I may hold the record for attending the most Vickie Milazzo programs. I went to my first seminar in 1993 after receiving a brochure in the mail. I wanted to get into legal nurse consulting, but I accepted a job in East Texas and was too busy. I attended my next conference in 1994, but was in the middle of my Ph.D. dissertation, so I again put legal nurse consulting work on hold. I went to the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC^®) Conference in 1995, but I still wasn't ready. Finally, after the 1997 NACLNC^® Conference, I made the jump into the world of legal nurse consulting.

Start with a Bang

I started full time by devoting 40-plus hours a week to developing my business. I had only six months of "staying power" (savings to live on). I wanted everything in place before I opened my doors to all those lawyers. To sharpen my business skills, I attended almost every course offered by the local Small Business Development Center. I didn't do any marketing since I was too busy putting my business plan together and gathering my work materials.

My first case came from a neighbor, a lawyer inexperienced in personal injury work. Once I had confidence that I could do the work and could say I was an "experienced" Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, I started attending legal conferences where I could schmooze with attorneys to market my services and myself. This worked quite well and is my main marketing strategy today.

Develop a Satisfying Specialty

After a few PI and medical malpractice cases, I decided to pursue Fen-Phen litigation cases since I had 20-plus years experience in cardiovascular and preventive medicine, as well as a Ph.D. in epidemiology. I read everything I could find about diet drugs and their alleged health consequences and developed a large database of scientific articles. I called my lawyer and judge friends and asked for recommendations, attended more legal conferences and finally got a call from a law firm in Houston. They already had two legal nurse consultants on staff but were looking for an epidemiologist to help with causation and scientific evidence issues. For the past 1 ½ years I have consulted with this law firm and others about diet drug litigation and other products liability issues.

My business, Scientific Evidence, Inc., specializes in assessing causation between exposure to potentially harmful substances and poor health outcomes. We analyze the scientific literature for methodological problems or inaccurate conclusions. We also locate and prepare testifying experts on these issues.

Face Obstacles Head-on

The biggest obstacle in running my own business is projecting future growth and revenue. It is always a challenge to know what to bill for and how to collect those payments while still maintaining my sanity. I learned the hard way about slow payers. The answer, of course, is to only work on retainer, a practice I'm now implementing.

Initially I had a home office. I started with the dining room, engulfed the guest bedroom and finally took over the master bedroom. That worked well since I was the only full-time employee, although I had two part-time employees. I liked working in my running clothes without makeup. I loved sending out emails when I got up at 4:00 a.m., just to show the attorneys what a hard worker I was (but I never sent any out after 9:00 p.m. when I was sound asleep).

When I started adding full-time staff, I realized I needed an outside office (actually, they coerced me). Recently we moved to a real office suite with three private offices, a storeroom and our "war room," and I could not be happier. I like being able to leave my work behind, rather than in the room at the end of the hall. I still often work seven days a week and 10-12 hour days, especially before trial, but I love it. I really love having my home back without my employees and their work spread out all over the place.

Tap into the Entrepreneurial Spirit

In my "former life" I had my own independent nursing practice for 14 years providing exercise therapy, disease management and personal training. However, I wanted to use my epidemiology background as well as my nursing skills in a more challenging way. On three different occasions I tried to work for a hospital or research company, but I couldn't tolerate working for someone else and going to mandatory meetings that only wasted my time.

I have always viewed myself as an entrepreneur, relished competition and challenges, and most importantly, preferred working on my own. I have always been driven and motivated. After all I am a first-born child, and my parents are German (complete with strong work ethic).

I truly enjoy learning and continue to take post-doctoral studies in epidemiology and public health, as well as holding a faculty position at the School of Public Health. I read motivational books and magazines and listen to tapes (Dennis Waitley and Rev. Robert Schuller are my favorites). I try to surround myself with successful, driven people and stay away from "toxic" people who drain me. I attend as many conferences as I can, both for education and for marketing.

The Keys to Fast-track Success

In spite of my background, I could not have considered entering this field without attending Vickie's conferences and purchasing ALL her books and tapes. I wanted to get on the fast track and was willing to do whatever it took to leapfrog over those who were still wondering how to start.

I believe that you must make a financial and emotional commitment if you want to be successful in this business. In less than a year, I reached my financial goal, achieving that magic six-figure income. I immediately plowed most of that back into my company to grow even more successful.

My suggestions for those of you entering this field are:

Attend more than one of Vickie's conferences and purchase all her materials related to your business interests. This is a small investment for starting a profitable business on the fast track.
Attend legal conferences. Use local conferences for schmoozing and others for education and more schmoozing.
Ask friends, family and colleagues for referrals and introductions to potential clients.
Learn as much as you can about business startup; find a business lawyer, accountant and mentor who can support you.
Let your education and experience work for you.
Take care of yourself and, most importantly, believe in yourself.
Remember – inch by inch, anything's a cinch.

Good luck and work hard – it's worth it.

Tell a Friend About This Site

"I could not have considered entering this field without attending Vickie's conferences and purchasing ALL her books and tapes."

"I wanted to get on the fast track and was willing to do whatever it took to leapfrog over those who were still wondering how to start."

"You must make a financial and emotional commitment if you want to be successful in this business."

"In less than a year,I reached my financial goal, achieving that magic six-figure income."

"Attend more than one of Vickie's programs and purchase all her materials related to your business interests. This is a small investment for starting a profitable business on the fast track."




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