Punam Denley — solicitor, mediator and lawyer

PUNAM Denley is partner, solicitor, mediator and collaborative lawyer at Blanchards Law based in the Market Place, Henley.

Married to Robert, she has two children and is stepmother to three more. She has lived in Henley since 2010 and she takes pride in client satisfaction and the quality of her work. She is often seen in Henley walking her two Poodles.

Describe your business

Blanchards Law is a boutique legal practice specialising in all family law matters, including divorce, separation, financial settlements and child contact and residence matters. We have also developed our expertise in pet custody disputes.

How many people does it employ?

Our team numbers 15, divided into senior and junior solicitors, paralegals, who support the solicitors and who are on the way to qualification themselves, and a practice manager with assistants.

What did you do before you started this business?

After university, I qualified as a solicitor in 1995 and immediately specialised into family law and so this is always what I’ve done. Just before founding Blanchards, I was a partner in a specialist international family law practice in Covent Garden.

When did you start your business?

I set up Blanchards Law in December 2011 from my living room in my house in Queen Street, Henley.

What was your objective?

Naively, I hoped that I would be able to spend more time with my children, who were five and seven, by cutting out the London commute. I wanted to be in a firm that had integrity, provided a quality service at a fair price and be empathetic and caring.

Who or what influenced you?

My husband encouraged me to set up on my own and helped make the necessary arrangements.

Do you have a mentor?

I have been grateful to numerous other business owners and fellow professionals for their ideas and guidance. As we expanded our team my business coach, Russell Munday, was instrumental in helping us focus on the most important issues at hand.

What would you do differently if starting again?

I would have been a little more ambitious and have planned for growth from the outset.

How is your business doing?

We have continued our steady forward momentum of the last few years. We are immensely proud to have been recognised for our work in the Legal 500, which is a directory of top lawyers.

Do you compare on a regular basis?

We compare activity on a rolling monthly basis mainly. There is a cyclical flow to our business throughout the year, which means trends are most relevant for us.

How do you market your business?

We invest a lot of time and money into our website, always adding informative and knowledge content for potential clients. We have tried to develop our brand through supporting local organisations, such as sports clubs. I have been a long-time supporter and ambassador for Henley RFC, which we sponsor, together with AFC Henley Veterans over-50s. This year we are a new sponsor of the Henley Festival.

What is the best thing about running your business?

It does provide a freedom and autonomy in decision making. That means we can invest considerably in the professional development of our team, without the pressures of meeting profit targets for needy equity partners.

What is the most challenging aspect?

You are rarely completely “off the clock”. I know I’m responsible for people’s mortgages and that can sometimes keep me up at night.

Where is your business headed?

We envision another two local offices along with a more permanent London presence in the next few years.

Do you have a work/life balance?

It is very difficult to step away entirely even when you are on holiday. I do enjoy sport and fitness, the theatre, reading and gardening and spending time with my family, but I’m not sure I’ve achieved that ideal balance quite yet!

Do you set goals for your business at the start of a new financial year?

Goal-setting is more of a continuous and organic process. We constantly strive to improve our service to our clients.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?

That making difficult decisions takes being brave and confident in your and your team’s abilities.

What advice would you offer to anyone starting a business?

Have confidence in yourself and commit fully. Seek advice from peers and business owners — no question is a stupid one. Work hard, be focused on what you want to achieve and accept mistakes along the way.

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?

I don’t think I’ve made any big mistakes. I was slow to diversify our work generation as we had some large referrers that ran dry for a while. Hiring is always a challenge but those mistakes have been very instructive.

How organised are you?

Extremely. Lists run my life! I am completely lost without my task list.

How are you planning for retirement?

I am very lucky to have some amazing younger talent within our firm who will be able to take over more of the heavy lifting in the business and I can transition to a less intense role.

What’s the secret of your success?

Working hard and giving clients an excellent service at a fair price.

What three qualities do you think are most important to running a profitable business?

Tenacity, team building and compassion.

How do you dress for work?

I dress as if I am going into an important client meeting.

What can’t you be without every day?

Coffee. It is a very bad day if I can’t get my morning cup of coffee.

Do you continue to study?

I do and each week I receive a digest from various sources of recent case law which I try and read.

What do you read?

I do love a good novel and now and again I will read something factual. I also read a newspaper every day.

l Interview by Will Hamilton, intermediary and global marketing consultant, Hamilton Associates