Risk, Reward, and Resilience: Building a Law Firm from Scratch

Lem Garcia shares his journey of building one of Southern California's fastest growing personal injury law firms from scratch, discussing the risks, challenges, and rewards of entrepreneurship. He details his path from being heavily in debt to creating a successful business through determination, resourcefulness, and strategic marketing.

• Taking risks is essential to entrepreneurial success
• Starting a business is like flying a plane—getting off the ground takes the most energy
• The first year of business is the hardest, especially when revenue is delayed
• Local SEO and customer reviews were key growth drivers in the early stages
• The legal industry faces increasingly competitive and expensive marketing challenges
• Creating free content on social media is an effective strategy for those with limited budgets
• Immigrant mentality provided a foundation of frugality, hard work, and problem-solving
• Finding harmony between business and family means other interests often take a backseat
• "This too shall pass" serves as a guiding principle through both challenges and successes
• Express gratitude even for difficulties, viewing them as opportunities for growth

Connect with Lem on Instagram @lemgarcialaw or email him at lem@lemgarcialaw.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Lem Garcia
• 1:35 Starting from Zero with Family Support
• 3:55 Immigrant Mentality and Work Ethic
• 6:09 From Photographer to Lawyer
• 9:16 The First Year Struggles
• 11:06 Building Success Through Local SEO
• 13:19 Managing Competition and Marketing Costs
• 18:02 Balancing Family Life and Business
• 22:30 Lessons in Risk and Gratitude

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your host, chris Anderson. In this show, chris and his guests will share their knowledge and experience on how to go from zero to successful entrepreneur. They have built their businesses from scratch and are now ready to give back to those who are just starting. Let's get ready to learn, grow and elevate our businesses. And now your host, chris Anderson.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate Media Podcast. I am Chris Anderson, your host, chris Anderson. Enough to get things going because there is risk involved, so we brought on an expert. He's also a lawyer, so I'll watch what I say. I'm just kidding. He is a first generation American, devoted husband and father and the founder of one of Southern California's fastest growing personal injury law firms, built from scratch with faith, grit and a few craigless finds. So, lim Garcia, welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast today. Hey, chris, thank you for having me. It's great to be here, absolutely Super excited to talk about this risk of building a business, because it does come with that. So, like I mentioned, you've built one of the most respected law firms injury law firms in SoCal. But it didn't start that way right. Take us back to 2014, in those early days of trying to start your own law firm.

Speaker 3: 1:34

Yeah, so 2014 started out, just me in the office trying to figure it out. I never had any experience building a business. I was kind of a new lawyer. I passed the bar just maybe like two years before opening my practice. And, yeah, I would have to say that it was pretty nerve wracking knowing that I have to pay the rent and try to find a way to get clients in the door. But I just thought you know what, if I just commit myself 100%, I think I could figure it out.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Yeah, and I think that's one of the biggest thing is like just taking that leap right, um, and like just taking the risk and taking that action to get started, to get that momentum slowly churning. Um. You know I mentioned craig at the beginning because I believe in your bio you know you had some stories involving craiglist furniture and family support. Can you kind of dive into that a little bit?

Speaker 3: 2:28

Yeah, I mean to start, I was my wife and I. We were in debt. We had a lot of student loan debt, we were both lawyers and we were just saddled with over $100,000 in student loan debt. So we didn't have much money, but we did have immense support with our family. We were living with my parents at the time and, yeah, I just needed to make sure that the place was furnished. So where else do you turn to get good deals? You go to Craigslist and see what people have on there and they wanted more than I paid. But we negotiated and just like, hey, this is all we got, it's a couple hundred bucks. And they said, yeah, let's do it because they want to get rid of it too. Right, so just made the deal and started off furnishing the office with that and just really, you know, just scratching and making sure that we use every dollar as efficiently as we can.

Speaker 2: 3:15

To start, yeah, testament to like making it work and not necessarily having to have the very best or the brand new things all the time and being creative with solving the problem Right and and kind of taking you that risk and putting yourself out there. You know, first, first generation American, I think right, first first person in your family born in the U? S some immigrants, if I'm correct on that part, born in the US, some immigrants, if I'm correct on that part how did that influence kind of that work ethic that you know solve the problem, figure it out, make it happen, take that risk. How did that influence you?

