IAM016 – Lawyer, Entrepreneur & Author Helps Clients with Consumer & Business Debt

Leslie H. Tayne, Esq., is a consumer and business debt-related attorney. She founded Tayne Law Group, P.C., concentrating solely on debt resolution and alternatives to filing bankruptcy for consumers, small business owners and professionals. Leslie has over 20 years’ experience in debt relief.

• CEO Hack: Video conferencing
• CEO Nugget: Go with your gut and trust your instinct
• CEO ReDefined: Leader of the pack, pilot and captain of the ship. Responsibility

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslietayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TayneLawGroup
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taynelawgroup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taynelawgroup
Book: https://amzn.to/2MMP8D5

Full Interview:

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Transcription:

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long long interview? If so, you've come to the right place, Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:28

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Leslie Tayne Esq, that's Tayne Law Group. Leslie, it is awesome to have you on the show.

Leslie H. Tayne 0:40

Thank you so much for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

No problem, no problem. And what I wanted to do was just read a little bit about Leslie so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's been able to do and she is doing. Leslie H. Tayne Esq as a consumer and business debt-related attorney, founded the Tayne Law Group PC, concentrating solely on debt resolution and alternatives to filing bankruptcy for consumers, small business owners, and professionals. And Leslie has over 20 years of experience in debt relief. So Leslie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Leslie H. Tayne 1:11

I certainly am.

Gresham Harkless 1:12

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, the first question I usually have is just to kind of give you the floor or the mic so to speak, and see if you can tell us a little bit more about your CEO story, your background, and what led you to start your business.

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Leslie H. Tayne 1:22

Sure. So because it's over 20 years, my background is long. But to sum it up, I started out as an attorney as a house counsel to a national debt settlement company, I was with them for a few years, and I felt that I could make a difference by opening up a law practice that specifically concentrated in the area of Consumer Debt resolution and alternatives to bankruptcy. Most people were just thinking at the time of, you know, a bankruptcy situation. And you know, when you sought out an attorney for debt resolution, that was the solution. For, I felt that coming from the in-house counsel position and starting to see the wave of a future in terms of debt resolution alternatives, I knew that the consumers would be vulnerable. And I knew that opening a law practice would make it so that consumers would feel much more comfortable working directly with an attorney in a very manageable situation that didn't give people the fear that they have with attorneys didn't give them the fear that they have a debt resolution traditionally. And that's why I opened my own practice.

Gresham Harkless 2:23

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Yeah, give it definitely give people peace of mind, so to speak, especially when going through something like that. Imagine there's a lot of fear of the unknown. So it sounds like you kind of help people to kind of maybe navigate those waters and make sure it's not as strenuous and stressful as it could be so I guess, could you drill a little bit deeper? And tell us a little bit more about like, what exactly you do for your clients as far as your products and your services.

Leslie H. Tayne 2:44

So I think you hit on a really good point that it's there's a fear factor and an anxiety factor. There's also frustration when it comes to financial issues and also an embarrassment, people have paid their bills regularly and on time, year after year. They're respectable business people that are attorneys or doctors or teachers, they are members of the community. I've had clergy. and so there's this there are so many pieces of the puzzle when somebody comes to see me and that's really the first step. So when you ask me, how do I really help somebody? It's there's an understanding of what's going on within that individual or business person's mind as to what's happening.

So we have a free phone consultation, it is a conversation to speak with me and one of my assistants to assess really what's going on. So we just have to know what are the symptoms of the problem very similar to if you were going to a doctor, what is going on in your financial life. And then we set up an appointment to come in, we sit and we discuss those details that we discussed over the phone in greater detail. So I started to learn a lot about that individual or business person's personal life financial and business life. And the important piece to know is that they're both intertwined. So obviously, what happens in business happens in your personal life, if there's less money coming in, or you lost your job, or you lost your biggest account, or you're not getting that money in fast enough, the receivables are slow. And you know your practice has changed considerably. So many of my doctor patients and doctor clients have their practices have just changed over the years from cash cows to dealing with insurance companies. So really understanding what's causing a lot of the issues is the way we come up with a strategy or solution to resolve things. So we want the client to be open and honest with us. And we want them to feel really comfortable with the process.

