Colleen Young, Chief Marketing Officer at Get Staffed Up, joins Peter Conrad on the Partnerships for Profit podcast — the show by Ledu Entertainment exploring joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and powerful collaborations in the business world. Listen as Colleen breaks down how solo attorneys and small firms can overcome the fear of their first hire, delegate the right way, and build a practice that actually scales.
Relationships Over Ad Budgets: The Marketing Strategy Most Firms Overlook
When small firms hit a growth plateau, the instinct is often to spend more on marketing. Colleen pushes back on that. For attorneys who are not yet seeing three to four times their marketing spend in return, that budget is likely better invested in people and networking.
Her recommendation: get off the show floor and into real conversations. Walk conferences with intention, run out of business cards, and host intimate partner dinners where the guards come down, and honest exchanges happen. A fractional CFO, a law firm coach, and a staffing company around the same dinner table can offer an attorney more than any banner ad.
“Get facetime with people, develop the relationships. That is going to cut through the clutter.” — Colleen Young
AI is part of the picture too, but Colleen keeps it focused: showing up, building trust, and staying consistent are what compound over time. The tools evolve. The principles stay the same.
The Case for Offshore Staffing: Economics, Skills, And The Full 40 Hours
When attorneys come to GSU saying they do not think they have 40 hours of work to delegate, Colleen’s answer is always the same: make the list. Every task, every interruption, every hour spent not practicing law. The 40 hours are almost always there.
Once they see it, the next question is whether to split someone’s time across multiple firms. Colleen’s answer is direct: do not. A Staffer with divided loyalty will always have a favorite. A dedicated, full-time hire working in your timezone, focused entirely on your firm, is a different proposition entirely.
The economics make it possible. A bilingual executive assistant, fully dedicated and trained on your practice management system, costs significantly less offshore than a domestic hire. For immigration attorneys in Texas who need Spanish and English fluency, or estate planning firms targeting older clients who need a warm, human voice on the phone, the math works in a way that domestic hiring simply cannot match.
“Offshore is a great economical way to start scaling your business. The first hire is always the hardest.” — Colleen Young
Tasking vs. Delegation: The Distinction That Changes Everything
Colleen draws a line that most attorneys never think about: the difference between tasking and true delegation. Tasking is telling someone what to do. Delegation is giving them the authority to make decisions within a task, adapt when needed, and act with judgment rather than just following instructions.
The goal is a law firm that runs when the attorney is not in the room. That only happens when staff have been trusted with real authority, not just a checklist.
The third piece is feedback, and it is where many attorneys get uncomfortable. Colleen’s take: the discomfort is worth pushing through. Immediate, honest feedback builds a Staffer who anticipates needs, catches issues before being asked, and grows into the role over time. Give credit where it’s due and be specific in your feedback. The payoff is a remote team that performs just as well as anyone down the hall.
“The control, the delegation versus tasking, and then the constant feedback is how you as an attorney can really start embracing offshore staffing.” — Colleen Young
The Human Touch Still Wins
For all the efficiency gains that come with smart staffing and AI tools, Colleen keeps coming back to one thing: the human on the other end of the phone still matters. For elder law and estate planning attorneys whose clients skew older, an automated system or chatbot is not just less effective. It can actively cost you the client.
A real person answering the phone, with a warm tone and genuine attention, builds credibility and closes that first impression in a way no technology replicates yet.
Listen to the full episode on Partnerships for Profit below. Ready to make your first hire or expand your team? Schedule a call with us and let’s figure out who your firm needs next.
Contact Get Staffed Up, LLC for more information by calling (800) 921-4987.
