All Episodes

May 22, 2025 20 mins

Send us a text

What happens when a promising family law practice hits a plateau after nine months of steady growth? In this interview, Tom Hartin opens up about the sobering reality of building a practice on Long Island—where April brought just 5 leads, 2 consults, and 1 hire despite $6,800 in monthly expenses.

We dive deep into his current challenges:

  • How his strategic Massapequa location reached #1 in map rankings within two months, but growth has stagnated
  • The difficult reality of expanding to competitive Melville while burning through savings as sole income earner
  • Why call volume actually decreased during peak divorce season (February-April) despite working with marketing professionals
  • The pressure of supporting a family of four in an expensive market while waiting for his second location to gain traction
  • His upcoming trials and the constant juggle between building the practice and serving existing clients

Listen in for an unfiltered look at the emotional and financial pressures of year one—where Tom questions his timeline expectations while remaining committed to the long-term vision. His real struggle provides crucial perspective for any attorney considering solo practice or wondering what the real growth curve looks like beyond the success stories.


----------------------

Ready to find the accountability partner you need to build your dream family law firm the same way we grew Sterling Lawyers?

Follow these steps:

1. SUBSCRIBE TO JEFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://jsterlinghughes.com/

2. BOOK A FREE 30-MINUTE AUDIT WITH US: https://rocketclicks.com/schedule-a-family-law-quick-audit/

3. CONNECT WITH US:

LinkedIn: Jeff Hughes, Tyler Dolph, & Anthony Karls,

Facebook: Jeff Hughes, Tyler Dolph, & Anthony Karls,

Instagram: Jeff Hughes, Tyler Dolph, & Anthony Karls

4. TELL US WHAT YOU WANT:
Tell us in the comments if you liked this episode and what other kinds of episodes you would like to see.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.