TELUS challenged entrepreneurs on the TELUS Business Facebook page to share their best to-the-point and convincing elevator pitch for a chance to win one of two business productivity prize packs. With more than 100 submissions, Jeff Fung was one of the finalists.
Jeff Fung knew the key to successfully launching mylawbid.com was people. He networked at his alma mater, Queen’s University and, later, sponsored the annual conference of the Federation of Asian Lawyers. “We are referral based and relationship-based and that is crucial to our success, even though we are online,” he says. The service allows lawyers to bid on consumer jobs (at no cost to the consumer. No more random, frustrated Googling.) The site, launched in July 2011, is in beta phase, meaning lawyers can sign up for free. (Fung hopes to institute a monthly or annual pay structure by Q2.)
In December, The Globe and Mail’s Small Business LinkedIn group ranked mylawbid.com in the Top 10 “must have resources for entrepreneurs.”
How did you develop the elevator pitch?
I wanted to demonstrate the value of the company to everyday users and I targeted them rather than investors. I believe I can provide services that are useful to individuals and small business that, maybe, aren’t plugged into the legal community and need help finding a lawyer.
When did you start using social media?
We’re still working on our social media strategy. I’ve been using Facebook and LinkedIn since I started. I was experimenting, joining groups on LinkedIn, and I’d post interesting legal articles on FB. I can’t say we’ve perfected it as I’m still learning how to properly approach users. I also joined Twitter last fall. And we’re trying to create instructional and promotional videos for YouTube. I haven’t figured out user acquisition so if you have any ideas I’m all ears!
Many businesses struggle to build their customer base and attract new customers with limited resources. Your advice?
Figure out what you need on your website to attract people and then focus on that before you start spreading the word. We really needed lawyers to respond to people’s inquiries, so our first phase was reaching out to them. We are province-wide and have 100 lawyers in the GTA. (Including Devry Smith Frank LLP, Gardiner Roberts LLP in Toronto and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Vancouver.) We also have lawyers in Ottawa, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo and Smith’s Falls. We’re working on building a presence in Vancouver.
What technology was crucial to building your business in 2011?
It’s not about technology for us. The way we built our network of lawyers so far, besides through social media, has been by building relationships – with legal organizations, or organizations that service small businesses, or channel distributors like real estate agents.
What was your greatest success in 2011?
As a business owner who is just starting out it was really exciting to get the validation that the idea was going to work and that people valued it. That really happened after we were profiled in The Globe and Mail in December. We got a lot of traffic on the website.
Imagine you’re considering starting a new business. Given your experience, what are two things you’d advise yourself?
I’ve learned patience. There aren’t going to be 1,000 lawyers signing up for your service; even if you think it’s a great idea, you need to sell people the value. It’s about working hard and putting in the hours.
I could have fleshed out the business plan. I knew how I would acquire lawyers but was less clear on how I would acquire non-lawyers. And having an SEO strategy when we launched, so we would have older web pages and appear in search results in a better position.
What are your business goals for 2012?
The main one is to transition from beta testing to the revenue-generating phase. And to expand into other cities, Vancouver and throughout B.C.
Amber Nasrulla is an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in North American and British publications including L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and London Weekly Times.
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