I opened a law firm a few years ago. I’m an Atlanta DUI lawyer, was working for some guys, but got tired of getting all of the business and not getting to keep all of the money. Before I decided to leave, though, I told some of my friends, family, and colleagues about it. As you might expect, some people were less than thrilled with my plan. Some people expressed valid concerns – others were just grumpy about it. It’s this second group that I want to talk about today. I call them the haters. Learning how to deal with them will make opening your DUI law firm a lot more enjoyable.

1. Understand Who is Hating and Who is Concerned

I can tell you after having started my own DUI defense law firm and worked hard to become recognized as one of the better Atlanta DUI lawyers in the area, that there are people that will have legitimate concerns about you opening your law firm. It’s easy to tell who these people are, though, because they will ask questions. They will want to know what you are doing and make sure you’ve thought about exactly what you are doing. These are the people that want you to succeed and just want to make sure you aren’t being stupid.

The second group of people, though, have no questions. They hear that you are doing something and immediately have something negative to say. Common sayings include:

“you don’t have enough experience to do that”;

“the economy sucks, you’re never going to make any money”;

“why would you want to do that?”; and

“there is no way you are going to make any money.”

2. How to Handle the Haters

Whenever I start hearing people talk out of their butts, I do a couple of things. The first thing I do is take an inner moment and compose myself. I know I’m a good Atlanta DUI lawyer, I know I’ve got a good marketing plan put together, and I know I’m going to be successful. Second, I take a moment to remember what the person that is talking to me knows about starting a law firm – usually it isn’t that much. Third, I smile and nod while retaining absolutely nothing that they say. Fourth, and finally, I file away the conversation and use it for motivation whenever I’ve got to do something I really don’t want to do.

At the end of the day, you know you are ready to be successful at what you are doing. You know you’ve put in the time to prepare. You know that you can do it. And when you see those haters out there, and you will, deal with them accordingly.