Finding Communities: Your Key to Finding Answers to Your Biz-Related Questions
Welcome to another edition of Generation Si! 👋🏼👋🏾👋 What do you do if you have an idea for a tech-related business, but you don't have a background in tech? Camila Lopez, an attorney, shares how she navigated the waters to build a legal tech business.
Find out the following:
🌴Accelerator programs (and what an accelerator is)
🌴How Google for Startups is reaching out to the Latino community
🌴How she's hoping to turn her goal of helping thousands of people into millions of people
🌴Here's how Camila Lopez, the attorney, also became Camila Lopez, the entrepreneur...
🌴Just a quick reminder: don't forget to subscribe to this newsletter, if you haven't already.
Camila Lopez, Esq.: Co-Founder of People Clerk
GO BACK TO YOUR PURPOSE TO KEEP YOU MOTIVATED
“This is so many hours. This is crazy.”
“But, then, I remember, what is it that we’re trying to do?”
“And it’s help a lot of people navigate the legal system affordably, which they do not have affordable legal help currently.”
And with that, Camila Lopez, attorney and co-founder of People Clerk, said to her husband and business partner, Gustavo Lozano, “Let’s keep going!”
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOUNDERS EXIST - GET YOUR SHARE
These days, the two have an extra shot of adrenaline. Google for Startups just chose People Clerk as one of the recipients of its inaugural Latino Founders Fund.
That means they’re getting $100,000 for their business.
“It was a huge moment for us. It’s not just about the $100,000 they give you. It’s about the resources that they also give you access to.”
THE TIP JAR (Tips provided courtesy Camila Lopez)
STARTING OUT: "Startup School by Y Combinator. It’s all on YouTube.”
Lopez says, “This one’s for people who have never been in tech before.” [Note: That included her.]
STEEPED IN SKILLS (mid-career): “You’re never going to know until you start.”
“Join an accelerator. I’m an addict to accelerators. I find them extremely beneficial. From someone who had never been in the tech space, no idea about how to start a startup, I think accelerators are key.”
STARTING OVER: Lopez says, if you haven’t been in tech before, “Get up to speed [on] what it takes. You know, what are the steps to launching a startup?”
Again, she recommends Y Combinator's Startup School. “It’s really good. It’s free.”
I’LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN: “Trying to do it all – like on your MVP [Minimum Viable Product]… You have to be super narrow and focused about the specifics – like a specific problem you are trying to solve.”
BEST ADVICE FROM “LA CASA”/BEST “HOUSE” ADVICE: Camila says the advice that stays with her comes from her dad.
“What he always tells me is like, ‘Ah, Camila! All these people are always saying, oh, they’re so tired. They’re so tired. If they keep saying they’re tired, they’re always going to be tired… They’re always just negative about it.’”
Instead, Camila’s dad told her to always start with something positive.
“He works a lot. And he’s never said to me, I’m tired. He always starts with, ‘Yeah, this is going great! How are you doing?’”
WITH SOME FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, YOU GET MORE THAN JUST MONEY
The Google Latino Founders Fund is providing resources like mentoring and pairs the winners with a Googler (a full-time Google employee).
Keep in mind, Camila’s background is law, not tech.
YOU CAN ADAPT WITHOUT SACRIFICING YOUR ORIGINAL PURPOSE
“I went to law school to help people. I wanted to become the next Erin Brockovich.”
Luckily for Lopez, her husband and co-founder, Gustavo, is an engineer and former product manager for a multinational corporation. He was also the company’s first developer of their legal tech platform.
The couple recognized the problem they were trying to solve early-on in the process after watching hundreds of small claims court hearings.
“People were showing up to the hearings not prepared to present their case in front of the judge, both because they were procedurally unprepared… and, substantively, their evidence was all over the place.”
In a nutshell, People Clerk’s software-based solution is designed to help people prepare their lawsuit, organize their evidence and send their documents to court. In some states, it provides an option to get access to a lawyer for an additional fee. Their target customer is usually involved in a dispute that’s less than $10,000.
IT'S ALL A PROCESS - HAVE PATIENCE
To be able to offer their product, Lopez went through quite a process.
She started the company, and her husband helped her build “what’s called a minimum viable product, an MVP. And that’s when it started taking off.”
Three to four months in, Gustavo decided to leave his job and make the jump to join her full-time working on People Clerk.
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS? LOOK FOR COMMUNITIES TO JOIN
What Camila says really helped them was being able to tap into accelerator programs and founder communities.
In the legal field, she recommends LegalTechLIVE.
"That’s a really good one.”
"Techstars was our first non-legal accelerator. It teaches you basics like how to talk to users. How to build product."
Camila and Gustavo: First day participating in the Techstars accelerator program
She says she also turns to two Slack groups for advice.
Lopez turns to them “anytime I have a question, for example, like how to hire, how to make a job description.”
NETWORKING CAN BE YOUR KEY TO HIRING
And that’s something that took her by surprise – hiring.
