We were lucky to catch up with Eddy Franca recently and have shared our conversation below.
Eddy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
I started planning opening my own office with nothing other than an idea of what I wanted for my future. My plan was to plan as much as I could for the transition, but understand that some variables were just beyond my control.
Through sports I was always part of a team growing up and am a strong believer that no matter what your individual aspirations and capabilities are, there is nothing you can’t do BETTER with a strong team.
Thankfully, I had one incredibly loyal friend (Alex Gonzalez) and partner in my corner to start on this roller coaster. That friend started out as someone that was going to help me with the transition and work in an Of Counsel capacity. He not only gave me confidence that I had the support I needed to make the jump, but made the transition that much easier. Alex is now my business partner, and a name partner at the firm.
In a very short time we have grown from a one man show, to a team of 7 and still growing. Through each hire I have kept the same principles I learned through sports at the core of who we bring on to the team – skills can be taught, but a personality that fits your culture and goals is harder to find. Our hiring process is focused on finding motivated individuals that share the same values we have as an office. Our interview process is what most people would consider to be rather “informal” – especially for a law firm. We keep our interviews very conversational and approachable, and then we try to keep that same vibe throughout their employment.
The reality is that the people you work with, especially in a small office setting, become a second family of sorts. Surround yourself with driven people that you want to be around on a daily basis. This second family is going to make or break your success. In small offices, the greatest ABILITY is accountABILITY. We need every member to feel like the office is just as much theirs as it is ours.
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?
After finishing my football career at Trinity College I came home to Miami, FL and started law school at Florida International University. While in law school I coached football at my local high school – Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. For three years of law school and the first five years of my legal career I continued to balance the practice of law and my passion for coaching. After year 8 I realized I wanted to focus on growing my career and establishing a presence in the community to be able to help them professionally should they ever need legal counsel.
FLO is a boutique law firm with a distinguished reputation in property insurance and personal injury law. We are committed to providing exceptional legal representation while cultivating a professional and collaborative atmosphere that emphasizes integrity, client service, and growth. Fairness, Loyalty, and Outcomes are at the core of what we do.
Individually, I work with members of my community to help with a wide array of legal matters and ensure that if I can’t help, I introduce them to someone I trust to do the quality of work I would expect from myself.
As FLO grows, I am incredibly proud of the family oriented feeling our office has at its core. Our clients always have a direct line of communication with me and my team. We cannot wait to continue to grow and expand our footprint in the community.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My partner, Alex Gonzalez, and I have known each other for about ten years. For the first seven years I had no idea he was a lawyer. Alex and I share a passion for flag football – we are grown men still playing a children’s game… weekend warriors, if you will! In all seriousness, we traveled the world for flag football tournaments, competing at a very high level, but never really discussed our profession.
One day Alex’s wife, who I did know was a lawyer, asked me if my office at the time was hiring. After incorrectly assuming she was asking for herself, she explained that her husband (Alex) was looking for a change of scenery. Alex had been practicing family law and was looking to switch gears. Needless to say, the next morning Alex had an interview set up with my boss at the time.
Over the next three years Alex and I grew our friendship from one based on the football field to one in the office as well. We always discussed opening an office together some day in the future, we just had no idea it would happen so soon. Finding someone you can truly trust in a business setting is so hard, but Alex and I are incredibly lucky to have each other and our business is so much better for it.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
If you aren’t slightly terrified about starting your own business, you should probably consider that a red flag. I certainly don’t know everything there is to know about starting a business – far from it. However, what I do know is that it requires, at least on some level, a bet on yourself. I think the planning stage is where small businesses go to die.
I knew I needed to save up capital to get the business off the ground, and likely needed some sort of a loan when it came time for growth. The more I “crunched the numbers”, the more I started to give myself anxiety about whether it was financially feasible. One day I just decided it was time to rip the bandaid and not let the fear of the unknown stop me from accomplishing my goals. This meant I needed to make sure my wife was on board to take this leap with me. Thankfully she had as much faith in me as I did and gave me the greenlight to take the leap of faith.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WWW.FLO.LAW
- Instagram: @FLOLAWOFFICES
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/francagonzalezlawoffices/