Starting my own court reporting firm. Any advice???

[Janiece Young]

Well, after 31 years the firm I have been working for has merged with another firm.  I am taking this opportunity to start my own firm.  If you have any tips or words of wisdom, things to look out for, I would love to hear them.

Thanks,

Janiece

[Judy]

Janiece,

Congratulations!  If you have any specific questions, e-mail me directly.

I just found what I think is a great place for peel-and-stick business cards.  Very good quality, 1,000 for about $130.  And they're the individual stickers too, not a sheet or a roll.  If you want the source, let me know.

Judy

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Janiece, BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!  From reading your posts and things, I know you'll run a great agency.  I do wish you'd make a note from time to time, then after six months or so you come back here and make a long list of things that you never thought of, we didn't suggest, and someone else down the line would benefit from.  

M.A.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

You are family.  Let us know any questions you have.  We love you and will answer any questions you have.  kellikellikay@@aol.com if you want to email me about anything.  I'm here for you anytime you want anything.  I mean it. 

[Janiece Young]

Thanks for all the warm wishes.

A question that comes to mind is how do you build a web page so that it comes up near the top of the search when people Google?  I am wanting this for when out-of-town attorneys are looking for a reporter in the Kansas City Metropolitan area.

Thank you!!!

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

You need to join Google AdWords.  You need to pick words like "court reporter" or "deposition" or maybe Kansas City depo, etc. and then you will be charged per click.  Be careful, though, and put a limit on it or you will get a huge bill.

I used Google Adwords for CSRnation when I first got it back.  It got pretty expensive.  I finally terminated it when I realized people join just as much now that I'm not advertising as when I was.  But for you, it's a great way to get started and be able to control your advertising.  Good luck!!

[Janet]

I used Yahoo! SiteBuilder to create my page.  It's a free download.  I use Yahoo! Small Business for web hosting.  I've been happy with the service.   Here's a link:

 

http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting/

 

If you use the right tag words, you won't have to pay for hits.  The small business hosting shows you where you rank with your tag words. 

 

You can also place a listing in things like Yahoo! Local, Google Places.  Vistaprint does a great job with cards and stationery, etc. at a reasonable price.

 

I wish you the best, Janiece.  I'm excited for you!

[Janiece Young]

Janet,

Thank you.  It is a whirlwind right now.  It is all happening so fast.  My current firm is ending on the 15th.  My firm starts operation on the 16th.  I have a job booked on the 16th.  I'm off to a good start.  I hope it stays on the book, LOL

It's an exciting time.

[Mary Jo Cochran]

Got your business cards ready?  That's first.  You didn't sign a non compete clause, did you?  (Most likely not, not for court reporting). Start out by having a friendly chat with the attorneys you have as regulars (call them).  Then send then a hello letter (short and sweet) with a business card.

 

How to check if your name will come up first.  Test it now.  Go to Google and Yahoo and  type in your name, see what comes up.  There are a few companies that you can pay that help your name come up, but that may not be necessary.  You do a lot of posting, your name should come up fairly quickly.  Also with a first name like Janeice, it should come up quick.  (Meaning, your court reporting agency should have your name in it).

Also, if you haven't, be sure to do your LinkedIn profile.  Use the free version.

[Janiece Young]

I have been advised that branding is very important.  I'm working on a logo.  I have three possibilities.  Let me know which one you like, 1, 2 or 3.  I went with green b/c I like to grow things.  Hopefully my company will grow.  I used the letter "Y" as a base in two of the logos because my last name is Young.  I plan to take the word "Company" off and just go with Young Court Reporting.  

I think No. 1 and No. 3 kind of look like trees.  I like that.  The middle one is getting votes too.

Please give me your thoughts and suggestions.

Thanks,

Janiece

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I like the first logo the best.  Green is also my favorite color.  Very well done.  Simple and professional and not over-done.

[Glen Warner]

I had a lengthy analysis of the three logos on here, then I tried to use a keyboard command to go back  and fix a typo ... and the whole page vanished!

In an effort to avoid a repeat, I'll just say I'd go with number one.

[Judy]

Are you going to incorporate?  If yes, think about that "Inc." in your logo.  I used LegalZoom and it was painless.

Also, make sure you have a tax i.d. number for your new company in place before you send your first invoice.  You really do not want to use your ss # for that.

Think about what you're going to send with your introduction letter.  Regular business cards?  Peel-and-stick business cards?  Business card magnets?  Paper calendars?  Calendar magnets?  Pens?  They take time for production, so get them going so you can get that letter out asap.  VistaPrint is good for a lot of that stuff (but their peel-and-sticks are very expensive so I'd go with that other place I found last month if I were you).

Oh, are you going to offer videography?  Think about that in your name too.

How are you going to bind your transcripts?  There's lots of ways to do it.  What's the most popular in your neck of the woods?

How about an 800/866/877 number?  If you're going to get one, get it now so you can plaster it on your cards.

During your downtime right now, start amassing your attorney address database.  That way, when you're ready to send your letter, you'll just print it out on labels and you're good to go.  Or if you get it put into the proper software, you'll be able to print directly to your envelope.

Which brings up another point.  You'll probably want to order pre-printed (with you as the sender) #10 envelopes for your introductory letter.  You don't want to have to use labels for your info or print on your printer for that one.  Keep that introductory letter envelope as professional as possible. 

You'll also want to order pre-printed (with you as the addressee) #9 return envelopes to include with your invoices. 

Have you purchased your domain name?  I use GoDaddy.  I hate their advertising, but they're easy enough to work with.

If you don't have office space yet and don't want to put your home address on your info, get a P.O. Box.

But... make sure you have your exact name down before you go any further and start purchasing things.