Lessons Learned After Reaching Multi-7 Figures with Tom Tona

What happens when a PI founder fires himself from operations and hires a COO with zero law firm experience? Tom Tona tells me why he embraced chaos, rebuilt nearly every seat, and now runs his firm like a startup. Can you scale past seven by choosing a lane and deciding with only 30 to 50 percent of the data? What would it take to double in 2026 without touching most files? If you run a growing firm, would your own family choose it in a crisis?

Thomas Tona is the Founder & CEO of Tonalaw. He has over 30 years of experience as a New York State trial attorney, with a career concentration in Plaintiff’s Personal Injury & No-Fault Collections. For the last 23 years, he has cemented his firm’s culture and reputation for excellence, with the consistent pursuit of the firm's vision of "Fighting for Injured New Yorkers and the Healthcare Providers Who Treat Them". In addition, he personally manages all of the high-stakes Personal Injury cases involving traumatic brain injuries, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, falls, trucking accidents, and automobile accidents.


CHAPTERS

00:00 Who should run your ops, insider or outsider
01:14 Why this show exists for firm founders
01:42 Why bring Tom back now
03:12 The moment that forced a new strategy
05:29 Can chaos be a growth strategy
08:58 Three levels of ops, which one do you need
12:22 Hiring for excellence, will tech pay off
18:23 Fast decisions with half the data, smart or reckless
19:57 Spotting A-players in five minutes
21:02 When the business hits back, how do you respond
23:10 Big vision vs cash flow, where is the line
25:16 Stuck on a plateau, what breaks you free
26:50 One founder, two companies, how does that work
29:42 Too many ideas, how to keep the team focused
32:21 Past seven figures, how do you reach eight
35:31 Where to follow Tom and what to do next