Sonya Szabo is a Canadian business lawyer, former café owner, and entrepreneur who has never done things the conventional way — and that's exactly why it works. In this episode, she returns to the Rain or Shine podcast after eight years to share the full arc of her story: building and selling the Vic Café, going to law school at forty, battling imposter syndrome, and ultimately creating a law practice that reflects her values instead of the industry mold.

• How Sonya opened the Vic Café at 35 with three kids — and led with boundaries from day one
• Why she hired a manager before opening the doors
• The highs and hard realities of running a brick-and-mortar restaurant for eight years
• Going back to law school at forty and navigating four years of imposter syndrome
• The "90-year-old self" exercise Sonya uses to make every major decision
• Her "quit week" in 2025 — what triggered it and what brought her back
• Why in-person relationship-building has been her most effective marketing strategy
• What Zebo Law does and how to work with Sonya

1. Know your priorities before you open your doors. Sonya put a note in her very first employee handbook that said she was a mom first — and that transparency set the tone for every working relationship that followed.
2. Build the business around your strengths, not your job description. She hired a manager before opening and stayed focused on owner-level decisions from the start.
3. Your vision isn't a prediction — it's a decision-making filter. Sonya doesn't hold her vision because she expects it to happen exactly as planned; she holds it because it tells her what to say yes and no to.
4. Think about your ninety-year-old self. When you filter decisions through who you want to be at the end of your life, the noise clears fast.
5. A "quit week" isn't the end — it's a signal. Panic means something isn't working. Go back to your values before you go anywhere else.

• "Before we even opened our doors, we hired a manager. Traditionally that would have been the owner's job — but I knew I needed to outsource that and just be the owner."
• "When I hold a decision up against my vision and ask, 'Will this bring me closer to where I want to go?' — the answer tells me whether to say yes or no."
• "When people started connecting me and 'lawyer' together, you could see the relief on their faces — like, finally, a lawyer who doesn't make me feel belittled. Someone who makes me feel empowered."

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber (referenced)
• Sonya's Instagram: @askmeaboutcontracts
• Sonya's Website: sonyaszabo.com
• Kelsey’s Website: KelseyReidl.com
• Kelsey’s Instagram: @KelseyReidl
• First Rain or Shine episode featuring Sonya
• Voxer app — walkie-talkie voice messaging

Sonya Szabo is a Canadian business lawyer and the founder of Zebo Law, where she helps entrepreneurs and business owners navigate contracts, corporate structure, trademarks, and more — in language they can actually understand. After eight years running the Vic Café in Prince Edward County and selling it in 2023, Sonya went to law school at forty and built a practice rooted in her own experience as a founder, parent, and entrepreneur.