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The Idea
Chris DuCoin approached Startup Street as an accomplished surgeon with extensive work as an expert witness in the medical field, helping to provide insight and expert opinions on varying medical issues in relation to their perspective legal cases.
He knew there was a need to help legal professionals obtain not just any medical expert witness, but to know they were getting the best of the best; a platform that partners legal professionals with the top expert witnesses in their appropriate medical categories. This was indeed a fantastic idea, but…
Where to start?
This is a situation that is quite common with individuals looking to get a new venture started. They usually bring a great idea, experience in the field, and the understanding of the marketplace.. but how to start a company around it is a completely new experience, so there’s a lot of uncertainty.
ANALYSIS
Startup Street was grateful to partner with Chris and help Doctors4Lawyers.com become a reality. In order to do so, the following needed to be researched, discussed and decided upon.
Items to Tackle:
- Billing: With two target markets for the platform (doctors and lawyers), the who, what, when and how of billing needed clarity.
- The Offer: What exactly were we pitching to both sides, and how would they work together? What are the key features and benefits, calls-to-action and verbiage that captures the essence of the company?
- Technology: How are we going to keep track of everything? What technology will we use that will allow for lawyers, doctors and the company to all work together effectively?
- Marketing: Once the platform is life, how do we go about targeting two audiences at once?
- Legal: What contracts are both sides required to sign, along with how are we positioning the company inbetween?
- The Brand: How do we create the type of branding that will resonate with both sides, including the logo, website and taglines.
The Solutions
Monetization: In order to get the platform established, Chris worked with Startup Street and developed a cohesive business plan that solved these questions. Through extensive research, the questions around monetization – including who, when and how and amounts – were answered, and a roadmap to profitability was established.
Technology: After numerous demos and phone calls, the technology needed was a group called Practice Panther, which allowed for an easy management of the entire transaction from start to finish along with streamlining the company’s managerial and invoicing tasks.
Practice Panther’s core business was a bit outside of what Doctors 4 Lawyers was launching, but it was the best fit for what the team needed, and will allow them to grow without substantial overhead increases.
Legal: Startup Street referred Chris to a trusted partner legal firm, and worked with Chris and the firm to develop contracts that were both legally sound while also serving the interests of a smooth running operation.
Note: Just because a contract is legally sound, does not mean that it’s structured in the correct manner or that the legal firm has a solid grasp of how the business will operate or grow. Some contracts are fairly simple, others are more complex. It’s always wise to include a business consultant in this aspect of forming the startup.
Branding: The brand’s positioning was to place D4L as the leading choice for ONLY the best expert witnesses within their surgeon categories. D4L didn’t want to be just another database of experts, instead striving to focus on exclusivity and results of their medical professionals.
Note: This brand positioning carves out a niche for D4L without narrowing down too far. When brands are determining their positioning, it’s important to consider overall market size in relation to the niche, in order to assure that “over-niching” has not occurred.
The logo was developed by Startup Street by combining the letter D with the letter L in a sleek and modern manner. This style works in both the legal and medical fields, and the creative behind it is just enough to be clever without coming off as cheesy.
The website was developed to be clean, educational and professional with a tech-forward feel. The information was organized in a manner which makes it easy for end users to navigate, which is especially important if a startup has two separate target markets (doctors AND lawyers). Social media accounts were set up and templeted posts were provided to help Chris hit the ground running.
The Results
After a couple of months of research, discussion and collaboration, Startup Street had taken Doctors4Lawyers.com from an idea to reality, providing Chris with the clarity on how the business will operate along with the early stages of a legitimate brand.
Startup Consulting
Have an idea for a business but feel like it would be a lot easier if you had a partner to help get it going? Startup Street is always available for startup consulting, featuring everything from coaching to business plans to pitch decks and more. With hundreds of previous companies under our belt, Startup Street is the type of practical and hands-on guidance you need to launch successfully.
If your company has been doing well, and you feel that it’s time to take your online presence to the next level, feel to reach out and let’s see what’s possible! Feel free to email us at contact@thestartupstreet.com or schedule your free consultation below by contacting us.
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