I’m on several social media sites. One of them – Alignable – is specific to local small businesses (although it has a national spread, so localization sometimes is tricky). It’s a great community of SMB owners including myself. One of the other members posted a set of eight questions to prepare for a networking event. Here are my answers.
I like to help people figure out how to handle the problems that they think they can’t. Particularly legal problems, since those are problems that I understand pretty well. But I’ll pitch into mechanical tasks, too. Even when I’m only mansplaining.
My core values are integrity, kindness, and fairness. I think that the bio on my website shows those, if you understand what it is to be a good attorney or military officer. A lot of other business owners and attorneys share these values, and I like to work with them. My values drive me to seek resolutions that all parties can survive and hopefully appreciate.
Of course everyone wants to stand out in some way. Besides having operated a nuclear reactor underwater, I had an IQ of 160 when I was four; I got 1580 on the SATs and 179 on the LSAT; I can juggle; and I can get our hyperthyroid kitty to take her pill right out of my fingers. (Cats usually hate pills.)
If someone wants to know why to pick me over a competitor, I can only offer references from colleagues and happy clients as good reasons for that choice.
Someone trying to describe what I do might say “Alan helps business owners to handle or prevent tricky situations with business partners, customers, and competitors.”
Thanks to Stefan Zavalin for the questions.