Speaker 3: 3:56

My mom was a business owner. She had her own hair salon.

Speaker 3: 4:00

And I saw them from the age, I think, four years old, when I saw my parents build her hair salon and my dad went and built it up, put all the chairs, the mirrors, the flooring, and from the beginning I saw what it took for them to build their business. And then I just always took that and I said I'll just apply that same kind of just pick yourself up and build something and you have no one else to turn to, you have to figure it out on your own. Just do whatever it takes, read the books, talk to whoever you can talk to, check everything off the list. And I think if you do all those steps you'll figure it out eventually. It's, the information is out there and people are willing to help.

Speaker 2: 4:43

Yeah, I think you know. The big thing is just not quitting, right, you can never beat someone who doesn't give up, who keeps going. So your heritage is you're from the Philippines, right You're right, yeah. So do you see that a lot in that culture of just that work ethic like in general, or was it just kind of more your family?

Speaker 3: 5:03

I think there's definitely an immigrant mentality, um for filipinos that come to america, where we have to figure it out and we have to work hard, and um, we just have to make sure that we do everything that's necessary to succeed and really also um be frugal in in your spending and make sure that you're not spending your money on anything luxurious or extravagant. Just the basics and have that covered. And yeah, I applied that to the business too.

Speaker 2: 5:32

Okay, and I think that's a good thing, especially with social media. Like, we see all the highlight reels right and we think we have to have certain things or do certain things a certain way or do certain things a certain way. But for you you kind of dive into, you had something going before law right. That was like kind of a good thing and you kind of pivoted.

Speaker 3: 5:58

I believe you're a photographer right Previously, yeah, so before law school, I was a legal assistant and I was also working as a photographer for the los angeles clippers and I wanted to be a photographer. I love journalism, I love photography, I love basketball, and it was just kind of like all those things all at once, yeah, and while I was there it just the job, uh, became a job in the end, and I think I learned a lesson that everything, no matter how much you love it, everything becomes work. Everything becomes a job in the end. So then I pivoted. I said you know, let me find a way to help more people and make more of a change in the world and also, of course, make more money so that I can provide for my family in the future.

Speaker 2: 6:48

And I think that's the that could be a tough pill to swallow, right? Like man, I love that as my passion. But, um, yeah, I kind of am not like in the future that this will hold. Like it kind of is monotonous or whatever it is to shift to to a more instead of self-centered, or like I like this too. What can I do that can serve more people that I can enjoy? Still, that will provide, I think is a is a huge thing. So when you did that and you walked away from you know, that photographer job with the clippers, you didn't have much, right. You had, you know, positive mindset. To start your own firm had to be pretty scary, right yeah.

Speaker 3: 7:27

Yeah, starting my own firm back then was very scary. Like I said, I had no experience, didn't have money and I did not know what was to come. I just knew I had to find a way. And I think, yeah, when your back is against the wall and you have to find a way out, you have to make it work. You're doing everything possible to make it work. You're reading all the books, you're talking to all the people, people, and you're putting in the work from from morning until night, and it's it's never enough time, and I just, you know, invested all my time, energy, money into getting it off the ground, and I think that's the hardest part of it. This is getting it off the ground. It's like trying to fly an airplane. It takes so much energy to get that plane off the ground and you have to keep on ascending and then, finally, when you do reach a certain height, you can kind of just glide right. But the beginning is really really tough and and scary.

Speaker 2: 8:20

I mean same thing with, with, with the flight yeah, and I like to preference like, yes, the risk of starting something not knowing if it will succeed or if it'll fail, it can be daunting, right. But if you truly like, expand your view of it all, like, what is the actual risk, right, maybe you get in a little bit of debt, maybe you get the pain of like have to say, yeah, like that failed, the embarrassment kind of thing, but it's not going to kill you, right? So the risk you you know, if we can look at it a bigger viewpoint isn't really necessarily we may get a bigger deal than I think it it really should be right definitely.