“How do you source really, really good people to join?”
She says it’s not as easy as you might think.
Networking has turned out to be the best way to find talent vs. just posting on job websites.
It became so important that she says networking “will be part of our strategy as we grow. Continuing to network so we can find the best possible people to work on People Clerk.”
IT'S OK IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE LINGO; JUST BE OPEN TO LEARNING
The accelerator programs became critical in her entrepreneurial journey and in learning the lingo. She’s very open in the fact that, before she undertook starting this company, she didn’t know a lot of business-related terms like “KPIs [Key Performance Indicators], OKRs [Objectives and Key Results]” as well as what an accelerator is.
Note: Generally speaking, an accelerator is usually a very competitive business program that provides startup founders with education, training, limited funding and networking opportunities in exchange for that organization receiving an equity stake in the startup. In comparison, a business incubator is usually the government-funded counterpart that does not take an equity stake and may or may not charge a fee for the same kinds of services for startups.
A NEW LOCATION CAN BE ENERGIZING
Earlier this year, Lopez and her husband decided to move to Miami and are encouraged by what they're seeing in the startup ecosystem.
“What’s cool about Miami tech is that there are a lot of Latino entrepreneurs, which isn’t something you see in a lot of other places.”
She calls it “empowering.”
That, plus her mom’s work ethic has helped her push through the early grueling phase of launching a startup where it’s a constant series of ups and downs.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP = ROLLERCOASTER = ENJOY THE RIDE
She just started the Google Latino Founders Fund program and says it has definitely been a high on the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship.
But even on the down days, she finds a way to refocus on the mission at hand - finding a way to provide affordable legal help to the masses.
"I wake up and I'm just like, okay, this is it! I cannot wait to get to work and keep trying to solve this."
Partners in business & life: People Clerk Co-Founders, Camila Lopez, Esq. & Gustavo Lozano
INDUSTRY: Legal Tech
STARTED BUSINESS: “March 2020, but then we know what happened.
She says the courts shut down on March 17th in Los Angeles County due to the pandemic.
“And they started offering virtual hearings… around August 2020. So that’s when I would say the birth of People Clerk [happened].”
LATINO CONNECTION:
Born in Colombia
EDUCATION:
Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law - Juris Doctor
UC Berkeley - Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy
DREAM JOB AS A KID: “A chef. My mom was always convinced I was going to become a judge because one of the first words I learned in English was ‘judge,’… according to her.”
BIGGEST GOAL YET: “Helping millions of people access their legal rights. I live and breathe this. I know it’s kind of annoying, but I do.”
NO NEED TO GO IT ALONE
HELP ON THE OUTSIDE…because we can all use a helping hand:
Roundtable Time – Tax Talk
I love roundtables because they’re more informal and can give you a chance to speak up or just listen. I thought this one would be interesting because it takes on the topic of taxes, with a twist. It reminds you that how you approach taxes for your business really depend on whose perspective is being considered - your accountant, your banker or the IRS? The impact is a function of their point of view with respect to your business. Details below:
U.S. Small Business Administration and the Internal Revenue Service
“SBA/IRS Small Business Tax Series – RoundTable & Q&A”
Friday, August 19, 2022
9:00 a.m. EDT – 10:00 a.m. EDT
Virtual Webinar
FREE
https://www.sba.gov/event/1802
WORKING ON THE INSIDE...because we know our culture has a hard time asking for help:
Take Back Control of Your Time and Money
Since many people choose to become entrepreneurs to take control of their time and money, it can be difficult when the business takes over precisely both – your time and your money. This webinar will teach you leadership skills to increase your chances of success, as well as helping you create a setup and systems that allow for more delegation and more consistency. In other words, you’ll learn principles for sustainability.
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
“Three Key Principles to Help Your Business Work for You”
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
1:00 p.m. EDT – 2:00 p.m. EDT
Online Webinar
FREE
https://www.score.org/event/three-key-principles-help-your-business-work-you
INSPIRATION FOR THIS ISSUE:
Tech skills are becoming so much more critical. That’s no secret.
But if you have an idea for a business, transforming it for a digital world may be challenging, especially if that’s not your background.
Obviously, Camila Lopez knows she’s fortunate her husband happens to be an engineer.
But the attorney-turned-entrepreneur didn’t shy away from admitting that she really didn’t know much about the business side.
Her embrace of the tech and business disciplines was facilitated by accelerators and participation in founder communities.
These communities, regardless of whether they’re online or in-person, are playing an increasingly key role in entrepreneurship.
She says founders are the most supportive with other founders because they understand what you’re going through.
As you ponder or actually work through the challenges of your startup, taking a more active role or flat-out making your involvement in these kinds of communities part of your strategy can likely help you solve problems as they come up in your business.
Besides, who doesn’t appreciate knowing someone’s got their back? Good luck!
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🌴Sending you wishes for a great day. Thank you for your support! #theskyisNOTthelimit