Monica Ishak

All right. We're recording here. I got a cool guest today. It's actually a special day for this guest. that's on the show here. I always like to do this, uh, every once in a while. you know, everyone listening, obviously we've had, lots of veteran law firm business owners talking about what they've done this, helped them grow their businesses to exponential growth and things like that.

But I love bringing in folks on that are new at business and took the leap recently and are just in the start of their business, right now. So that's exactly what Monica is doing right in the second, when we connected and just got to hear her story. And so she's on here today to talk about what it's like right now in the, the, you know, in the trenches, of being a new entrepreneur and running a law firm. So.

Monica, thank you so much for joining me.

Monica Ishak (01:18)
Thank you for having me. I'm very, very excited. And you you mentioned it's a special day. I never thought that like a year, like the anniversary of starting the firm would, I would be recording a podcast. So that's really, really cool for me. So I'm very grateful to be here, but yeah, I mean, just a little bit about me, like a background, I guess I can introduce myself.

Kevin Daisey (01:22)
you

Yeah. Well, first everyone listening, you know, let's say congrats, one year today. So, that's pretty cool. And this podcast is all about running a business and especially for law firms. So, I just had my eighth anniversary for Array Digital ⁓ that's about a week or so ago. I've been in business for almost 20 years, official brand name, Array Digital eight years. but one year Monica, that's awesome. So.

Monica Ishak (01:49)
you.

Yay!

Yeah, yeah. Thank you. It actually feels like just yesterday. It's so crazy, but at the same time, I think about the last year and it's just been a roller coaster of everything. yeah, yeah, I have a lot to say. But yeah, it's just...

Kevin Daisey (02:08)
Congratulations. You made it.

And that's what we want to talk about.

Yeah, introduce yourself first. Let's do that.

And so people know who you are and how they can find you and what you're about.

Monica Ishak (02:31)
Yeah,

so I'm based in West Palm Beach. My name is Monica Ishak. I started the Ishak Law Firm. I primarily focus on criminal defense. I started my career off at the Public Defender's Office in Palm Beach County, which is my hometown, a very special place for me. I don't think a lot of people have the opportunity to go back to their hometown and actually practice and serve their area. So that was a really great thing for me.

being in public defense obviously like paved the way for criminal defense for me and it just taught me a lot as you know, person and you know, professionally as an attorney. So that was pretty cool. And then I went into like insurance defense for a little bit and then I went back to private criminal defense working for somebody and then.

found myself back in house as an insurance defense attorney again and then I was like, I can't do corporate anymore. I gotta start my firm. So it was March of last year. think it was like my last day there was like March 2nd or something and I like incorporated my firm almost immediately, obviously March 18th. So yeah, that's the one year. That's where the one year comes from but I didn't get my first client until June. So that's another...

part of the story, because that's what I'm saying, it's like, feels like it was just like yesterday that I would have gotten my first client, because it basically was. Yeah, so.

Kevin Daisey (03:45)
Wow. What a cool story.

And by the way, I love Palm beach. ⁓ great place. I, I usually get together once a year and so, just a great, great spot. ⁓ luckily my wife's company takes us there every year for, for kind of a retreat. So love the area. I'll be down there soon in April. So

Monica Ishak (03:50)
down.

Yeah.

Nice!

That's

coming up and the weather is like great this time of year, so you're coming at a great time

Kevin Daisey (04:09)
It's about perfect. It's not too hot and it's just, you know, the nights are a little bit cooler and it's just perfect, I think. So yeah.

Monica Ishak (04:15)
Mm-hmm. It was 53

degrees this morning. I was freezing.

Kevin Daisey (04:19)
It's cold here right now when we're recording.

it's March 18th, we're recording this. If you're watching this, it might be maybe in April at this point, depending on when it goes live. yeah, so celebrating her big day, one year in business. This is what it's all about. talk about, so you went a few months without a client. What were you doing during that time? kind of what was some of those struggles or kind of scary moments there?

Let's get started.