Speaker 3: 9:03

I think that's because we're you alluded to it like we're social creatures and we do not want to fail, because if we fail then maybe we'll become, you know, an outcast or pariah or embarrassed in our community for all the people that saw us fail. Yeah, but ultimately, like, like they say, the biggest risk is not taking any risk at all, because if you don't take the risk, you don't take the shot, you'll never make the shot, you'll never, you know, have your dreams come true and ever you'll never succeed or accomplish what you want to accomplish if you, if you don't take that risk. So taking the risk, um, is really not that much of a risk at all. And if people, if you fail, I mean you feel like cause, no one was paying attention to you anyway, so like who even knows that you're failing?

Speaker 2: 9:46

That's a good point. Yeah, uh, no one's going to pay attention anyway. That's good, I like that. So you know, do you remember a point as you're building your law firm that you were like maybe this is going to fail, maybe it's not going to work? Did you ever have that kind of moment of like this, like make it or break it, like I don't know, like this is crazy?

Speaker 3: 10:06

I mean really, I think that doubt is always there. You just never know what's going to happen. But the first six months to a year was really difficult because there wasn't money coming in.

Speaker 1: 10:19

And.

Speaker 3: 10:19

I mean personal injury. We don't get money until maybe six months to a year after we even get the case, and I have to keep the firm afloat while working on these cases, and then are we going to continue to get cases. So the first six months to a year was hard, but then, after I saw the first couple of checks come in, I said you know what this is going to work out. I'm going to figure this out. Just need to get more of these cases and more reviews. Get positive reviews online. Build a reputation.

Speaker 2: 10:49

It's just going to go up from here. Yeah, so how did you find what's your best avenue, or what your best avenue was of bringing in more business? Because, I mean, there's there's different pathways to do it, different ways to go about it. What did you find worked well for you to bring in new clients? What worked the?

Speaker 3: 11:07

best for me was local SEO and in 2014, nobody was really focusing on getting reviews for their business and it was just kind of a new thing where people say, oh, people are shifting to the cell phone to look up businesses, they're not using computers, they're using their cell phone, they're not using the white pages. It was still kind of new compared to where it is today. So everyone's already glued to their phones, everyone's going to be on the cell phone looking up businesses and it's like now we look you know 2025, like, of course, everyone knows that, but in 2014, it wasn't as obvious as it is now. So I just focused on the local SEO, getting reviews, doing a good job for clients.

Speaker 2: 11:58

And that was a huge factor in just getting me ahead of the people in the area.

Speaker 3: 12:01

So you, had that social proof there that people could find when they searched you. Yeah, the social proof of people. If they searched for a car accident lawyer in the area or they looked up my name because they found me somewhere else, someone referred me over they would say, oh, like, yeah, he has the most reviews. Oh, he has um great reviews more than any you know, more than other people in the area or even farther. So, um, yeah, it's, it's really important. I mean, you can brag about yourself, but it means a hundred times more when somebody, someone else, is bragging about you absolutely, yeah, I think it's.

Speaker 2: 12:32

It's super crucial to have those testimonials um, those examples of what other people have experienced, for people to go to um, because, as we're building this, like people, there's there's risk for people wanting to work with us or be our clients. You know so they have. We can mitigate some of that or make it less risky, I think that's. But even along our business journey, like after starting, like like we mentioned, starting is a huge risk, like you're taking that risk, um betting on yourself. You know now, right For you, almost 11 years later or 11 years later, what are some risks that you still have to navigate or that you are navigating, being so seasoned in your business.

Speaker 3: 13:17

So I don't know how familiar you are with the personal injury space, but it's extremely competitive, so there's always somewhat a new office starting a business. There's always the bigger guy is just spending more money or the smaller guys. Is everyone just spending more money? So smaller guys, just everyone just spending more money. So in turn, we have to spend more money too. We're always looking every month at the advertising. How much are we spending? How much does it cost? What's increasing? Where else do we need to put advertisements? How else do we reach out to our previous clients to make sure that they remember us because they had an accident a while ago? We need to stay top of mind, and all that costs money and we have to make sure that. Are we spending the money in the right place? And if we do this but do spend the money like is it, is there going to be a return on that investment?