So we get it all out on the table with expectations. And we talk about what's the best solution to managing the underlying issue, getting them out of that, that problem, and getting them to a new place. So that involves short and long-term goals. And then we come up with a solution that absolutely makes sense. And we work through it and the best piece of it is that everything's all-inclusive. We come up with a single monthly payment based on the total amount of debt that the client has. There are no large retainers, there's no monthly billing, it's there are no hourly rates, you know, you know, if you've ever dealt with a creditor, I'm sure that you have a positive or negative, it takes time to get through to them. So we don't want clients to be billed because we're sitting on the phone for one to two or three hours with the creditor. So this comprehensive program, where we come up with this budgeted dollar amount monthly is really successful. And we're there for them, we have an open door policy, things are good things or bad things I want to know about that. So it's important that you don't get that with the big companies. And that's really the difference between what my company offers and what's out there, the personalization, you know, in a world that's become so impersonal, think about how your banking relationships have changed, you never deal with the same person, you don't even speak to people in this country.

So we want to keep that personalization going where the client comes to us. And it's not a typical law firm, you're not like, you know, sign here, and we never talk to you, again, we have an open door closed off. And as you like, we'll let you know what's going on. And we'll keep you up to date. And in many cases, my clients get refunds when they're finished. So you just don't see that in any type of form of debt consolidation or debt resolution. And, and frankly, I really want to take that negative stigma out of debt consolidation and debt resolution on certainly the debt settlement industry, which has been wrought with unfortunate incidences where consumers have been taken advantage of, we want our clients to come out at us and say, wow, had a great experience. And if you ask yourself, how many times you've come out of something where you were involved with lawyers, and you say, wow, that was a great experience. It's feel, you know, even I have been involved with lawyers over the years, we all need them for one reason or another. But we all want to come out and say, I wish I didn't have to do that. Nobody wants to say that. But you're going to need me at some point. And when you need me, I want you to come out and say, You know what, I had a different experience with the Tayne Law Group. And I had a, I had a good experience. And you know what, I feel positive about it. And instead of so much negative energy surrounding what goes on in the legal world, what goes on in the debt world? You know, it can be positive, and we do turn around and try to really be positive about it.

Gresham Harkless 7:10

No, that's awesome. that's awesome. And I love your process, especially how are you looking at it from like a dentist or a doctor. So it's so to speak, where you're actually looking and seeing what the issue is, and then you're coming up with a solution based on what the issues are not kind of like a one size fits. So he might have already touched a little bit on it. But I want to ask you again, again, just to see is there are some of the things that you feel make you unique. Did you already kind of touch on some of those things? Are there some other things you want to add on top of that?

Leslie H. Tayne 7:35

Well, I think I'm unique in a lot of ways. First of all, been a single parent for 10 plus years where I started my business, you know, very young and I was divorced early on my kids were only three and five, I managed my three little kids all those years are now all going into college, but I managed my kids and made my business what it is. So I just know that I try to take a real perspective from things that certainly makes me unique, I don't mind keeping my practice, the way it is, you know, we are selective about who we're willing to work with. We want to work with people who want and have the desire to get things resolved. So it's not a one size fits all or size, like catch-all situation. You know, I think that my desire to keep the legal community and the debt resolution community, reputation clean is very different than the motivation I think that some of my predecessors and some of my even competitors out there were, you know, it is a money-driven.

Listen, we're all in business to make money. But my motivation here on a daily basis are all my clients happy, you know, are they walking away with a good experience? So we tried to say yes, more than we can say we can't, you know, that's not going to fit into the model. And the piece that makes me the most unique is that I've taken my business and turned it into a franchise opportunity. So we've we have opportunities to sell franchises and offer franchises in a number of different venues.

