VIO, launched in 2009, is an immigration service based in Queens, N.Y., which provides back office support and case management to attorneys to help them save time and money - and keep their clients.‘Ah ha’ moment that led to launching the business: It began six years ago when I realized that there is no other service that provides attorneys with cost-effective immigration support and free case management.
Ideal customer: Immigration attorneys who are solo practitioners, as well as mid level and multi-national corporations.
Landing first customer: I did it by cold calling.
Measuring Success: I measure by counting the number of attorneys who become annual members and continue to use our services.
Biggest Struggle: Enrolling attorneys as annual members.
Surprise!: I continue to be surprised by the power of referrals, which has benefited my business tremendously.
Getting Sales: We do extensive email marketing as well as cold calling.
What I wish I would've known: Time management/setting expectations are essential: in the beginning, attorney would want their work completed in two to three days when our standard turnaround time was two to three weeks. As a result, we instituted rush processing for those attorneys who need legal work such as petitions or briefs completed immediately.
What keeps you up at night (business-wise!)?: How to attract more annual members and provide the best service to immigration attorneys.
Biggest Goal: To raise at least $200,000 for the business. We are on track since are attracting more annual members.
The absolute best part of owning my business is: being my own boss.
If I had to start over again, I would: implemented this service sooner.
I never imagined: generating high volume sales would be so difficult.
If standing on a rooftop facing crowds of aspiring or struggling small business owners, I would shout: "Press on!"
