We are thrilled to share that our very own Founder & CEO Michael Mogill was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 finalist by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US).
Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous world for all.
Michael was selected by an independent panel of judges. Entrepreneurs were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
Michael’s Entrepreneurial Spirit
Michael Mogill, a first-generation immigrant, started Crisp in 2012 with just $500 to his name and grew the company to 8 figures in revenue in 8 years. Each year since the company’s inception, Michael has made big bets and committed to big transformations, all without a penny of outside investment.
In 2018, he released his best-selling book for law firm owners (The Game Changing Attorney) and decided to host the largest law firm growth conference in the world (Game Changers Summit). He saw a need for a change in a traditionally innovation-resistant industry and refused to play small. The team at Crisp had never hosted an event before, let alone an event of this magnitude. But having the guts to go all-in and make it happen — and make it great — is a hallmark of Michael’s decisions as a leader.
In 2020, Michael made the decision to purchase a 60,000-square-foot building and began construction to turn it into a state-of-the-art training facility for Crisp’s clients and their teams. This was a huge investment made at the height of the pandemic, when everyone else was doing the opposite. He pushed forward and has never looked back, all because he is committed to the company’s long-term vision of helping 1,000 law firm owners grow their businesses by $1M+ each ($1B impact), no matter the challenging circumstances we all faced.
As a leader, Michael has learned countless lessons the hard way — through mistakes, failures, and challenging experiences. His whole philosophy is that the most empowering thing you could ever do for another entrepreneur is to provide them with the confidence and clarity to make the decisions that move them toward the outcomes that they want, and that’s exactly the direction he has taken Crisp.
Michael’s Purpose
Michael — through Crisp — is on a mission to help over 1,000 law firms grow by $1 million each by 2024, making a $1 billion impact on the legal industry.
This mission was carefully chosen because he believes that in a perfect world, the best cases should go to the best attorneys. Unfortunately, in today’s ultra-competitive legal landscape, the best cases go to the best marketers. Mogill strives to bridge that gap so both can be true. He wants the most game changing attorneys in the country to get the best cases, grow the strongest law firms, and make the greatest positive impact in their communities.
Why attorneys? Because these committed legal advocates are necessary counter-balances in society. We need good lawyers to protect people who need help, right wrongs for those who have suffered injustice, and to hold large businesses accountable for defective drugs, harmful products, and other dangers to our citizens.
Crisp has been named one of the Top 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Atlanta eight years in a row [2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023] and has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in the U.S. six years in a row [2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022]. Mogill’s company also earned the distinction of Top Workplace in Atlanta in 2022 and 2023.
His approach is to take everything he’s learned generating massive growth in his own organization and help the country’s most ambitious law firm owners do the same for theirs, elevating the perception of the legal profession in the process.
How Michael Has Grown Crisp
The large investments Michael has made in growth and innovation in his company have repeatedly allowed him to reinvest all financial gains back into the business, with the ultimate goal of furthering his purpose. The Game Changers Summit and the development of the brand-new Crisp HQ and Training Center are prime examples. By aligning all his decisions with his mission of supporting more leaders at a higher level, success has always followed.
Internally, Michael is a strong believer that having the right people in the right seats can generate exponential growth in a business. That’s why he’s designed an intricate hiring process to weed out wrong-fit candidates and attract only the best. Crisp’s approach to hiring involves investing the time and effort up front to understand who a candidate is, what their strengths are, and how they might fit into the mosaic of the Crisp team. This is to ensure each team member has long-term success here. He wants every new Crisper to confidently step into a role that is rewarding, empowering, and the best fit for them.
In addition to the intensive Crisp hiring process, Michael has implemented a continuous education program with numerous opportunities to go above and beyond with a thoughtfully structured system of earning credits through approved trainings, resources, and certifications, as well as opportunities to develop their own customized curriculum based on their individual accountabilities and interests.
Finally, Crisp annually invests over $1,000,000 in team member benefits, providing 100% coverage on health, vision, and dental. Creating a better future starts with investing in our people. After an experience like the pandemic, Michael never wants any of his team members to be concerned with their health and well-being — and he wants to live as a powerful example of what multiplying impact looks like.
Michael’s Impact
By supporting the success of law firm owners, we aren’t just helping one person at a time. We empower each attorney to help more clients, hold more corporations accountable, make consumer products safer, and save more lives. We also make a significant impact on the internal growth of these businesses, resulting in more job creation in the communities our clients serve, stability for their teams, and higher levels of support for their families.
In 2021 and 2022, Crisp has made the largest and most impactful community contribution in the company’s history. We partnered with Bert’s Big Adventure (BBA), a nonprofit organization that provides a magical, all-expenses-paid, five-day journey to Walt Disney World for children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families. Following the annual trip, BBA provides year-round support through multiple charitable organizations, such as the Family Reunion Adventures, the Fairy Godparent volunteer program, and more.
Thanks to donations from Game Changers Summit attendees, as well as 100 percent of the proceeds from all Crisp swag sold at the event and an additional matching donation by Michael and Jessica Mogill, we have raised $300,000 for this life-changing cause over the past two years.
Michael has contributed to the Atlanta community each year through volunteer and philanthropic initiatives, as well as national and global causes. He donates all the proceeds from his debut book The Game Changing Attorney to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), an organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance for refugees and that helped Michael’s family and countless others escape antisemitism in the Soviet Union and establish themselves in America.
Finally, by purchasing and redeveloping the building that has become Crisp’s headquarters, the company is continually investing in the West Midtown area of Atlanta, providing jobs, small business support, and neighborhood development in the local community.
What’s Next for this Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
Regional award winners will be announced on June 22 during a special celebration. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2024.
Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are building bolder futures. The program has recognized more than 11,000 entrepreneurs throughout the US since its inception in 1986, and it has grown to recognize business leaders across 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth, and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world.
Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall Award winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title.
About EY Private
As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices, and entrepreneurs.
About EY
EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people, and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform, and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax, and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.
