Continue to learn, admit that you will never know everything and that you are always willing to accept advice from others even if they have less experience than you.
Danielle Augustin is a founding partner at Augustin Egelsee LLP, where she provides legal advocacy to children and families throughout California. Her legal practice focuses solely on the issues related to juveniles, specifically the areas of special education, expulsions and juvenile defense. Danielle is a former prosecutor and has been practicing law for over 18 years. She has provided trainings and speaking engagements to multiple organizations and has testified as an expert witness in the area of special education.
Where did the idea for OC Kids Law come from?
After I was a prosecutor for four years at the beginning of my career, my son was diagnosed with autism. At that time, I decided to open up my own law firm, OC Kids Law, dedicated to special needs children, and it has since grown incredibly. We are now the premier Southern California special-education law firm.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I usually arrive at the office at eight in the morning, and work till about five or six. The beauty of owning my own business is that I am able to control my schedule. I can take days off to be with my family or to do the things I love outside of work. I spend my days meeting with clients whose children are struggling in school, and we formulate a plan to help make them more successful. I also do a lot of legal research, write legal briefs and participate in mediations with my clients. Additionally, I lead trainings for different disability organizations and schools; I teach them about the special education process in schools (primarily).
How do you bring ideas to life?
We have such an amazing team and often join forces, generating spectacular ideas through collaboration, research and creativity.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
I love the idea of podcasts and being able to provide audio and video feedback to families who are seeking answers for their children.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I think what makes me most successful is that I treat everyone on my team as a family. Everyone is an equal and I value my entire team’s opinion. I also work a lot on personal development. I try and read at least one book every week. I turn on my thoughts every day and spend a lot of time in prayer and seeking discernment. I also maintain a healthy diet and spend my lunch hours at the gym, which helps me to think clear throughout the day.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would probably tell my younger self to not take myself too seriously. Let things roll that don’t always work out perfectly and move onto the next opportunity. I’d also suggest not being afraid to follow your dreams. Don’t let anyone discourage you if you know that you are meant for a certain path.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
To be an effective leader or boss you don’t need to be condescending or overly authoritative. You can lead by example and with humility and get amazing results.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Continue to learn, admit that you will never know everything and that you are always willing to accept advice from others even if they have less experience than you.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
I give trainings to multiple groups of individuals for free. This has helped from a marketing perspective, even if I don’t get clients that particular day. They remember me and will call if they ever need someone to help with their children. I’ve also started using social media ads which have been very effective. We have seen an increase in traffic to our website and receive more calls.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
There was a time where I had too many staff and it became difficult to manage. I quickly learned we needed to have less employees and more ability to appropriately manage a smaller team. We are more effective this way.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Invest in yourself!
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I purchased a book for eight of my friends. It is a book that positively impacted my life, and my friends have all been blessed by it.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Final Cut Pro is amongst one of my favorite softwares. I recently started creating videos, and it is the perfect tool.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
For a business, I would recommend any book by Jim Rohn. One of my favorites is “The Art of Exceptional Living”. He gives practical advice about living a fulfilled life and accomplishing your dreams in our busy world. It has excellent strategies and advice for entrepreneurs.
What is your favorite quote?
CS Lewis: “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement”.
Key Learnings:
- Utilize your staff – you hired them for a reason, so they must have great ideas!
- Lead your team with humility.
- Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself.
- Read Jim Rohn’s, The Art of Exceptional Living.
Connect:
OC Kids Law on Facebook:
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.