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Running a business and being a new lawyer – it can be done
In the demanding field of law, it’s common for practitioners to have little to no time for personal pursuits and hobbies. However, Mariah Saad has defied this notion, successfully managing a thriving e-commerce business alongside her role as a law graduate at one of the nation’s fastest-growing NewLaw firms.
Grace Robbie
Mariah Saad is the founder of the e-commerce brand LONEY IS MY HAPPY and a law graduate at LegalVision. Speaking in a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, she delved into her experiences of navigating these dual roles and shed light on the evolving support within firms for employee’s extracurricular interests and initiatives.
However, despite her structured approach, there are moments when she experiences burnout and exhaustion. Saad emphasised the importance of recognising these signs and adjusting schedules accordingly to prioritise one‘s wellbeing.
“I am also wary of burning out. So when I feel like things are getting a little bit busy with work, I will take breaks, when needed, from my business.
“I think, in the beginning, I was really hard on myself. I wanted to do everything. I was studying, I was working, I was running my business, and it was growing really fast, and I burnt out for a little bit, and it took me a few months to come back, and I just had a very different perspective of what I was able to do,” she stated.
Saad discussed the acceptance and support she received from her law firm, LegalVision, regarding her entrepreneurial endeavours, even during her job interview process.
“I did my interview, and what really struck me about LegalVision was that they actually asked me, what’s your business goal? How do you measure success? What do you see for yourself? And they actually went on my website during the interview, and they just made such positive comments about it, and they thought it was really impressive.
“Even though someone is your employer, [it] doesn’t mean they necessarily have to accept that you do have a business. But my interviewer was just really supportive, and he thought that it was a good show of my good management skills, and there were things that he saw through my business that he knew would be helpful to LegalVision,” she commented.
“I really feel lucky that I get to work within a firm that is very grateful that I have a business. They’re very positive about it, and it made me feel like it was accepted”, Ms Saad said.
Saad pointed out that LegalVision isn’t the only law firm embracing this mindset. Acknowledging a growing trend, she said: “A lot of firms now are looking at people and hiring people who are from a background that they’re doing something other than law.”
However, she acknowledged that not all firms shared this openness, recalling her challenges in balancing entrepreneurship with the first law firm she worked for.
“I can say that my first job was in a small boutique firm, and that was where I actually started my business. And they were very traditional. So their idea of me having a business didn’t really align with what they previously had seen,” she commented.
Drawing parallels between her roles as a business owner and a lawyer, Saad highlighted the symbiotic relationship between the two: “I think that being a business owner gives you a better understanding of clients and what they’re going through, their challenges, their needs. And you become really good at providing advice to clients because you’ve been through it yourself.”
She also stated: “And on the flip side, I think being a lawyer is a great foundation to start a business. So things like negotiating, I have influencers that I work with, so I’ve been able to prepare influencer agreements. I’ve been able to apply my legal knowledge to have my own trademark, and that was before I started working in trademark.”
Saad offered advice to individuals who find themselves hesitant to pursue their passion of starting a business due to concerns about its potential impact on their legal career: “Be realistic about yourself. How much time can you put into a business? Do you want to do it with a business partner? Just ask these questions because the more prep that you do in the beginning, the easier it will be when you make that jump into having the business.”
The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full episode with Mariah Saad, click here:
