"How to Scale Tech Inside a Traditional Industry" - The Fast Slow Motion Podcast - Ep 052

In this episode, host Sam Donaghey and Fast Slow Motion CEO John Burdett sit down with Todd Richheimer, CEO and co-founder of ‪@Lawfty‬ to unpack what it looks like to build a technology-driven company inside one of the most traditional industries in the world.

Todd shares how he spotted major inefficiencies in legal services, built a data-driven engine to track case value over years, and made calculated decisions instead of guessing. They also dig into the build vs. buy dilemma and what pushed Lawfty to move a core intake function onto Salesforce, plus what it takes to lead your team through a change that feels personal.

If you’re wrestling with build vs. buy, carrying tech debt, or preparing your systems for the next stage of growth, this conversation will help you think more clearly and act more intentionally.

To connect with us, visit https://loom.ly/zuLUKk8.

#buildvsbuy #businessgrowth #scalingbusiness #entrepreneurship #salesforce #datadriven #techstrategy #thefastslowmotionpodcast

📺 CHAPTERS:

0:00 – Welcome to The Fast Slow Motion Podcast
0:46 – Introducing Todd Richheimer and Lawfty
1:29 – From Law to Entrepreneurship
2:41 – Spotting Inefficiencies in a Closed Industry
3:26 – What Lawfty Really Is (Law Firm Meets Tech)
4:28 – The Referral Fee Insight That Sparked the Idea
5:27 – Early Experiments and Finding Product Signal
6:29 – Why Data Matters When Revenue Takes Years
7:23 – The Courage Required to Build a Long-Term Model
8:03 – Using Math and Data to Run the Business
9:22 – Why Non-Lawyers Can’t Own Law Firms
10:25 – The Access to Justice Problem
11:27 – Calculated Risk vs. Reckless Growth
12:11 – Ignorance, Risk, and Getting Started Anyway
13:20 – Why Lawfty Built Its Own Software
14:21 – Founders Doing the Work First
16:01 – Building (and Letting Go of) a Great Team
18:35 – The Decision to Move Core Systems to Salesforce
19:56 – Build What You Have To, Buy What You Can
20:48 – Leveraging Salesforce and AI Innovation
22:06 – Knowing Your Core Business
24:04 – AI, Platforms, and Feature vs. Business Thinking
26:09 – Preparing Data and Process for AI
27:08 – Leading People Through Major Change
28:52 – Warning Signs It’s Time to Rethink Your Tech Stack
30:32 – Getting Ahead of Growth Before It Breaks You
31:42 – Disrupt Yourself Before Someone Else Does
34:34 – How AI Will Reshape the Legal Industry
36:42 – SEO, AI, and the Future of Lead Generation
38:52 – Final Advice: A Charlie Munger Quote on Focus
39:13 – Closing Thoughts and Where to Learn More