Speaker 3: 14:04

so I and it's just getting more and more expensive, like daily, like it just I just increased my budget for, um, like, let's say, I increase my budget for yelp and I'm like I go on and I check it out and I say, oh, our ads aren't even showing up anymore and it's because all the other firms are increasing their budget and increasing the cost per click and I'll know your advertising budget is spent in a week. Jeez.

Speaker 2: 14:31

So you find paid ads are doing well for you, but the budgets are just continuing to increase.

Speaker 3: 14:38

Yeah, it's like a big game of chicken with these other firms. Everyone's just spending and they say, okay, let's just price them out. They're going to stop spending. And then when the smaller firms stop spending, then their price per click goes down and like, okay, now we're back to normal. So it's really like okay, how long can?

Speaker 2: 14:56

you push out a little guy saying yeah, yeah. So if you didn't have the ad budget, what would? What would be your direction to? To grow, yeah. And if you?

Speaker 3: 15:05

don't have that budget, that's all right, you can still figure it out. I mean, yeah, there's so many avenues where you can just get attention for free, either facebook, instagram, tiktok you just create something there and you can post for free, just if you I mean, if you want to just just flood it just, yeah, keep on posting and, um, that's, that's free attention. You just have to. You have to have the time to create the content, yeah, and that doesn't take much time if you're willing to put yourself out there, you know, get the camera and you face it to yourself and say something, say thank you, say why you're the best or whatever how you can help. And that's what I would do if I didn't have an ad budget. I would create just a bunch of free content and provide value to people. I tell them what they can do after an accident or whatever they're looking for, just the most google terms, most most googled questions.

Speaker 2: 15:53

Just answer those questions for them, yeah 100 and I think you've got on something right there for any business. Like, go to google, type in some keywords, see what questions pop up that people are searching because those are going to be the top hits, and then, uh, create youtube videos around that, because then youtube is the biggest, second biggest search engine. Uh, so people are gonna be like, hey, how do I, you know, go about? I had an injury at a in a car accident like what do I need to do or what are the steps, and you have a video. It's gonna pop up. Uh, because now with AI too, you talk about SEO searches. You talk about SEO searching earlier. Now you got you know AI, yeah, optimization stuff, where it's filtering through and pulling things up, and so it pulls out a video.

Speaker 3: 16:36

Um, so, yeah, I mean you can do that free, which is great, um yeah, if you're starting out, whatever business you're at, you have time to play with the chad, cpt, ai tools. I think you might be even in a better position than someone that has a business already. Yeah, because you get to find out what those tools are and leverage it, versus someone, like, where you have a business established, like like me, like I don't have time to play with those things right now. Right, but somebody that's up and coming that's gonna figure it out. They, they can, they might be able to create, you know, hundreds of pieces of content in a second and then, before you know, it's like oh, I'm having to catch up.

Speaker 2: 17:09

Yeah, it's crazy what, and it's, it's, it's. You know, everything comes pros and cons, and so social media, ai, you know, use as a positive tool, great, uh. And so, yeah, if you're just starting out, you don't have the ad budget, um, because I think, too, you have to know your market before you really push out ads as well, to make it make it worth your, your, your dollars. So, um, but it's such a, yeah, such a evolving, continuously evolving thing and, uh, we'll see how AI continues to shift, uh, the business and marketing side of things, um, as we go. But, um, how, with that too, like, um, you know we're both fathers, right, we both have kids. Um, that changes our. You know how we lead our households, too, right? Um, so how do you, how do you go about doing that? How do you balance or I hate balance, not, really, there's no balance how do you harmonize, you know, growing a business with being present in your family, family's lives?

Speaker 3: 18:09

I mean that's, that's, that's's the eternal question I think it's finding that balance as a business owner and as a parent.

Speaker 3: 18:15

So I have, yeah, I have three young girls and, yeah, they you know my family needs my, my time and attention and I want to be there for them for all the big moments. And you also also have the office that's always calling, always beckoning, doesn't care what time of day it is, day or night. There's always some kind of fire to put out and I don't know if I really have necessarily an answer for it. You just have to accept the situation, really, that both will always be calling for you and when you're doing one you do that 100 and when you're doing the other, you do that a hundred percent.