We want to bring the service to different areas and communities that maybe we can't get into, you know, there's different ethnic communities, minority communities, there are all different kinds of communities where they need some sort of help. And by bringing somebody from that community in as a partner or a franchisee I want to be able to reach out to other communities. I mean, frankly, I don't speak Spanish. I mean, I have staff that does but um, it's not a community that I'm let's say, for example, I'm not actively involved in that. But we would love a representative from that community that is actively involved so that they can bring the service that we have to them directly. So that's why we started the franchise program and it's definitely something that we're, you know, we have at the forefront of our growth. And that makes us very unique as well.

Gresham Harkless 9:40

Makes perfect sense. Yeah, and being obviously client focus is one of the biggest things, but you you definitely have have talked about it and is insanely important because you forget that if you don't have any clients, you're not in business. So it's important for you to be client focus and make sure that you're helping out your clients. So the next question I wanted to ask you ask you was for a CEO hack which might would be like an app or book or something that you feel like you use on a regular everyday basis that you feel like makes you more effective and efficient as a CEO.

Leslie H. Tayne 10:07

So what makes me most efficient, choose a really good staff, you can't always replace that with an app, you know, we are always looking into different opportunities, apps, and other services that can make things a lot more efficient. What's become really most efficient is in camera meetings where I can be in another location, let's say in my office in Florida, and still meet with a client here in New York or vice versa. So for me, what's really an invaluable tool is the use of video conferencing, and I like it, it gets better every single day. And it gets much easier to use on a regular basis. And that's making things a lot easier. Because the truth is, in my business, people still want to see who I am, they still and I don't blame them, they want to see who I am. They want to touch and feel and they want to get a good feeling. And we want them to have that. So I don't want us to become so impersonal that everything is done electronically, although we do have clients that will sign up electronically online. And that's great. But there are plenty of people out there who still want to see that face-to-face. And that's a really invaluable tool for us to stay in contact with our clients, and give them that real feeling when we're just not jurisdictionally or geographically close to one another. So that's really helpful.

Gresham Harkless 11:17

That's awesome, that's awesome. Yeah, that's one of the best ways you can continue to be efficient and effective and continue to evolve like you said, if something doesn't exist, then you create something for yourself. So that makes perfect sense. Now, the next question I had, is a CEO nugget, which might be like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice that you might give to other CEOs, entrepreneurs, or business owners.

Leslie H. Tayne 11:36

So I would have to say that the one piece of advice that I could give people is that you really have to go with your gut and your instincts, understand that you are going to make mistakes, and that not every decision is going to be the best one. And sometimes you're gonna make decisions that pull your eye off the ball. But always stay focused on what it is that you're trying to achieve revisited on a regular basis. Be involved in every aspect of your business, you can't be an expert in every area, but you can understand what's happening and be involved. And I think that that's the most the best piece of advice just to really understand that you have to go with your instinct, as an entrepreneur, as a business owner. And you have to trust that and if you're in a place where you really don't trust your instinct or your gut, then you need to get a mentor who can help reinforce that and help teach you to understand what it feels like inside your gut to go with it. You know, do I feel good about this? Is it the right decision, sometimes I've felt good about things and we've gone within it hasn't turned out the way I wanted it to turn out? That doesn't mean it turned out that it just means it turned out differently than what my expectations were.

So you know, over the years, and as I've evolved as a person and a business person, you know, my decision-making gets solidified more and more as time goes on. I'm really confident with myself at this point in my career, and confident with my decisions. Sometimes I still feel frustrated. So that doesn't that the frustration is still there. Sometimes, you know, sometimes you feel as a business owner, you're trying to push this giant rock up a big hill, and you feel like, you know, am I ever gonna get it to the next level, but you just keep persevering and trust your judgment and trust your instinct and just go with it.

