5 minute read
Legalpreneur: Revolutionizing the Legal Industry
By Stacey Walters
“Make hay while the sun shines” is an old saying that suggests to make the most of every opportunity. The sun clearly shines brightly on small business attorney and serial entrepreneur Andrea Sager, J.D.,’14 as she takes advantage of every opportunity that comes her way.
Sager is building an empire and revolutionizing the legal industry as the founder and CEO of Legalpreneur, Inc. The company is filling the gap between small businesses and affordable legal services, supplying business owners with full accessibility to an attorney while providing a way to protect and grow their businesses with a solid legal foundation.
Like many first-year students at UPIKE, she began her journey after receiving an athletic scholarship. Sager joined the women’s bowling team, where she met her best friend Kayla Bandy ’08. Bandy and Sager’s friendship continued well beyond their time in Pikeville. Little did they know that they would work together years later and contribute their professional success to the foundation built during Sager’s undergraduate years at UPIKE.
Without initially choosing a major, Sager opted to explore the university’s various programs, making the best of being away from her hometown of Pasadena, Texas. Sager quickly grasped the positive effects and importance of studying in a small community like Pikeville and found her place at the Coleman College of Business. “Being at a small institution in the heart of Appalachia was a big adjustment for me, but I was determined not to give up,” said Sager. “My time at UPIKE not only benefited me academically but allowed me to grow as an individual as well.”
Becoming a top-ranked graduate and commissioned as an active duty officer, Sager was a member of the UPIKE ROTC program, which helped lay the groundwork for her passion for practicing law. With persistence and dedication, she earned her Juris Doctor from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law in Northern Kentucky.
After spending seven months practicing law at one of the largest firms in Cincinnati, she discovered in 2017 that “Big Law” was not the place for her. Initially, her colleagues told her small businesses were not “quality clients.” As a former business owner of a clothing boutique herself, she knew that was not true. Being fired from that firm was the defining moment for Sager.
“I like to say that I manifested getting fired because I wanted to start my own firm but couldn’t exactly push myself to do it, and it turned out to be the biggest blessing of all,” said Sager.
Sager received the support and encouragement she needed to ignite her entrepreneurial fire. She started her own firm, Andrea Sager Law PLLC, in April 2018, quickly growing her business to earning seven figures by the second full year.
“There are so many business owners that need help and don’t know where to get it, and I thought, why not me?” stated Sager. “I can be that resource for them.”
In 2019, Sager made a bold move and launched the Legalpreneur Membership. The membership includes all access to an attorney and legal resources, valued at more than $25,000, offering countless services to fit the client’s needs. The subscription model breaks the mold and creates convenient access to legal services, setting her company apart from many others.
In just a few years, her company’s growth skyrocketed. Legalpreneur has become the go-to attorney for small business entrepreneurs, protecting everything from their brand names and Instagram handles to their courses and contracts and expanding as far as Canada and the United Kingdom.
As Sager’s business began to grow, she hired her best friend, former assistant bowling coach and member of the UPIKE Athletic Hall of Fame, Bandy, to serve as an essential part of her team as the chief operating officer of Legalpreneur.
“Kayla makes things happen and has been very integral to our growth, and there is no way we would be where we are today without her,” said Sager. When the opportunity to join Sager’s team arose, Bandy felt it was too good to be true.
“At the time, I was working my dream job as the head coach of an NCAA Division I bowling program. When COVID hit, the university I was coaching for decided they would not be competing for the season. At the same time, Andrea needed help managing the growth of her business. I could pivot to work from home helping Legalpreneur and focus on my professional career as a bowler,” said Bandy. “We have the same relentless mindset to accomplish big things. We hold each other accountable for growth milestones and want the other to succeed just as much as we want ourselves individually to succeed.”
Constantly pushing herself to take it one step further, Sager began tapping into the creative industry in 2020 and produced the hit podcast The Legalpreneur. In October, she hosted a successful two-day event, the Dream Bigger conference in Phoenix, Ariz., to inspire Legalpreneur community members to focus on their growth and implement a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Adding to her long list of accomplishments, Sager is publishing her first book, “Legalprenuer - The Business Owner’s Guide to Legally Protecting Your Business,” expected to hit shelves in January of 2023.
Sager never let roadblocks hinder her path to success, and through it all, has never forgotten her college roots. The endless opportunities she has experienced have opened her her eyes to a world of possibilities, and she believes the definition of success is loving what you do.
