90: The Man Who Built a Massive Legal Practice and International Fanbase from a Video Store, Rick Sterger

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Rick Sterger. Rick is epitome of what it means to find a niche and focus intently on being the best in that area. He is known as “the Immigration guy” and has built a law practice that continues to grow exponentially each year. Rick has a very specific focus in practicing immigration law with an emphasis on removal defense, but also has a breadth of experience in developing business systems and strategies for companies like Samsung, Motorola, Sprint, and Dell prior to starting his practice. He’s received numerous awards and his firm services clients throughout the U.S. and the world.

The reason for having Rick on today is not to talk about immigration, but for you to hear his story of hitting bottom, figuring out what was really important in life, and then creating the life he wanted to have. And of course, to discuss how to identify and maximize a niche in your business.

www.TheImmigrationGuy.com

Rick’s story started with being in the mobile phone market early on. He rode the wave from a 30% market penetration to a 120% penetration. As growth begin to slow and the market started to consolidate, Rick found there was no place left to go and in 2008/2009 with the economy was collapsing, while going through a divorce, he was laid off.

He took a gig consulting, but knew he needed to find out what he was truly meant to do.

The opportunity came serendipitously. He was having a conversation with a friend, who worked in borders/customs and was told that you don’t have to be a California lawyer to practice immigration law in California, because it was handled under federal law. The light bulb went off to go start a firm because Rick had originally gone to school for law.

Within 8 mos, he had gotten rid of everything (fancy car, house, expenses he didn’t need), had his new practice up, but had not clients. He then starting building from there.

You hit bottom – how did you get back up and get out of the bottom you were in?

• Rick had a drastic realignment of his values
• Up to that point, It had all been about status and material things
• When his wife divorced him, he had to think about how he could still be a good father and realized that traveling 70% of the time, which he had been doing, was not going to allow him to do it and contributed to his current state.
• He had to change his values before he got hope
• You may have to let go of your sense of security, your sense of place and current identity to find who you truly are meant to be and that is scary.
• He realigned what was important to him and started with his children first.

At 12 min mark, Rick talks about how it took going through a full financial collapse to make him realize what really mattered.

Ego and pride got in the way of asking for help, but also helped in needing to prove himself and kept him going. He had to learn the hard lesson of balancing them.

He also had his father’s rise from poverty as a role model for him.

At the 19 min mark, Rick talks about how he took his business from $0 to growing at hundreds of percent by bootstrapping in a niche.

• He did his own canvassing, putting up flyers – but it was so hard. He was worried about how it looked. What it look like to a client to walk in the office to see the lawyer was the same guy putting up flyers?
• He didn’t get a single client for 6 mos.
• At that time, he got a call from a friend that let him know another guy he went to school with had a really successful law firm focused on the Latin community
• He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he went and met with him
• He didn’t want to let on how dire his financial situation was because of the potential embarrassment.
• Later, it was letting go of this that actually changed his path
• The meeting went about as good as it could- the former schoolmate gave him an office and allowed him to work with his clients for business and split the revenue.

At the 27 min mark, Rick talks about how selling his service from a video store became his biggest revenue source and other guerrilla tactics he used to get business…

Rick was then able to use his 6-sigma training from his former positions in the mobile industry to create systems to help his business find leverage through technology and create an infrastructure to grow at a rapid pace.

• It is the littlest things that make a huge difference, like locating your business outside of the city and offering free parking.
• Or extending the concept of education and informing people in a way they can understand through social media in other countries with a goal to help them know what they need to do to come to the US legally.
• You can spend $5 a day on Facebook in Guatemala and look like Coca Cola
• Rick can now start helping a client from the time they make the decision to flee their country and keep them from making huge mistakes of putting themselves in harm’s way.
• It is entirely new way of working with clients

Tips for growing a tribe on social media:

• Serving people through education is one of the most valuable things you can do
• If you can consistently give people value that is vital and important to them, they will begin to follow and trust you
• Don’t be afraid of giving away your best advice
• You cannot operate from a place of scarcity – give everything you’ve got and you’ll attract abundance.
• Get honest with yourself at who you are optimal client is – they are looking for YOU and your experience
• Breaking things down into small pieces is good to do

The best thing and toughest thing about being an entrepreneur is that your growth in business is directly related to your personal growth. Growing yourself will help you come to peace with the things you fear and help you overcome them. The battle is growing as a person so that you can realize the business that you are truly capable of having.

 

Best Quote: “The best thing and toughest thing about being an entrepreneur is that your growth in business is directly related to your personal growth.”

 

Rick's Misfit 3:

1. Personal Practice: Everyone needs to have a practice that is reflective of where they are and what they need on a regular basis such as meditation or personal growth. You have to have a way to activate your ability to grow.
2. Fail big. Fail often. Every time you fail you learn the most.
3. Patience: If you build something of quality and operate from a set of core values that are principled – you will find a way to succeed. Patience will allow you to stay with it until the results come.