Telling the Story of TCLA

On failed partnerships, Tim's proprietary technology and what makes a good story.

I walked to the Hilton hotel ahead of a meeting with a former lawyer. We’ll call him Tim.

Tim had directed me to his company’s website. It was impressive. Photos of the former managing partner of a magic circle law firm featured prominently on the homepage. Along with a senior executive at a big technology company and the founder of one of the biggest legal publishing companies, I was in awe of the people Tim had secured on his board.

I had worked through the night on the proposal and business plan Tim had asked for, finally finishing it by 4:30 am. I needed a win today. It was 2018 and I was having no luck contacting law firms. Few returned my emails and the ones that did weren’t interested.  

I met Tim in the lobby. He seemed confident. In the space of a few minutes, he was telling me about his company’s plans for an eventual IPO. He was going to change the world.

Before the end of the meeting, Tim asked me to join his company. He wanted to buy TCLA and join forces in a new company. I couldn’t believe my luck. TCLA was getting acquired? It had only been a few months, but TCLA was getting acquired! I called my mum, ‘TCLA was getting acquired!’

But a few hours later I felt a pit in my stomach. I recounted the conversation. Tim had used a lot of words. He spoke of ‘strategic partnerships’, his ‘network of contacts’, the ‘consumer brand recognition’, but something felt off. Was it really true when he said that substantial debt was the key to financing a company? 

Over the next week, I couldn’t find much online to back up his company’s supposed decades of experience. Naturally, Tim couldn’t show me the details of his platform ‘because it was under his proprietary technology’.

After being unable to shake the feeling, I contacted Tim to turn the partnership down.

Tim was angry, ‘But you shook my hand!’

‘Remind me...how many people use your platform again?’

He then hung up.

Three years on, I have not seen or heard anything about the company since. 

Stories matter

Tim has been on my mind this week as I think of the way I deliver the story of TCLA.

Every day, I am asked about the story. What is it? Where is it going? How is it going? Whether it’s an existing partner, a new customer, a team member, or just someone interested in the business, I must tell a variation of the story at least 20 times a week.

Now, the story I tell has been incrementally tweaked since I started, but it has been a long time since I re-evaluated the way TCLA is presented. 

Usually, it goes something like this:

The one-liner:  TCLA is a training platform and community for aspiring lawyers.

The longer version: 

• The context of me leaving a law firm 

• How TCLA trains aspiring lawyers

• (Sometimes) The goal of becoming an online law school

As I write this down, I’m not sure I feel inspired. The longer version is a little better, but I often default to modesty when I tell the story.

I’m increasingly aware that downplaying the business serves no one. At best, a bad story is uninspiring. At worst, it turns people away. When the business is good but the story is bad, it does a disservice to the hard work everyone else is putting into the business. 

But a good story - now that’s exciting. It draws in the best talent. It makes customers want to see you succeed. It gives the team purpose and fulfilment.

So, how can I make the TCLA story better? There are three qualities that I believe in:

1. Clarity

2. Self-belief

3. Authenticity

First, I think the story needs to be clear. To bring people along the journey, they need to understand it. The goal is to use simple language that a layperson could understand. I would rather impress people because the business has substance, not because I’m using fancy language.

Second, it needs to be a vision I truly believe in. To date, I have found self-belief to be among the most powerful driving forces of TCLA. It’s infectious, and it makes the journey worth following. 

Third, it needs to be authentic. My issue with Tim was not that he lacked self-belief - he had plenty of that. It was that he didn’t seem authentic. This authenticity can come through a variety of ways, from being brave enough to be vulnerable to providing relevant, credible data.

So, as I go into this week, I am taking stock of the story I tell in every call or meeting I attend.

The real story of TCLA.

If you’ve been thinking about this too, I’d love to know - am I missing anything? What makes for an impressive story to you?

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PS: If you’re interested, here are the terms Tim sent over after our meeting. Seems fair?