Monica Ishak (04:46)
So many scary moments and so many struggles. So I first started obviously just like kind of doing the basics like incorporating my business. I previously had a side business so like setting up a business part wasn't too hard for me. I kind of already knew how to do that but

before it was a side business, it wasn't my full time thing, so I wanted to kind of invest more into this. So I reached out to some people who I went to law school with that had their firms already established and I was like, hey, what do I need to do next? And they were like, you should probably hire a trademark lawyer. And they kind of guided me a little bit in protecting my brand and all those things. And then I...

was just like, guess I'll print my business cards. I guess I'll go on and create my website and like just do kind of like those things. And then I was like, I don't really know how I'm gonna get my first client. I just was like, I think I did it really without fully planning out how I was going to like get my first client.

I just kind of contacted as many people that I knew and I was like, hey, you know, I'm you know This is what I'm doing now but at the same time I did feel a lot of Because I hadn't done this before and I am like the first lawyer in my family So that also kind of like I don't have as much experience in like creating your own firm and all those things if you come from a family of lawyers you kind of have that background but I ended up just Like winging it honestly, I kind of just winged it and I was like

Kevin Daisey (06:19)
Hmm.

Monica Ishak (06:25)
very, it was just a lot of anxiety and I think I was feeling a lot of like imposter syndrome. So I wasn't really stepping into my power. It was actually, I think I didn't.

Kevin Daisey (06:36)
You

Monica Ishak (06:37)
really do that until probably the fall time, like maybe August, September. And then I was fully embracing like, I am a firm owner. I just think I was like, have my own law firm, but I don't have clients. Like, that's not a real thing. You know what I mean? So I was telling myself that story. And I think that was like repelling kind of the people from me because I think people can see that you don't really like believe in what you're saying when you say that you're doing something.

So that was kind of my struggle in the first few months. was really my mindset. But yeah, when I got my first client, I was like on cloud nine, but then I quickly got that case closed out. So I was like, okay, great. Now I have to find more clients.

Kevin Daisey (07:19)
What do I do now?

That's interesting.

that's interesting. mean, I started my business with zero plan. was young and I just had the idea and that was enough at the time. And you just kind of jump into it and then you go, ⁓ crap. ⁓ you know, now I'm flailing around trying to figure things out. ⁓ so my, my path was very similar to that. ⁓ but I think it was interesting too. Like, would you said like the, like you just didn't believe yourself even.

Monica Ishak (07:35)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Kevin Daisey (07:50)
And yeah, that's if you're not if you don't have confidence and you don't walk around with it or or speak it Yeah, you're not you're gonna have a tough time bringing on clients and signing that client I know i'll have that problem if a law firm i'm talking to Doesn't have confidence when i'm talking about for marketing or Executing on something. ⁓ it's gonna scare them right away for sure

Monica Ishak (08:04)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Exactly, exactly. And that was kind of what I was struggling. I think that was like my first six months was me trying to get over that hump of like, it was really just like a mental low for me at some points, because I was like, am I am I even really cut out for this a lot of like doubt? And like, the thing is, I know that I'm a great criminal defense lawyer. It's not even a question about that. It's a matter of can I compete with all these older, more seasoned attorneys that kind of the bill of

what a criminal defense attorney also looks like. Like who's going to want to hire this like younger girl that is just like not, you know, like I'm not kind of the typical face of an attorney when people meet me. They don't, and especially a criminal defense attorney. So, you know, I just kind of was telling myself that story and I was discouraging myself for the first six months and it kept me from getting what I needed to get done done. But I was basically just kind of in the setup phase at the same time.

Kevin Daisey (08:58)
Hehehe.

Monica Ishak (09:12)
So while I was doing that, I also got a contract from the public defender's office to take on some cases. And even though that wasn't like a crazy amount of money, obviously it's limited funds, it kept me busy because I got 20 cases at once and then plus that one private case I got. So that was keeping me busy until, and that's what I'm saying around like fall time. And then I had my first...

Kevin Daisey (09:31)
you

Monica Ishak (09:36)
One of those cases, I guess my first jury trial in solo practice, which was pretty cool in August, which I love trial. that kind of like reignited this thing in me where I was like, yeah, I can do this. This is what I this is what like it just need. I need that needed to happen for me to just kind of get back into the headspace I needed to be in to continue.

Kevin Daisey (09:44)
That's awesome.