Gresham Harkless 13:09

I love that. I love that. Yeah, that rock never seems to ever go away. No matter how much you push and push. It's always there. But I love that piece of advice. You know, trust your intuition, trust your gut. Because a lot of times you already know the answer, you just gotta kind of listen to yourself. So um, one of the next questions that I'm super excited, you know, to ask you is we get a lot of different quote unquote, CEOs, and we're looking to kind of redefine, like, what it means to be a CEO. Um, so I wanted to ask you very specifically, like, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Leslie H. Tayne 13:35

So that's an interesting question. Because I don't always define myself as a CEO. I'm definitely an entrepreneur and businesswoman. I am a CEO, of course, but I don't know that in my position I've defined myself the same way you would define yourself as, like the CEO of a very, very large company, although, you know, our roles may be similar but on a different scale. So the way I see myself is that you know, I am the leader of the pack, and I am the captain of the ship. And it's my job and my responsibility, I think there's a big piece of that puzzle, which is the responsibility piece, my responsibility to my clients, my responsibility to my business, and my responsibility to my staff. And biggest of all, it's my responsibility to myself. So, you know, as a CEO in a smaller type of company, you know, I wear a lot more hats. I think that a very well-defined CEO and a large company who's maybe not the COO and the CMO at the same time, you know, I wear the CEO, the CMO, and the COO at times, and law, a lot of different hats. So you know, I'm pretty well versed in all those areas when it comes to my business. And so I see myself more as that a pilot or the captain of the ship where I am making lots of decisions. I'm getting the information from my assistants, but I'm certainly wearing a number of different hats. So that's where I am with the CEO piece of the puzzle.

Gresham Harkless 14:55

I love it. I love the captain or the pilot. I love that. That analogy so to speak. And, Leslie, I truly appreciate you for taking the time out of your schedule to kind of speak with us and tell us about all the awesome things that you're you're doing. I wanted to give you mike one more time just to see if there's anything additional as far as advice or anything about your business, she wanted to kind of tell our readers and our listeners, and then after that, if you can let us know how best to get hold of you.

Leslie H. Tayne 15:18

Sure. You know, as far as my business is concerned, we're available to help anybody wherever they are. But we help people with all different kinds of debt. You know, we really positioned ourselves, and certainly myself as a debt expert. And I wrote a book called life and debt. And that's available on Amazon a lifeanddeathbook.com. And that's a really great place to start. If you have some, even beginner questions about budgeting and money management, that is really nothing the most important piece I always try to end on and try to express is nothing to be embarrassed about. What's the only piece that's the most important piece is understanding that debt happens. It's part of life and you know, finding the right person to help you with it. You know, there are so many life circumstances that come up where debt and money, need some assistance and don't be afraid to reach out there. But when you do look for companies, I do want to warn you that, again, go with your own instincts there. But be aware whether that company, you know, some of the red flags, how long have they been in business? Where can you meet them? Who are you really talking to? Is it gonna make things better? Or do you see things you know, what's going to happen down the road, really take your time and research it and find the right person to work with who can help you. So you can certainly reach me easily. Obviously, if you Google Leslie Tayne, it's www.taynelaw.com. I'm on every social media Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, and everywhere out there. So and the book is a life and death book. So we're happy to help and consult and again, our conversations over the phone are always free. So why not take advantage of that opportunity?

Gresham Harkless 16:56

Definitely. definitely. Well, Leslie, I truly appreciate all the awesome things you're doing. You're a superhero, being a single mom and doing and juggling all those different things. And we'll make sure to have all those links in the show notes just in case anybody wants to get a copy of your book, of course, follow you on any social media. But thank you so much again, and you are super awesome. And I truly appreciate the time you took today.

Leslie H. Tayne 17:15

Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Outro 17:18

Thank you for listening to the I am CEO podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at Iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE And leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co This has been the I am CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless thank you for listening.

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