We recently connected with Allison Kierman and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump into the story of starting your own firm – what should we know?

I decided to start my own firm after practicing for 10 years. It was actually my husband who had the idea. I was a bit nervous but we put together a plan of action – create the business, get headshots, get office space, create business cards, create a website, and ask everyone who knew anything about their own firm for advice. I feel very fortunate actually that so many colleagues, neighbors, and friends shared their advice and insights with me. I also hired a business coach who told me that I should plan to dedicate every minute of every day for 2-3 years to the business, and after that, it would all come together. He was right and I haven’t looked back a day since I opened the firm.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in a small town in Texas and spent alot of time with my grandparents. I’ve seen almost every old Western movie that runs on AMC. The theme in many is “sell the farm to pay the taxes.” So I grew up with this broad understanding of ensuring that any family business and inheritance survives beyond taxes and the decisions (poor or otherwise) of the next generation. This personal experience led me to focus on estate planning as a profession. Now I try to help others structure their business and estates to maximize value, minimize taxes, and create a legacy.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

There are many attorneys in town, and many estate planning attorneys in particular. I often say my biggest differentiator is that I’m nice. It sounds trite. What I mean by that is that I genuinely care about my clients, their families, their businesses, and their goals. I listen to what they have to say and create a plan tailor made for them. This has led clients to refer their friends and family and create a good base of clients for my practice to be successful.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The good thing about estate planning practices is that the startup costs are very small. I had a basic office setup and insurance. I started doing all my own administrative tasks and waited 6 months to hire my first assistant. This allowed me to grow slowly, not be overwhelmed by costs, and ensure I was dedicated and that the financials worked before I began investing more money into growing the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kiermanlaw.com
• Instagram: @allisonkierman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kiermanlaw
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkierman/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnmUbDs9ClLnnsDnPJvyS5Q
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kierman-law-scottsdale