Monica Ishak (10:03)
And after that, I kind of just hit the ground running. started posting. I was really stepping in to what I should have been doing before. But I was like, my god, what are people going to think of me? And all these things. And it's like, know whatever. Certain things are cringe or whatever to some people. I don't really care. But at the end of the day, I'm running a business. They're not paying my bills. I have bills to pay.

Kevin Daisey (10:10)
you

Monica Ishak (10:26)
I have things to do, like I just can't let other people's opinions or like the fear of their opinions get in the way of like the work I have to do. So that was like the moment that happened to me like six months in and I was like, thank God, because that almost took me out.

Kevin Daisey (10:41)
Well, we, yeah, we're gonna get in our own heads, you know, and honestly, I think, um, you know, you, have to go through those things. So I think it, cause you come out the other side going, wait a minute, the bull crap, you know, you're going to have failure setbacks, um, all the time happens, happens all the time to me, been in business for a long time. And you had those moments where you're like, man, what, why did that happen like that? Or why didn't we get this client here or whatever it might be? Um,

Monica Ishak (10:51)
Yeah.

Yes.

Kevin Daisey (11:09)
But it's how fast you rebound and use that to either make improvements or to, you know, to double down on what, what you're really there to do. So at least it didn't take you years to figure that out.

Monica Ishak (11:19)
Yeah, exactly. No, no,

I definitely would have probably quit before getting there. Years like I don't know if I could have sustained that. Like that's so it's hard. It's hard, especially because you don't know when your next time like till now. I don't know when my next time is coming, obviously, but like it took a certain level of like confidence and belief in myself to retain clients and maintain that.

with especially because I like a lot of the clients I get are from other attorneys. So it's really how I present myself to those other attorneys that they're like, ⁓ that or they know me from being in practice. But, you know, most of them are people that have met me either on the Internet or at a networking event. they're like, you know, I like her, you know, maybe I should send her clients and cases. And that's what's been happening. So that's, know.

I definitely needed to happen very grateful that I went through the valley of whatever we want to call it. But it was not a good time for me mentally, but it needed to happen for sure.

Kevin Daisey (12:17)
Valley of Death.

Yeah, it's just, you come out excited and then you have this like, wait a minute. The little reality sits in and, know, ⁓ just part of the process and we've all been through it. yeah, some attorneys I'll talk to, they'd be like, yeah, well, I had like a ton of a book of business that I took with me or, they, kind of, they start well. ⁓ not the case for most out there. So.

Monica Ishak (12:31)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 100%.

Yeah.

Kevin Daisey (12:52)
and you, so you're doing videos, you're doing, ⁓ you're posting reels. ⁓ so you're, you're active and then you're going out, you're networking, you're meeting other attorneys. You're carrying yourself as a firm owner. got confidence. obviously that's paying off for you. So.

Monica Ishak (13:01)
Yes.

Yes, exactly. And I also like participate. So I also, guess before this is kind of also kind of what got me out of my funk is I was in this mastermind of other entrepreneurs and they weren't necessarily all that. None of them were professionals. I don't think like a lot of them were just entrepreneurs, like founders of big companies and.

Kevin Daisey (13:29)
Nice.

Monica Ishak (13:30)
It was a mastermind that just we would meet, like I think it was, we would meet weekly and monthly and we were broken into little groups and then we had our like bigger group sessions, whatever. And then we also had like this retreat, but I was surrounded. I was in a room with like, it was all women, but I don't think this really matters, but I was in a room with really powerful people and like, it was very inspiring to me. And I...

don't think things happen. Like I think everything happens for a reason. I don't think things are coincidences. I don't, you know, and I was like, what am I doing in this room? Like, what am I doing around these people? Like, how did I get here? Because there's like an application process for it. And like, I knew one of the people who started the mastermind. So I kind of think I just got lucky in that aspect. Like they were like, come on in. They were there, like kind of a business mentor. And it was, it was kind of a wake up call, like, okay.

If I'm in this room, it's for a reason. you know, I have like I'm going somewhere. I don't know where. But it has to be up like it has to be like in this realm. You know what I mean? So that was that was huge for me. That was a huge kind of wake up call as well. Like that was another part of my journey that, you know, maybe didn't necessarily shape any sort of specific business aspect. I learned a lot because they're like managing.

larger companies with a lot of employees. I'm starting as, first of all, have a career, a professional career. Their job is to be an entrepreneur and manage people.

