Notes from the Arena

Amanda Haverstick joins Tony to share how she built a LinkedIn audience of more than 67,000 followers and turned her legal writing expertise into a business.

They discuss finding your niche, writing to one specific person, and why building a strong presence doesn’t require posting every day. Amanda also shares what she’s learned about attracting clients and growing a business she’s still figuring out along the way.

We just opened the doors to The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: ⁠ https://www.contendercreative.com/thegym

Tony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht

Amanda's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandahaverstick

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://contender.kit.com/b93f165524

Every business is hard. So how do you choose what’s worth building?

In this episode, Tony shares why he’s choosing to grow The Gym rather than scale his ghostwriting agency, what he’s learned about running a digital community, and why choosing problems you’re excited to solve matters.

We just opened the doors to The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: ⁠⁠https://www.contendercreative.com/thegym

Tony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht/?isSelfProfile=true

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://contender.kit.com/b93f165524

Four years into building CONTENDER, Tony looks back at what worked, what didn’t, and losing a client 20 minutes into his first day. He shares five lessons on getting good at something, crafting an offer people can say yes to, finding the right clients, and accepting that solving one problem usually earns you two bigger ones. We just opened the doors to The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: ⁠⁠https://www.contendercreative.com/thegym Tony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht

In this AMA episode, Tony answers questions about getting started on LinkedIn, building relationships, and sharing stories beyond work.

He shares a simple weekly plan for getting involved and his take on LinkedIn’s future amid the flood of AI content. Plus, a few reflections on leaving law and the Seth Godin books that have influenced him most.

We just opened the doors on The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: ⁠https://www.contendercreative.com/thegym

Tony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht

Pat had built a successful legal career, from government work to helping Shopify grow through a period of rapid change. Then he and his family moved to Costa Rica, and he started a practice of his own.

On this episode, Tony and Pat talk about what it took to leave a stable path, how Pat found his first clients, and how listening to what clients needed helped him build a business that works for him.

We just opened the doors on The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: ⁠https://www.contendercreative.com/thegymTony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht/Pat's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pat-veilleux-967845186/

Jess Sargus joins Tony to talk about building a magnetic online presence and creating more surface area for opportunity. They explore how storytelling, consistency, and authenticity help you attract the right people while getting clearer on who you are and where you want to go.

We just opened the doors on The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: https://www.contendercreative.com/thegym

Tony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht

Jess' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesssargus

Spencer May entered law school with no network in Arizona and started using LinkedIn to build one from scratch. In this episode, Tony and Spencer talk about creating your own luck, building relationships before you need them, and how showing up consistently can open doors you never could have planned for. Spencer shares how that approach led to internships, job offers, a book, and opportunities that shaped the start of his legal career.We just opened the doors on The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: https://www.contendercreative.com/thegymTony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht/Spencer's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerdmay/

What does it take to stop following the default path and build a life that feels like your own? Tony sits down with Executive Coach Tarik Ali to unpack his journey from nine years in consulting to building his own business. They talk risk, reinvention, and using LinkedIn to build trust and create opportunities around the work you actually want to do.We just opened the doors on The Gym, a community for lawyers (and other leaders) who want to become that first call. You can learn more about it here: https://www.contendercreative.com/thegymTony's LinkedIn: https://www.contendercreative.com/thegymTariks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alitarik/

In this quick-hit episode, Tony breaks down the five stages every business goes through.

From asking “Is there something here?” to building a company that can finally scale without the founder at the center. He shares Contender’s real-time journey, the growing pains of letting go, and the momentum that comes when a team and model finally click into place.

In this episode, Tony shares an analogy he heard in recently: entrepreneurs are boat builders heading into open water instead of staying on the familiar shore.

He talks about what it takes to build, navigate, and lead your own “boat” as you go. A reminder that stepping off the script is where the real adventure starts.