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December 29, 2004
Ubiquitous End Of The Year Post
The blogging experience has been tremendous. I started blogging this summer as a way of keeping notes on topics that I liked, thinking that I would begin a quarterly or monthly email newsletter to my clients and potential clients. (I have not yet started the newsletter.) It somewhat morphed into a place for periodic rants and discussions on other topics for which I have a passion.
Two things happened that I did not anticipate. The first is that the process is very cathartic. Writing is a great way to force ideas from the abstract to the concrete. Admittedly, most of my posts are stream of consciousness without a whole lot of editing. However, I still got the opportunity to put into words many of the wispy concepts that have been floating around in my brain.
The second and more important thing that happened is that I stumbled into a community like no other. I have been able to meet interesting people, who are incredibly intelligent, have something to say, and have been extraordinarily helpful when asked.
Life as a solo practitioner is, to some extent, lonely and foreboding. I often joke with people that all I need to set up my business is a laptop and a cell phone, and to a large extent that is true. That comes with a price. Having worked in the corporate world from huge corporations to small businesses to a small law firm, I sometimes miss the day to day interactions with other people. The biggest problem with solo practice is that there is no other experienced person down the aisle or by the coffeepot to bounce ideas around.
But this is cured in the blogspace. Everyday, there are several interesting ideas to think about. This can be a Dennis Crouch review of yet another Federal Circuit case, a Nipper snippet of something going on in the IP world, Matt Buchanan’s posts on changes in the PTO, PHOSITA’s summaries of anything important or interesting in the world of IP, and Ernie’s musings.
I have to say that my favorite blog of all is the[non]billable hour by Matt Homann. The topics are beyond interesting, they are extremely useful. I left my previous law firm with a deep desire to do things differently and much better than I had seen them done before. From Matt’s blog, I have picked up many little tips and tricks that I have incorporated into my business. Most importantly, I get some validation that I have been thinking the right way all along.
Having said all that, what is on the agenda for next year?
The first priority for next year is organization, not by getting a better filing system, but organizing ideas that have been floating around in my head. I have been mulling several ideas around for services needed by growing companies and the best way to deliver them. I am thinking about a holistic view of intellectual property protection and how to deliver those services to clients.
The first problem is defining the services in a useful manner. I am a big believer in not reinventing the wheel, so I try to make every process that I do very simple, efficient, and easily repeatable. This frees me from having to figure it out every time, but also makes the task somewhat mindless and easily transferable to someone else if possible. Part of what I plan for this blog is to help flesh out those processes in writing.
The other way the services should be defined is from the client perspective. They need to understand the purpose, know how to use the information that comes from the service, and see the value in that information.
The second problem I want to tackle is the service delivery arm. I had a client who suggested a completely new (to me) and innovative business model for IP protection. Since then, I have written a first draft of a business plan and have been mulling over some of the difficult issues, not the least of which are the ABA’s stranglehold on the traditional practice of law.
I am particularly excited about these ideas, but have not had an opportunity to flesh them out in words and get some public comment.
After taking some time off of the blog over the last couple weeks, I am feeling very refreshed and ready to kick a few ideas around again.
Posted by krajec at December 29, 2004 08:11 AM
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