I don't know, it was just like a different, it was just a different perspective than what I'm usually around. know, I'm usually around a lot of professionals, lawyers, and it was something I really needed to be a part of. So I also am very grateful to have been a part of that because it really kind of, it gave me also like the business mindset as well because they're all about like delegating and like investing to grow.

because I think if I didn't do that, I would have probably been penny pinching everything. And, you know, I've yet to pay myself. I'm in a position to, but I haven't done it yet just because I'm hoping to reinvest it in the proper things. Like I just hired an assistant last week. They started. So that was also a great like it's a cool thing to say that like within year one, I was able to do that.

Kevin Daisey (15:55)
Awesome.

Monica Ishak (16:04)
And it was kind of a goal of mine to do that within year one. So it's just, and so far it's working out. it's my second person, the first person I hired didn't really work out, but I don't think I was really in a position to hire somebody at the time and I didn't go into it with the right mindset. So I learned from that and I waited a little bit and I was like, okay, when I'm for real overwhelmed, we will be onboarding some people. And now I'm in the era of like,

balancing and training, like I'm balancing more because I'm teaching somebody else how to do what I do and kind of be an extension of me on the back end of things. But I don't know, it's just a lot of patience, a lot of like, I don't know, I got to stop and take a breath sometimes because I'm like, how do people do this?

Array Digital (17:04)
Today's episode is brought to you by Answering Legal. Now I just switched my company, Array Digital, over to Answering Legal, and it's made my life a whole lot easier. If I can't get to the phone, their 24-7 virtual receptionist take the call and take them through a full intake process, so we never miss new business again. Now, Answering Legal has been at this for more than a decade, and they specialize in answering phone calls for law firms like yours.

They even have a brand new, easy to use app and they integrate with all the top legal softwares and platforms. So for my listeners today, we actually have a special deal of a 400 minute free trial offer of the answering legal services that you can try out by going to answeringlegal.com or slash array. You can also call 631-437-4803 and use special code Daisy. That's my last name.

⁓ So go check them out and let's get back to the show.

Kevin Daisey (18:08)
Well, let me unpack a couple of things there. mean, for one, you know, you've kind of, you know, you've done some things, I mean, expose some things early that most people aren't. And what you'll hear me or other business owners talk about all the time. And one is you, a mastermind or surrounding yourself with other people. You know, as you start your business, like the reason I started my business is because I got in a room like that and I wasn't supposed to even be in that room.

Monica Ishak (18:18)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Kevin Daisey (18:36)
Cause they didn't own a business.

Monica Ishak (18:37)
Yes?

Kevin Daisey (18:39)
Well, I was one of those freelance stuff, but I was like, man, who are all these people? What's an entrepreneur? Like, and it just, that gave me the motivation to be like, okay, whoa, I need to like step up my game. work for someone else right now and they're doing these cool things. And, but if you just surround yourself with family, they're going to help support you and like say everything's fine. You got to get out of that room and in a room with people.

Monica Ishak (18:43)
Yeah.

Yes.

Kevin Daisey (19:04)
Like what you just did and that's going to give you perspective. It's going to give you inspiration. Um, they're going to support you on, on actually growing a business. So I think that was a huge move right there that you got in that room and maybe some luck, maybe some fate, whatever. I'm not sure, but, uh, most people don't get exposed to that for a long time. I tell, I tell lawyers that have been in business for 20 years. Am I earning a mastermind? No, I've never done that before. Like, so it's.

Monica Ishak (19:14)
Yes.

Yeah. No.

Kevin Daisey (19:34)
I think that's the biggest growth hack is mastermind groups. ⁓ and they don't have to be all lawyers. You know, they can be anybody.

Monica Ishak (19:38)
Yeah, yeah, and I'm continuous. No,

yeah, and I think it not being lawyers, like I kind of needed that because, you know, I know people locally that have their own firm, so I can like and I have personal relationships with them. So I think that that is important as well. But it's just different when you expose yourself in a different light and it's.

Running a business is the same, you know, it doesn't really matter what you're doing. I mean, for me, I have to like I'm also like the product at the same time. So I have to kind of. Do two things at once, but you know, that's any service provider, so there's just a lot of different lessons I learned and it was from people and I was I was like the youngest one there. I think I was the youngest one there, which was another thing because I was like, my God.

