Today’s episode is part 2 of Meg Garavaglia and Patti Cotter’s previous conversation about working together at Woven Legal. You will hear about working with integrity and the importance of knowing when to ask for help. An added bonus: you might also hear Meg rap. Hit the play button to find out!
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Transcript
Meg Garavaglia: What is the ISFJ’s title? Like what do they call that? Judicious. Isn’t it the Judge Judicious or something?
Patti Cotter: So, and the S might be stable, like stability, and
Meg Garavaglia: maybe not a lot of surprises. I think the S is for super and the U is for unique. The P is for perfect. I’m aging myself, “Supersonic”, but I’m not a very good rapper, just for the record.
But ENFP, I know is the campaigner. And that is so true. Whenever I like something, I want everybody to adopt it and everybody to utilize it and be like me, which is kind of weird when you think about it. But I. I mean, whether it be chapstick or gyms or
Patti Cotter: Yeah, or podcast to listen to Murdoch Murders.
Meg Garavaglia: Anyway, Murdoch Murders podcast is amazing.
That’s the biggest challenge facing me in my role right now and probably shortening the time it takes to source. That perfect paralegal or legal assistant for our attorney clients. Every step of our vetting process is so important. I would not shortcut anything.
We get a client that comes to us, generally they’ve tried many other avenues to hire the right person. They’ve tried and failed at so many different ways. You know, they’ve tried, you know, a family friend, even family, and it hasn’t worked out for one reason or another. So by the time they get to us, they’re, they’re pretty frustrated, but obviously open minded to remote.
I would say my biggest challenge is just shortening that time to get somebody on board because we want to help them as soon as possible. So that’s the truth, because I know we’re partners with a law clerk, and they oftentimes use the adage, dig your well before you’re thirsty. And we try to do what we can to.
Expedite things, but at the same time, yeah, those processes that we have honed that you have largely honed Patty make for the most successful placements. So, yeah, and while we can do transitions, we would love it more if there were no hiccups at all.
Patti Cotter: Yeah, absolutely. Process, not perfection. We want to get darn close, don’t we?
Meg Garavaglia: Oh, I know we do. And I always say it must be like Emeril when he serves his signature dish to people and they’ve never tried it. That kind of pride and excitement to have somebody try it is just the best. So what is one thing that since this business venture has started that you didn’t expect? A paycheck.
Patti Cotter: Just kidding.
Meg Garavaglia: Saw that and I’m
Patti Cotter: cracking up. Probably the rapid growth of the business and how my, my role changed with it. You know, early on I was supporting you and your previous business partner and in anything Everything except for sales, right? Right. Like, what do you need me to do today? So, really have foreseen how quickly things would change with your partnership change, and then with me taking on the operations of the business.
It really, just, it, it, it, kind of was the same. Yes. To be big, just on a bigger scale. Jumped in and did whatever needed to be done so that you could focus on sales and, and developing the business and just kind of working behind you and getting the processes documented, laid out, and, you know, working with insurance and all the things.
That’s really kind of what I love about my job. I like variety and you never know what the day is going to bring. And it’s surprising that it’s been just over two years.
Meg Garavaglia: I know it is surprising that it’s been over two years. Or, you know, just a little bit over because when I look back, it just seems like such a long time ago.
One thing I didn’t expect. How much discipline played a part and because I struggle with that at times, and if it weren’t for the checks and balances that we have in place, and it seems like they show up in different forms at different times. And for instance, I have a business coach now that I didn’t have before.
I have a sales consultant, which is really helpful. And We just have a number of things in place that help with that so that, you know, I can work at a higher capacity and help grow the company. And then
Patti Cotter: you’re really good at knowing what you need, evaluating, knowing what you need, and you find the support and you get it.
And.
Meg Garavaglia: Yeah, I think you’re right. Yeah. Well, if I don’t recognize it and stay ahead of that, it will negatively affect the team. And my concern in that regard is I’ve worked for companies that would get stuck. And that was really morale sucking and I hated it so I don’t want to put other people through that.
So that’s my hope and also you and I have such a good rapport and you share things that you see. What was one recently? My staffing ideas, you were like, we were going to check out a different avenue to source.
Patti Cotter: And then I think the exact words were, you’re scaring me, or something like
Meg Garavaglia: that. It was just a thought.
It was just a thought.
Patti Cotter: Exactly. It was the end of the day.
Meg Garavaglia: And actually that’s another reason that I love serving attorneys. They are so typically direct. And when they need us to fix something, I can fix it much more quickly. If they just tell me like it is, I’m from a big family, big Irish family, and people just are out with it.
Patti Cotter: So it’s really helpful when, when clients or contractors. Speak to us in that same, you know, certainly respectful, but direct way. It gets us to the fix much more quickly. Yeah, definitely.
The authenticity. Yeah, authenticity for sure. What’s one lesson your job has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in their life?
Why don’t you start? No, I want you to start. Okay. Definitely integrity is the most important attribute you can have, being honest in all situations and, and being a person who can share the kind truth. And I will definitely stand in front of the truth because let’s face it, sometimes if you are honest and you have that integrity, you’ll sleep at night.
That’s right.
Meg Garavaglia: Never regret it. Yeah. Yeah. Something that steers me is. I don’t want to get to the end of life. This is so, you know, Debbie downer, but I don’t want to have regrets. And so, yeah, absolutely. I can’t imagine conducting ourselves without integrity. That’s huge, you know, or I can’t imagine that kind of regret, but also taking the leap to do this was something that I didn’t realize that it was.
Something I needed to do, but I did and I’m so grateful that I did that things came together as they should have. I think my big lesson has been, I can do this alone if I choose to, but I don’t want to do this. You know, have you ever heard that? You only will do it alone if you choose to. That’s what I was trying to convey.
Since I’ve gotten older, I’m not old at all. Just to make that clear. And even my kids, I see them trying to do things themselves because they don’t want to show the world or whomever that they need other people. But I think that that is just the big joke, is that we absolutely do need other people.
That is one thing that I hope to impact with attorneys, that… They’re so used to doing things on their own, but it’s not to their betterment. They are certainly more stressed and their businesses could grow much more quickly if they put a hand out and allowed somebody else to give them a hand up, so to speak.
So yeah, I, and I’m the last of big family, as I always say. So. I probably was more apt to accept help, but I also was very prideful. I did not ever like to admit that I didn’t know or that I could be wrong. And I realized that that is just stifling because Honestly, the biggest lessons I’ve learned have been when I’ve made mistakes and I’m, I make a ton of them, but fortunately we have a lot of safety nets in place to make sure they’re not serious ones.
Yeah, for sure.
Patti Cotter: Yeah. Pride is a big one for me too.
Meg Garavaglia: Well, that was fun Patty. And I hope you have new big sunglasses, very Yoko Ono sunglasses because yeah, we’re wherever we go, we’re going to be famous now.
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