Going From “Start Up” to “Best Of”

I have some great news to announce that makes me very proud: Cogent Legal was voted “the best presentation provider” in Northern California for 2013 in The Recorder’s annual poll of law firms and legal services. It’s truly an honor to receive recognition like this when it feels like we’re just getting out of start-up mode. The award made me think about how Cogent has grown since its start in January 2011, which is a bit like watching a child grow into an interesting and independent person. (I used to think the idea that a corporation is a person under the eyes of the law was sort of silly, but when you see your own corporation grow, it’s not so silly.)

It only seems like a few months ago, not two-and-a-half years, that I was moving into our office space after spending several months at home developing my idea for a litigation graphics firm. Those first months were pretty lonely and anxiety-producing; I had left my previous law firm partnership, and all the people I cared about there, to try something completely different and potentially a lot less lucrative. What in the world was I thinking? But as more people came on board to work at the firm and Cogent’s client list grew, the new business took on a life of its own and finally started to seem more smart than crazy.

Starting a business in any field is not easy, and you definitely start with a feeling of “playing business” for quite a while as you’re extremely busy planning and taking the first steps of your business, but not spending much time on real paying work. (more…)