5 minute read
MEN WHO INSPIRE Blake Webber
BLAKE WEBBER
“I wanted to be an advocate.” That was Blake’s response on our first date when I asked him why he chose law as a profession. Some years later, as part of a professional development project, I had him take a personality test that revealed his true nature was a “helper”. Without a doubt, that trait has driven the attraction and retention of his dedicated team and the incredible growth of Webber Law.
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When we were first married, Blake was an associate attorney at a firm well known for its m a l p r a c t i c e defense work. Not particularly drawn to litigation, Blake was given lots of “everything else” in the business - c o r p o r a t e formation and counsel, real estate, traffic violations, and other transactional matters - so that the partners could focus on their core areas of expertise. The firm allowed attorneys to carry a book of business outside the firm as long as fees didn’t exceed a certain amount. Blake would work at the firm all day, while in the evenings, he would take diligent care of the clients in his growing side
BY KAREN WEBBER
book. Without a formal development program within the firm, Blake felt lost; he wasn’t getting the exposure to the work that would put him on a partnership track. He began to look around for jobs at other firms, and I began to encourage him to consider starting his own practice: if
you can’t find a firm culture that fits your passion for helping your clients, start that firm yourself. Our fathers and grandfathers had been business owners, so it was in our blood. “So what if you fail?”, I remember telling him, “Just go back to a firm. With even a small book of business, you’d be picked up in a heartbeat.” With that, in February 2013, Blake started Webber Law. We were living in our first home at the time, a twobedroom townhouse in Corn Hill. The second bedroom was his office, and our dining room table was his conference room. For the most part, clients didn’t come to him; he marketed himself as a concierge law practice and made house calls instead. That approach was hugely popular. He worked all hours (still does), and by the end of 2013, he had reported twice as much income as when he was employed. Clearly, solo practice suited him.
When Blake made the leap, I was a Senior Accountant at a regional public accounting firm. We were both certain that my career trajectory likely involved making partner, and by the end of 2014, I was a licensed CPA and held the title of Supervisor. Despite how content I was, I had just witnessed Blake pass that critical two-year point in his practice and was beginning to feel the urge to try my own luck. If Blake could start a business, why couldn’t I?
Accountants and attorneys are generally conservative by nature, so the thought of placing both of our destinies into our own hands was extremely intimidating. I remember vividly the evening I was preparing to tell him. It was a Friday night in the Spring of 2015, and I was cooking dinner in our little kitchen in Corn Hill. Blake came down from his office and I just blurted out, “I want to start my own practice.” I expected a long discussion, likely a stress-fueled and emotional one, but Blake simply replied, “Then do it. You helped me start mine, it’s time for me to help you start yours.” The following Monday, I put in my two weeks’ notice.
To say the rest is history would imply that the last seven years have been easy; they most certainly have not. We’ve over-hired and fired, we’ve endured cash flow problems, we’ve made record money one year and half that the next. But the rewards are sweet, especially for two business owners who happen to be married to each other. We frequently acknowledge that our marriage is strengthened not despite all those experiences, but because of them. When a problem arises in my business, Blake has already been through it and offers advice. If Blake has to cancel plans to work late, I don’t get angry because I’ve had to
do it as well. Last year, we signed a lease for office space and brought our staffs under one roof. Our offices are right next door to each other, and we count ourselves blessed to be able to wake up, work, and fall asleep next to each other every day.
It is said, once you build a business, you want to start another one. In our case, it’s very true. In addition to Webber Law and Webber CPA, we’ve started two other businesses along the way: Swyft Abstract, an abstract and title company t o s u p p o r t Webber Law, and Webber Systems, a proprietary s o f t w a r e i n development to support Webber CPA. We’re always tossing business ideas around, and every now and then – after the depth of vetting only an attorney and an accountant could do - they stick.
Each year on our anniversary, Blake asks me where I think we’ll be the following year. You’d think after 11 years together, life would have become more predictable by now, but that is not the case for us. I believe as long as we’re still together, pursuing some new adventure over a delicious meal, it will have been a success.