These people are like they are successful, but they have also like some years on me, you know. So I was like, am I like, how am I here? You know, but it was. Yeah, exactly, exactly. You know, that was a lot of imposter syndrome was the first day I was like crying when we when we left, we broke out, I went back to my room, I was crying, I was like, I do not belong here. And then the next day I was like, I'm so grateful. So definitely.

Kevin Daisey (20:38)
That's the room you want to be in.

And people are willing to help,

you know?

Monica Ishak (20:55)
Yeah, exactly, exactly. And that's even I think it was more empowering because it was all women too. So it was just it was just a great it was just a great experience and it definitely just paved the way for me to kind of have a better mindset. And those are people I hit up. So I contact them all the time and I'm like, hey, what do I do with this? What do you think about this? So it's just great to have those types of connections and relationships because they're I don't think they're easy to come by, you know.

Kevin Daisey (21:22)
No, mean, yeah, locally, if anyone's listening, I mean, there's usually, there's some kind of group out there, in your local area. ⁓ again, whether it's your kind of business or not, I've been in ones that are like all kinds of businesses, know, HVAC companies and all kinds of stuff you can learn from all of them. They might not be exactly the same as you, but, ⁓ they're out there trying to get it done. They're trying to deal with some similar challenges. ⁓ so I just get out and meet people and get in the same room.

if you're starting out, for sure. then you can find local partners for things, marketing or websites or whatever it may be. You're looking for office space, especially in your community, like all these are good relationships to have, get in with the bank, start building that relationship. So it's just, that's super powerful. think, and you hired someone in your first year, which it took me a few years, many years, I think, before I hired the first.

Monica Ishak (21:59)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Kevin Daisey (22:22)
person and my first person was a bad hire as well. So that'll set you back. and so yeah, you've accomplished a lot in the first year. mean, that's mastermind clients first hire. So congrats. That's awesome.

Monica Ishak (22:25)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah,

thank you.

I think I only have like one or two contract cases from the public defender's office, but my caseload is not like almost 20, you know, so like they're all privately retained. You know, that's like a great like accomplishment, I think, for me. And I've collaborated with people who are local other criminal defense attorneys where we do trials together. So it's like if I get paid, you get paid, you get paid, I get paid, which is nice. You know, like it's not a competition. It's a collaboration. And that's also what the mastermind taught me. It's like that is the way

Kevin Daisey (23:04)
That's awesome.

Monica Ishak (23:11)
to go and you know being cutthroat it's not even really my energy it's not my it's not my vibe at all ⁓ it's you know the legal profession is kind of set up to be that way a little bit you know they kind of train you to be that way in law school i think with like the way they you know grade you what's on a skate on that curve or whatever the bell curve ⁓ and all those things but you know i just find that there's so much value in collaborating with other like great

entrepreneurs as well as like lawyers and people who are specifically in your industry. There's no need to kind of compete with one another.

Kevin Daisey (23:48)
Completely agree. Um, actually before this podcast, um, recording right now today, I had a, you know, a competitor on the show. We were just talking shop about, you know, agencies and, um, how we run our businesses. And it was every single thing we talked about was to apply to your firm or any other firm. It doesn't matter if they're age agency or marketing or law firm. It doesn't matter. It's all the same stuff. So you're starting shop and, you know, I've had quite a few competitors on the show and

Monica Ishak (24:13)
Yeah.

Kevin Daisey (24:17)
I'm friendly with a lot of them and there's just no need to think that I'm going to work with every law firm in the country. I don't want to.

Monica Ishak (24:27)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly.

And that's the other thing. It's like, what's yours is yours and what's mine is mine and where we can collaborate, we can't. You know what I mean? Like I don't, I'm not trying to attract every criminal defendant in Palm Beach County because, you know, it's just better for all of us that way. You know, so I don't know.

Kevin Daisey (24:46)
Although you might one time

we come down there to Palm Beach and I'll see your face everywhere and she won't talk to me anymore because she'll be too popular.

Monica Ishak (24:52)
Yeah, maybe.

No. I will never forget this. It's on my first year anniversary.