Speaker 3: 18:49

Um, but I don't mean like if you're with the kids, you don't work at all. Maybe when they're biking around in circles, then you could check your phone and answer some emails. I mean, right, yeah, I worry. If you're on a break, like, you can pay attention to what the family needs and and you know, book flights or book hotel, whatever it is that you need to do as a parent catch up when you have a moment Right, and I think it's just something else has to give in your life.

Speaker 3: 19:20

So your, your hobbies and your other passions you probably will need to give up on those a little bit. Like I love basketball, I love watching you playing it, and that is I have to give that up. Yeah, I love watching you playing it, and that is I have to give that up. Yeah, I'm not playing or watching as much as I used to. Now I just watch highlights versus. I used to watch games yeah, I used to go play games and now I just shoot around for a minute or two and that's kind of.

Speaker 2: 19:44

I think how you find balance between work and life is that everything else goes to the wayside a bit yep, yeah, and that's kind of like like I like the word harmony because, like balance, I think of scale, uh, and so like some things weigh more than others on the scale, so you have to kind of balance it out, and so what is that? But harmony is, like you know, I think, music. I think how do you get all these melodies, uh, you know, in your, your life to kind of just mesh and create something beautiful that you know you and everyone else can enjoy? And yeah, it's, it's. I mean, I got two young boys, we're about to have a third in October, and so it's like, yeah, just like continuously, you know, shifting and pivoting, and you know, finding the harmony with everything is, is is a challenge in itself, right, so what do you want? You know you talked about, you know you had your daughters as an entrepreneur. What do you want them to see and learn from you on this journey?

Speaker 3: 20:49

I would like my girls to see that hard work pays off good, because a lot of times they see things that are hard and they say, well, and they want to give up, they don't want to push through. They say, oh, I don't want to do that because it's hard, like I like. I like volleyball, I like basketball, I like tennis, but it's, it's hard and I'm. Yes, things that are rewarding, things that are cool, they're hard and that's what makes them rewarding, that's what makes them cool. So, if you go through the fire, you go through the difficulty, you make the on a daily basis like there is going to be that um, that reward and then that particle, whatever it is goals that you have you can you can achieve those things through just really simple, just hard work, discipline and sacrifice.

Speaker 2: 21:43

Yeah, I like that. You added, and you got to build that character in them, right, that they don't shy away from the hard thing and that they can take their own. You know, calculator risks in life, but with that comes some struggle and that's just part of it, right, it's not going to be easy. It wasn't meant to be easy, but it was meant to be, you know, enjoyed still and impactful and, you know, beautiful, right? Yeah, yeah, I love that.

Speaker 3: 22:10

And I love just your story and beautiful right.

Speaker 2: 22:11

Yeah, definitely, yeah, I love that and I love just your story and your journey that you've been through, and here at the end I'd love to just go through some rapid fire kind of questions and see your answer for this, outside of starting your law firm, what is one risk you took that paid off big?

Speaker 3: 22:34

introducing myself to my wife, all right nice, how did? That go?

Speaker 2: 22:40

was that, was that? Uh, what was that introduction like?

Speaker 3: 22:44

uh it was. It was a bit nerve-wracking. So we were at the gym, I was was on the treadmill oh yeah, that is a big one. And then she goes up next to me. I didn't know her at all. She goes next to me on the treadmill, next to me and she puts a book down on the treadmill and it's like a study guide for the bar exam. Oh, wow. And I just I'm like, wow, I have to say something, right? I just think I said, oh, are you studying for the bar exam? And that's how it started.

Speaker 2: 23:15

That's so cool, that's awesome. And taking that moment like out of all the gyms and all the treadmills in the world, she stepped into that one.

Speaker 3: 23:22

you know and went right next to me. Yeah, it was just a gift.

Speaker 2: 23:38

Like it was like wow, I have to say something like that's cool. Oh, and, by the way, there were like 10 treadmills and they were all open. That's awesome, that's so cool, that's great. Uh, I love it.

Speaker 3: 23:43

Um, next one, uh a book quote or scripture that guided you along your journey? I would say that the bible, this too shall pass. That's a huge one that you know. I don't have it like on the wall or anything, yeah, but I find myself turning to that when something has gone wrong for me yeah, and if I'm feeling sad or depressed or anxious, it's like, okay, there's a huge problem facing me, but with time this will pass.

