Lawfully Unconventional A founder spills the secrets behind building a £15 million law firm from scratch
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From a junior lawyer to CEO, Toby Harper, founder and CEO at Harper James, a modern law firm offering flexible, business-focused legal services to startups, scale-ups, and SMEs, shares the unexpected lessons he learned while breaking the mold of traditional law firms.
What inspired you to start your business?
At the time, I was a very junior lawyer, but even then, I could see numerous flaws in how traditional law firms operated. These flaws impacted not just how they supported their clients but also how they treated their people and even how the firms themselves functioned. I realised I had two options: spend another decade climbing the slippery ladder to a partner role, where I might have some influence but likely not enough to enact meaningful change or take the leap and start a firm from scratch – even with the risks and challenges that came with being so junior in my career.
What drove me was a firm belief that things could be done differently and better. I wanted to create a law firm that worked more effectively for its clients, its people, and the business as a whole. While I had no guarantee of success, common sense and business acumen told me that if I could offer something genuinely different, it was worth trying. So, I took the leap, motivated by the opportunity to challenge the legacy operating models of traditional law firms and to prove there was a better way.
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How did you secure your initial funding?
The business model I designed meant that the initial funding requirements were relatively modest, but I still needed several thousand pounds to cover essentials like professional indemnity insurance, legal resources, IT equipment, and software –money I simply didn't have at the time.
I was out of work voluntarily, having left employment to start the business, and learned about a government scheme offering limited financial support for those on Jobseeker's Allowance to help them start a business. The funding amounted to around £1,500 over three months. When I visited the Jobcentre, they agreed to sign me up for Jobseeker's Allowance, even understanding that my goal wasn't to find a job but to launch my business. That enabled me to access the scheme. In addition, I applied for a £5,000 loan through the Start Up Loans Company and secured financing for the first year of my professional indemnity insurance through a third party. Together, these resources were enough to get the business off the ground.
The experience taught me the value of exploring all available options to bootstrap a business. While some ventures require significant upfront capital, a professional services business like mine has relatively low capital requirements. Even after launching, when I was approached with investment offers, I chose to maintain full ownership and control. Growing the business through bootstrapping gave me the freedom to run it exactly as I envisioned, and I found that sense of independence vital to its early success.
What was your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, I'd say my biggest challenge was my lack of experience and the naivety that came with it. Every obstacle I faced was new to me, though they were challenges others had likely encountered many times before. At the time, I was so driven that I rarely stopped to reflect, research, or seek guidance from a network of experienced individuals. Instead, I focused on taking action – learning through trial and error, making mistakes, and improving as I went. While this approach may have held the business back in some ways, it also had its benefits.
Without that initial naivety and a lack of awareness of what lay ahead, I might never have had the confidence to start the business in the first place. That ignorance of the challenges likely gave me the courage to take the leap. Over time, I hope I have grown into a far more effective Founder and CEO. I do feel like I have learned to adapt my approach to suit the changing needs of the business –moving from running a startup to leading a £15 million revenue company requires a completely different mindset and skill set. I believe that's an ongoing challenge: evolving with the business and knowing when and how to change my leadership style and my role.
Ultimately, I overcame those early challenges by staying focused and simply getting on with it. While I am sure I would have benefited from more reflection and outside input back then, I don't think I would have achieved what I have without the determination to push forward and figure things out along the way."
How do you handle failure or setbacks?
Throughout the journey of building my business over the past 10 years, I've never defined any experience as a failure or setback. Instead, I've always viewed both positive and negative experiences as opportunities to learn and grow. Each challenge has provided valuable lessons and, in many ways, additional motivation to keep driving the business forward. This mindset has allowed me to stay focused and resilient, seeing every obstacle as a stepping stone rather than a roadblock.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
I could spend hours, if not days, sharing insights and experiences with someone looking to start their own business. There's so much I've learned over the years, and I'd happily pass that on. However, the truth is that everyone's journey is unique, and the challenges they face will be highly personal and varied.
However, if I had to offer one piece of advice, it would simply be: just do it. Whatever your perception of success or failure might be, and whatever happens along the way, you will learn so much about yourself and the world around you. Starting my business has been the most fulfilling professional experience of my life, and I'm not sure I could have done anything more rewarding over the past decade."
How do you stay motivated during tough times?
Looking back at times when the company's growth hasn't met my expectations, I've stayed motivated by recalibrating those expectations. Nothing ever goes entirely to plan, and it's important to set appropriate, conservative goals that are flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. This approach not only helps manage business expectations but also ensures your personal life remains stable. Building in leeway means that missing a revenue target doesn't jeopardise your ability to pay the mortgage or meet personal obligations. Giving yourself that flexibility to reassess and recalibrate as needed is key to staying motivated and resilient.
Share your tips for achieving success….
There's no secret playbook for guaranteed success in business, and because of that, I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all set of tips. Success is deeply personal and specific to the individual, the team, the industry, and the circumstances.
That said, one consistent factor I've noticed is the importance of staying humble. Humility keeps you grounded and focused on the essentials. My advice would be to stay humble, live conservatively while, most importantly, conserving cash, and make sure the business always takes priority. Live modestly and within your means, ensuring your personal life serves the business, not the other way around. At some point, the business will grow to a size and scale where you can ease up on this dynamic, but until then, the business must come first. In my experience, that disciplined approach can make all the difference in achieving long-term success.
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