knocking out of the park with that, but you have some staff that pay for themselves with those appointments.

Darren Wurz [00:26:25]:
Yeah, that’s a great innovation, thinking about what your audience is looking for and coming up with a product that’s going to speak to their needs. Well, ryan yeah. Go.

Ryan Stygar [00:26:36]:
Well, you know, one thing I encourage law firms to look at is we all have our core business that works very well being a plaintiff side employment or personal injury attorney. Yes. There are fluctuations in your revenue. You should I call it a hard deck. I have a hard deck at the firm, and we don’t go under that hard deck. I make sure we keep that cash in the firm. Okay. But you need to look at other ways to not only get yourself out there, but profit from it. You need to establish yourself in i. Call them collateral fields. And what we’ve done. We’re an employment firm, but we don’t just get on the Internet and scream about wrongful termination all day. We talk about other issues affecting people at work. That way we’re not just stuck in this narrow channel where the only way we can make money is by bringing on a client and settling their case. There’s other ways we can make money.

Darren Wurz [00:27:27]:
Great stuff. Yeah. And great thoughts, great advice for other law firm owners who are dealing with similar challenges and issues. Unfortunately, we’re near the end of our time, but it’s been great talking with you. Ryan, I have one last question for you. I know this is a long way off, but I’m curious. What does the dream retirement look like for you?

Ryan Stygar [00:27:49]:
Dream retirement? For me? Honestly, it’s funny, and I wonder if other law firms have this issue. I’m so buried in the work in building this machine that I don’t really think about that too much. But if I have to sit here today and tell you what I want my retirement to look like, I would like to continue being a mentor to my staff. I would like to continue being a safe space for young attorneys to come to and get advice. And I would hope that by the time I’m retired, I’ve tried enough things and made enough mistakes that I can be a good source of information. I think of some of the older attorneys who’ve guided me along the way and how grateful I am for them. And I think the best thing we can hope for in retirement is that we’re financially secure and we have plenty of time for family and we have some time to give back to the legal community and kind of follow in those footsteps. Because I’ll tell you what, being a mentor is one of the most rewarding things you can see. I have an associate who in many ways has surpassed me in skill, and I was one of her first jobs she’s had. And it’s really cool to see the way she’s developing. I think as I sit here today, that’s what retirement might look like.

Darren Wurz [00:29:04]:
Great stuff. Good stuff. Well, Ryan, lastly, will you please share with our audience how they can find you if they’re not already following you and learn more about you? And also, you’ve got some books and a podcast. Tell us briefly about those.

Ryan Stygar [00:29:18]:
Yeah, I’ll run you through it. So I’m at Attorney Ryan on Instagram. I am at Attorney Ryan on Threads and TikTok. I am at Ryan Steiger Ryanstygar on YouTube. I am the host of the Working Class with Attorney Ryan Podcast. That’s available anywhere. You listen to podcasts, just type Working Class with Attorney Ryan, you’ll find it. And then, yeah, I have books available on Amazon. Understanding Trial Objections is our bestseller that’ll help you not just for objections at trial or even in a deposition we found, but it helps you just with your understanding of evidence. Very helpful book. We’ve got some fiction in there. The Dividend Hunter is a good finance book, and then I can’t talk too much about it. But I am working with a large publisher for a book about your rights at work that should come out in a year and a half, I hope.

Darren Wurz [00:30:11]:
Good stuff. Well, we’ll get all of that in the show notes and thanks again for joining us today. And that’s a wrap for this episode of The Lawyers Millionaire podcast. I hope you found Ryan’s journey as inspiring as I did. His experience serves as a reminder that with the right mindset, strategies, and execution, even the most challenging circumstances can be transformed into opportunities for growth and success. As always, thanks for tuning in and supporting our podcast. If you found this episode valuable, don’t forget to share it with your friends and colleagues or anyone who could benefit from Ryan’s insights. And while you’re at it, why not leave us a five star review? To learn more about the Lawyers Millionaire, please visit thelawyermillionaire.com if you have questions or topics you’d like us to cover, please don’t hesitate to reach out through our website or social media. We’re here to serve you and help you unlock your true financial potential as a law firm owner. I’m your host, Darren Wurz, and I’ll see you next time.