Karen Skinner’s Innovative Business Systems For The Busy and Burned Out

Karen Skinner spent 20 years adhering to the work culture within the legal field before she finally had enough. The crazy hours, minimal sleep, missed events, and ever-looming sense of exhaustion left Karen convinced that there had to be another way to practice law and still lead an enjoyable life successfully.  

In today’s episode, Carlyn sits down with Karen Skinner, coach facilitator, co-founder and CEO of Gimbal-Lean Practice Management Advisors, and a Lean Six Sigma blackbelt. She shares with us her vision for new business systems that allow for better delegation, how she is teaching lawyers and other entrepreneurs how to build these systems, her secrets to working more effectively, and much more! 

“Law School teaches you how to practice law and it creates great lawyers, but it doesn’t teach lawyers how to run businesses. And on the other hand, almost all lawyers are running their own businesses.” – Karen Skinner 

This week on Startups in Stilettos:

• Karen discusses the legal field and the purpose behind their business (2:20) 
• Karen explains her path to entrepreneurship (6:34)  
• Karen talks what she didn’t know at the onset of building their business (12:51) 
• Karen shares her proudest moments along the journey so far (17:31)  
• What Karen would want you to know by the 8th floor of an elevator ride (21:21) 
• Karen shares an exercise from her life planning workshop (22:53)

Our Favorite Quotes:  

• “If you can find ways to do that work better, faster, cheaper than you have time. And that time, you can use for other things that are more valuable to you, or that are at least as valuable to you.” – Karen Skinner 
• “We didn’t know how hard change was going to be. Because essentially, you’re right, we’re disruptors. And I spend a lot of time going into firms and talking to lawyers about how they can do things differently. But this is a profession that’s so anchored in tradition and precedent that getting people to do things differently is really hard.” – Karen Skinner  

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Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts:

• Jessica Abo on Instagram
• Jessica Abo on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Jessica Abo here
• Carlyn Bushman on Instagram
• Carlyn Bushman on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Carlyn Bushman here

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