Kevin Daisey (25:01)
That's so cool. We didn't plan it this way. swear But that's why I mean, here's the interesting story Rebekah who works for me with me She lives in Miami and she's my operations director and literally she was traveling to see her friend up near you so she was like off that day and She said just send me a text. She's like, hey, I this Instagram just came across my like I saw this post on Instagram or something

Monica Ishak (25:04)
No? No.

Kevin Daisey (25:29)
And she said, looks like a brand new law firm owner. You should reach out to them. Maybe they can be on the podcast. And that's literally the reason I reached out to you. ⁓ and then we connected. So it was Rebekah to, and again, Liz down near you that just came across your social post. So yeah, Rebekah, thank you. I'll be talking to her a little bit. I'm sure, but, yeah. She just said, you know, having her ears open and watching and saying, Hey,

Monica Ishak (25:40)
That's so cool. Yeah.

Well, thank you, Rebekah.

Kevin Daisey (25:59)
Some posts you did about, you know, being a new, new firm or something like that. can't remember, but pretty cool stuff.

Monica Ishak (26:03)
Yeah, yeah, so now

I'm always posting. on LinkedIn, I'm on Instagram, I'm on TikTok, Facebook, I'm on YouTube, I'm on all the things. And I'm always trying to come up with new things to post.

Kevin Daisey (26:16)
Yeah, her stuff's great too. so that's the thing. Like, so she's running a new firm. She is the product, right? She's, she's doing the work. She's got to do marketing. She's got a website, which is better than most of the people that are listening right now, probably site. ⁓ cause I see bad websites all day. ⁓ and she's. Cranking out content on all these platforms. And, so anyone listening that says like, I can't do it or I have the time or it's not important or.

I shouldn't, you know, it doesn't work. Bullcrap.

Monica Ishak (26:47)
Yeah, yeah, it definitely does work. It's like actually my main, I've turned off my, during this time while I'm training, because I want to make myself available to my assistant, I've turned off all my lead sources, which like gives me a little bit of anxiety, a lot of anxiety.

Kevin Daisey (27:05)
And everyone listening just got anxiety.

Monica Ishak (27:07)
Yeah, yeah, so I'm like, God, please send a referral source to me. just please, like someone, someone send me a case, please. But it'll come. It's not that, you know, I don't it's not like I'm pressed right now. If am, I'll turn my lead source back on. But it's just I do need to. I can't my phone ringing off the hook all day when I'm trying to be on screen sharing and teaching somebody something. So I need to kind of. Cost benefit analysis, make that decision. So.

Kevin Daisey (27:36)
Again,

you know, sophisticated decisions you're making at an early stage in your business to like step back. think that's a harder thing to do is to step back and throttle on purpose and be like, I got to focus on these things. I'm terrible at that myself, but, ⁓ that's why I have other people and business partners and a lot of employees. But, but sometimes you just need to do that and step back and say, let's, let's reevaluate. take some time.

Monica Ishak (27:42)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Kevin Daisey (28:05)
Or like go take a walk. ⁓ you know what mean? I think it's hard for some of us to do that.

Monica Ishak (28:09)
It's super important.

Yeah, for sure. I like can't catch my breath on some days. like forget to drink a water. Like yesterday I had like I was between court meetings, going on training, going to another meeting and I was like, my God, I was like so exhausted at end of the day. But then I have days where I'm like. And now I'm so they're like so quiet and chill and I'm like I.

I'm so grateful for days like this. The first few months, that was all I living. I had so much time on my hands. I was doing nothing, pretty much, trying to come up with things to do and the courage to do it. And then now, if I can get one quiet hour to write a motion. So now I work on weekends, obviously, because during the week, it's just so hectic. I'm between all the courts and meetings and client meetings and client calls.

new client calls and it's just kind of.

Kevin Daisey (29:02)
wait, we signed

up to get to work less when we started our company.

Monica Ishak (29:05)
Yeah, yes!

It's so true and it's so funny because like when I when I was insured I was an insurance defense in-house But the job that I left right before I started my firm I was working so much like I was working so much that I did not see my family like I was getting paid so well and I like had all the funds to do everything I wanted but I didn't have the time to do everything I wanted and I was living in like this beautiful high-rise and downtown like it was just It was like technically on paper. Everything was there

But I just wasn't doing what I loved. So I was like, OK, I need to get back to that. And then I was like, you know, I feel like I have this entrepreneurial spirit. I had already had my side hustle. You know, I thought I knew something about business because I had a side hustle. Which like kind of, you know, I did have some like business lessons learned. Like I used to discount my pricing before people would get on the phone. Like then I would hear them. I discounted even more. And then I'm like giving them something that like giving them like a really great deal.

And then I'm like, why did I do that? And then I ended up doing all this work. For what? It was a wedding planning business. So was also a service based business. But that needed to happen for me to not do that now. So I didn't make some mistakes along the way. yeah, back to that, was just, I was working all the time and I was like.

I want my own schedule, I want to be in control of all my... And now it's like I'm hiring people and I'm contracted. I I hired one person, but I have contract with people that keep me in line with my social and things like that. And they make me work. I want that. But at the same time, it's like, just want to catch a breath sometimes. But I can't. I can't do it because it's like my business is on my mind all the time.

Kevin Daisey (30:50)
Well, yeah. So it's, know, but yeah, if you love what you're doing and doing it for yourself, it's not the same as work like for someone else. It's not the same. Yeah. So if you're excited when you wake up and you want to do work for your business or your firm, there's nothing wrong with that. And I think, ⁓ but we're always working. So, you know, people that don't have the entrepreneurs, they just, you get to do whatever you want anytime you want to take off anytime you want. It's definitely not, it's not how it happens.

Monica Ishak (30:56)
Yes, yes, no, yeah, yeah.

Yes.

That's a joke. Yeah.

I don't leave anywhere without my laptop, just in case.

Kevin Daisey (31:23)
I'll be down at the breakers near you soon. And, uh, my laptop always comes with me no matter where I go, no matter what any country, if I leave for a day, uh, you know, an hour away, I'm probably going to take my laptop with me. So just never know.

Monica Ishak (31:30)
Yeah, yeah, yes.

Yeah, you

just never know. You never know. Could be money.

Kevin Daisey (31:42)
Give me, give me money, a client, whatever. So, well, Monica, man, I think I appreciate you coming to share your story and it's, it's awesome. It's inspired. And, ⁓ I feel like some people up that are listening that maybe in a rut or they're stuck or they're trying to grow, ⁓ even my veteran listeners that, are already crushing it. ⁓ they were always looking for, for a better way to improve and to be.

Monica Ishak (31:45)
Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, let's go.

Kevin Daisey (32:09)
You know, relate the fire and get things going. Sometimes we get stuck. So, ⁓ but I appreciate it. It's really cool. So everyone please follow Monica, go check her out, ⁓ and support her business. If you're down in Florida, I know a lot of it. I don't know a lot of attorneys down in Florida. ⁓ if you can refer her anything, ⁓ please do so. And again, let's try to support, her business and her firm. So.

Monica Ishak (32:14)
Yeah.

Yes.

Thank you.

Kevin Daisey (32:39)
What's the best way for people to find and connect with you?

Monica Ishak (32:43)
So I'm on everything. My handle is lawyer.monica on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. And then my LinkedIn is monica.monica-ishak, or you can just write my name Monica Ishak on LinkedIn. I'm very active on there as well. And then my website, the ishaklawfirm.com. And then my phone number is 561-316-8433.

Kevin Daisey (32:53)
Nice.

We'll see you on Billboard soon, all across Florida.

Monica Ishak (33:14)
Yes.

Kevin Daisey (33:17)
Well, thank you so much. Yeah. Please everyone. Uh, if you can support Monica, reach out, say hi to her supporter and refer if you can. And, uh, I'll be checking in on her too, to see how she's, she's growing and how she's doing. And, uh, it's awesome to see. So, uh, congrats again on one anniversary, you know, your first anniversary and we'll, we'll, we'll keep tabs on you, see how you're doing. So, all right, everyone, please be inspired, get out there and,

Monica Ishak (33:34)
Thank you.

Yes, thank you. It's such a special day. Yes.

Kevin Daisey (33:47)
Yeah, draw your firm. It's a fun place to be and should be excited where you're at. So Monica, thanks so much everyone. We'll see you soon.

Monica Ishak (33:52)
Thank you so much.

See ya.