In 1992, I faced a pivotal career decision that would change my life forever. Fresh out of law school, I had secured a respectable job offering $150,000 in salary plus bonuses. It was a solid start to my legal career—or so I thought.
Then my maritime professor approached me with an unexpected opportunity. “Dave, you’re the best sales guy I’ve ever met,” he told me. He explained that West Publishing, a Minnesota-based company that published law materials, was looking for four young lawyers to sell their books online through “this new thing called the internet.”
My initial reaction? Complete disinterest. I had just completed law school and had my career path mapped out. But then my professor mentioned the compensation: “$250,000 at plan.”
Those five words made me reconsider. The simple math was compelling—250 is indeed more than 150. Despite my reservations about veering from my intended legal path, I took the job.
Outworking the Competition
What happened next demonstrates a principle I’ve lived by throughout my career: when you lack experience, make up for it with effort. I knew I wasn’t as naturally talented as my colleagues. Most of them were seasoned professionals with families and mortgages—they had years of experience I couldn’t match.
But I had something they didn’t: hunger and the willingness to put in extraordinary hours. While they worked standard 8-hour days, I pushed myself to work 16 hours daily. I wasn’t just working longer—I was determined to become twice as efficient and twice as effective during those hours.
My strategy was simple but demanding:
- Double the working hours of my competitors
- Maximize efficiency during those extended hours
- Learn and adapt faster than anyone else
- Never settle for average performance
This approach wasn’t about working hard for the sake of appearing busy. It was about recognizing my limitations and compensating for them through sheer determination and volume of effort.
The Power of Hustle
My colleagues had advantages I couldn’t match. They had established networks, polished skills, and years of experience in sales. But they also had commitments and responsibilities that limited their flexibility. They couldn’t—or wouldn’t—put in the hours I was willing to invest.
I leveraged this difference. While they maintained work-life balance, I was all-in on building my career. Was it sustainable long-term? Probably not. But I wasn’t thinking long-term yet—I was focused on establishing myself and proving my worth in a field where I started behind.
Nine months out of law school, I was a millionaire.
That result speaks for itself. In less than a year, I had transformed from a law school graduate to a millionaire. Not through inheritance, luck, or cutting corners, but through relentless effort and strategic positioning.
Lessons From My Early Success
Looking back on this formative experience, several key lessons stand out:
First, be open to unexpected opportunities. Had I stubbornly stuck to my original plan, I would have missed the chance that accelerated my financial success.
Second, recognize your competitive advantage. Mine wasn’t experience or connections—it was my capacity and willingness to outwork everyone else.
Third, when you’re starting out, volume can compensate for skill. By doubling my hours and focusing on efficiency, I overcame my initial disadvantages.
This experience shaped my approach to business throughout my career. While I don’t advocate working 16-hour days indefinitely, I firmly believe that strategic periods of intense effort can create breakthrough results.
My journey from law school to millionaire in nine months wasn’t magic—it was mathematics. Double the hours, double the efficiency, and you quadruple your output. In a competitive field, that formula creates extraordinary outcomes.
The internet was just emerging when I took that job with West Publishing. None of us truly understood how transformative it would become. But by positioning myself at the intersection of law, sales, and this new technology, I caught a wave that propelled my career forward at remarkable speed.
Sometimes the best opportunities don’t align with our original plans. Sometimes the path to success requires us to work harder than seems reasonable. And sometimes, when we combine unexpected opportunities with extraordinary effort, the results can come faster than anyone would predict.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What was the job offer that changed your career path?
In 1992, I was offered a position with West Publishing in Minnesota to sell law materials online through the early internet. The role offered $250,000 at plan, which was $100,000 more than the legal job I had initially accepted.
Q: How did you manage to become a millionaire so quickly after law school?
I achieved this by working twice as many hours as my colleagues (16 hours daily instead of 8) while simultaneously focusing on becoming more efficient and effective during those hours. This approach allowed me to dramatically outperform expectations in sales.
Q: Did you have any special sales techniques, or was it purely about working more hours?
While I worked significantly more hours than others, it wasn’t just about time invested. I focused on maximizing efficiency and effectiveness during those hours. My maritime professor had recognized my natural sales ability, which I combined with extraordinary effort to compensate for my lack of experience.
Q: Would you recommend the same approach to young professionals today?
I don’t recommend working 16-hour days indefinitely, as it’s not sustainable long-term. However, I do believe in strategic periods of intense effort, especially early in your career. The willingness to outwork competitors can be a powerful advantage when you’re starting out with less experience.
Q: What was the most important factor in your early success?
Being open to unexpected opportunities was crucial. Had I rigidly stuck to my original career plan, I would have missed the chance that led to my financial breakthrough. Combining opportunity recognition with extraordinary effort created results that neither factor alone could have produced.