Speaker 3: 24:11

So just there's that, just assurance that I know that whatever it is that I'm going through will be over at some point I love that.

Speaker 2: 24:19

Yeah, anything, yeah, all storms have to end right, uh. But like, even with that, like all good stuff comes to an end, too right, that will pass and so, being able to be in the moment, enjoy it, because that's a good, that's an excellent point.

Speaker 3: 24:31

Yes, and that makes you just appreciate whatever it is that's in front of you. Like this is gonna come to an end, yeah, so just enjoy it, or just take, appreciate every moment. Whatever's in front of you good, bad or indifferent just appreciate it, because it's not gonna be there forever.

Speaker 2: 24:45

Yeah, I love that quote too, so I'm. That's awesome you brought that up.

Speaker 3: 24:48

Um, what's one thing you wish more business owners understood about risk that risk is the barrier to success, it's the cost of admission, yeah, really. Like you have to take the risk if you want to succeed, and that's it's just a necessity. Like if you don't take risk, you're not going to be able to scale your business or grow your business the way you want, and that's what prevents people from taking the next step.

Speaker 2: 25:20

Yeah, I love that that's a good one. And the last one what's God been teaching you lately? What's God?

Speaker 3: 25:26

been teaching me lately? Yeah, what's God been teaching me lately? Yeah, oh, wow, I can't. I don't know if I could rapid fire this one. That's all right. What's a lesson recently that I've been? I mean, recently, I've just been really grateful for everything and talking to him more. Yeah, just expressing my gratitude for everything as much as I can, and I don't know what verse there is that expresses that, but I'm aware that in my prayers that I'm always just expressing gratitude for everything. Even if it's something that I view as bad or something that's not something that I that I view is bad or something that's not something that I like, I still see it as like okay. Thank you for this opportunity for me to overcome this challenge.

Speaker 2: 26:16

Yeah, that's, I love that. And we were just talking in our small group Mike, we're in a couple of smaller at church and we were talking to. They asked a question. One of the individuals said um, how well do you celebrate what God is going to do? Uh, like, how, how many times?

Speaker 2: 26:39

Or how well do you just kind of celebrate, even in the midst of a storm or you know, unknown, like celebrating like actually, like verbally, like say something about, like you know, whatever you're about to do, like super excited, or I know you're going to be doing something great, even though I don't know what it is, and I actually celebrate that moment. And it was like like and just crazy. That same day I was like I literally just like kind of had like a fist pump moment with god, like man, like I don't know what you're about to do, but like there's just so much that you're you're working through all of this stuff to better your kingdom and things and using me. It was just like a kind of moment and I think that was an interesting question. But I love the gratitude part too, like just being grateful for whatever it is the lesson, the learning or the good stuff that he gives. I think that's a really cool, cool thing to to kind of put out there and teaching him.

Speaker 3: 27:36

Yeah, I think it really helps just centering yourself and reducing any kind of anxiety that you might have and just being being feeling fulfilled and being being happy. Yeah, it's just grateful for whatever is being given to you. Then how can you not be, uh, fulfilled and happy, absolutely?

Speaker 2: 27:57

so well, lem, this has been fantastic. I really enjoyed talking to you on this episode, um and all the you know insight you've given your journey and about risk and how it's necessary. If people want to get connected to you or just learn or see what you're doing on social media, where's the best place for them to go to connect with you?

Speaker 3: 28:18

My Instagram at lember seal law. You can email me lem at lember seal lawcom. That's the best way.

Speaker 2: 28:27

Awesome. So, yeah, if anyone you know is out there listening, get connected with lamb. Just see what he's doing, support him If you need an injury while you're in the area, or even not reach out to him. But again, Lem, thanks so much for being on the LV Media Podcast today. Thank you for having me Absolutely, and if you're listening to this and you haven't yet, make sure you go. Follow the show. It just allows us to get these episodes in front of more people, to help and make a bigger difference in the world. But until next time, continue to go out there, elevate your life, elevate your brand, and we'll talk to you again soon.

Speaker 1: 29:02

Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. See you in the next episode.