We're back! In the most unlikely of relaunch subjects, Jake explores powerful lessons from the dramatic collapse of Crumbs Bake Shop—a company that grew from a single Manhattan storefront to 50 locations and $66 million in revenue, only to go bankrupt within years. Through this lens, Jake reflects on his own journey at Minick Law and in his personal life, examining the critical balance between growth and sustainability. This episode tackles three essential lessons: the necessity of pruning alongside growth, the dangers of mentally "checking out" even while physically present, and the risks of over-specialization without adaptation. Today's honest conversation about scaling back to move forward will challenge you to examine where you might be overextended.

Episode Outline:

• Introduction: Why Cupcakes Matter
  • Crumbs Bake Shop's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall
  • Connection to E-Myth principles
• Lesson 1: Growth Without Pruning Leads to Collapse
  • Professional: Minick Law's expansion challenges (2020-2024)
  • Personal: Real estate overextension and the million-dollar mistake
• Lesson 2: Mentally Exists are Still Exits
  • Professional: Working "on" the business effectively
  • Shiny Object: Freedom Fighters Summit transformation to Mastermind
  • Personal: Presence and the 2026 alcohol-free Misogi
• Lesson 3: Specialization vs. Blind Hyper-Focus
  • Professional: DWI practice in a changing landscape
  • Personal: Running – from adventure to all-consumed to all-in
• Closing: Hope and Rebirth
  • The Bauers' comeback story
  • Looking toward 2026 as a "blossom year"

On today's episode special guest Justin Philbeck shares strategies for attacking substitute analyst testimony, particularly on blood results involving drug impaired driving cases. After a decade as a prosecutor, including five years as a Regional Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor with the NC Conference of DAs, Justin stepped into criminal defense and concentrates his practice in DWI, traffic fatalities, and driver's license protection. In this episode, Justin does a deep dive into Smith v. Arizona and it's NC progeny before offering practical strategies for using these cases to suppress lab results on a DWI case. If you have any cases involving drug possession or drug related DWI, this episode will provide ammo for fighting the admission of lab results.

On today's episode Jake has sales and intake conversion guru Tony Le of the Law Firm Mentor on the podcast to discuss why most law firms ignore potential client conversion rates, where he has seen the biggest gains in intake with the firms he has coached, tools that are available for increasing sales, the biggest mistakes intake specialists and attorneys make during a consult that decrease conversion rates, and the #1 questions a law firm owner should ask related to improving their conversion rate. Tony is an absolute sales machine and has worked with criminal defense owners to produce significant revenue gains and a better quality of life. If you are looking to be able to help more of the potential clients that call your office this episode is a must listen!

Upcoming Webinar:

If you enjoy today's episode, Tony will be leading a webinar on Sept. 5 at noon entitled: 3 Game-Changing Shifts to Maximize Criminal Defense Conversions

Your phone is ringing, and your website forms are filling up — but if you're not converting those leads into consultations, you're leaving money and market share on the table. In this high-energy, one-hour webinar, we'll dive into three essential conversion strategies every criminal defense firm must master: lightning-fast response times, consult-worthy lead qualification, and trust-building follow-up that closes the deal. You'll discover how to remove the friction in your sales funnel, optimize intake for speed and persuasion, and position your firm as the only choice in a crowded market. This isn't theory — these are field-tested fixes that win business in the toughest practice area.

Sign up at: https://share.hsforms.com/1rvgcFUF-R-S9X5mxbrTknA549gk