Your 30 - 60 Minute Plan to Generate Business in 2026
The requirement to bring work into your firm lingers constantly in the back of your mind.
You don’t know where to start so it remains last on your to-do list.
You’ve been on boards, wasted time at networking events and coffee dates that don’t produce results, and accepted speaking and writing opportunities that lead nowhere.
In an effort to build my IP practice back in 2019, I toured a senior living community. (This was after my mom had passed and my dad was already in a memory care facility across the country.)
I met the sales director through a chamber of commerce. She invited me for a tour and we enjoyed lunch in the dining area. She was not a decision maker for the community and it was unlikely her network included my ideal clients or referral partners.
It was a complete waste of my time (and hers) in terms of business development, but I didn’t know any better at the time. I saw it as networking with another member of the chamber of commerce.
I had had no guidance from the partners I worked with throughout my career in this area. I didn’t know business development coaches existed.
It was the beginning of a long road of trial and error to build a practice that eventually amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I did it by hiring coaches and finding the most efficient and effective business development strategies that allowed me to consistently fit my efforts into work and family schedules.
Knowing where you need to be and what you need to be doing in the limited time you have for business development is what leads to results.
Haphazard efforts that do not consistently reach your ideal clients and referral partners are a frustrating waste of time and energy.
There’s always going to be trial and error in this process, but with direction, you won’t find yourself touring a senior living community.
Here’s where you can start to focus your efforts for 2026. Take 30 minutes this week to map out:
What you have been doing.
What has led to business over the last year and what hasn’t.
Where your best clients come from (those with interesting work, those who pay, etc.).
Where your best referrals come from.
Places and activities you haven’t tried yet where your best clients and referral partners could come from (industry conferences, networking groups, podcast guesting opportunities, publications you could write for, events you could speak at, or social media platforms you could be active on).
Then take 30 minutes next week to:
Dig into No. 5 above with research.
Register for the next meeting or conference, get on a mailing list for an organization, engage with content on LinkedIn or write a post about a recent case, reach out to be on a podcast, outline topics to write about that light up you or your ideal clients/referral partners.
In 2026, consistently engage with the places and activities that allow you to be seen and become known in your industry, and generate business from the right clients.
Toss out the activities that waste your time.
Need direction in developing a focused plan for 2026? I work with IP attorneys and law firms to do that. Schedule a call or send me a message:
Warmest regards,
Jamie
