This Week in Startups - Brian Lee, Co-Founder of Legal Zoom & Founder of ShoeDazzle | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Brian Lee, co-founder of LegalZoom, shares his journey from being a lawyer to starting successful businesses such as ShoeDazzle.

Key Insights

• ❓ Brian Lee believes in leveraging celebrity partnerships to create buzz and credibility for his companies.
• 👨‍💼 The online business models of LegalZoom and ShoeDazzle capitalize on the convenience and cost-effectiveness of the internet.
• 🐕‍🦺 Both companies focus on providing personalized services to their customers, whether it's legal documents or fashion recommendations.
• 😤 Brian Lee emphasizes the importance of belief and culture in building a successful team for a startup.

Transcript

down I can trip a referee tell by my attitude that I most [Applause] definitely hello and welcome to this weekend startups I'm Jason Azar the CEO and co-founder of Doc stock.com it's a website where people find and share documents once again I'm guest hosting this week for Jason calacanis uh he'll be back for the Friday show and we're going to try ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Brian Lee and his partner come up with the idea for LegalZoom?

Brian and his partner had experience in law and noticed a need for affordable legal services. They decided to create an online platform that would allow people to access legal documents and services without the high costs of hiring an attorney.

Q: How did Brian Lee convince Robert Shapiro to join LegalZoom?

Brian cold-called Robert Shapiro and pitched him the idea of LegalZoom. Despite initial rejection, Brian convinced Shapiro to give him two minutes to explain the business model. Shapiro was eventually convinced and joined the company as a co-founder.

Q: How did Brian Lee come up with the idea for ShoeDazzle?

Brian's wife's frustration with the lack of personalized service at shoe stores sparked the idea for ShoeDazzle. He drew inspiration from successful online businesses like Netflix and Groupon to create a subscription-based model that would provide personalized fashion recommendations to women.

Q: How did ShoeDazzle attract celebrity partnerships, like Kim Kardashian?

Robert Shapiro, who had connections to the Kardashian family, introduced Brian Lee to Kim Kardashian. Kim saw the potential in ShoeDazzle and became a co-founder and spokesperson for the company. The celebrity endorsements brought significant buzz and credibility to the brand.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Brian Lee co-founded LegalZoom, an online platform that offers legal documents and services without the need for an attorney.

• After the success of LegalZoom, Lee started ShoeDazzle, an online subscription-based service that delivers personalized shoes to women each month.

• ShoeDazzle's unique business model, celebrity partnerships, and focus on customer engagement have contributed to its rapid growth and success.