LEGALZOOM.COM
Legalzoom.com (323-962-8600) is the nation’s first online provider of comprehensive legal documentation services. The basic goal of the business is to be of assistance and convenience to those who need to take care of routine, uncontested legal matters without the time or costs of hiring an attorney. The website offers simple questionnaires and help menus that guide customers to make their own legal decisions and also create their own customized legal documents. The company also offers live one-on-one assistance for final review of documents to ensure completeness and consistency by legal document assistants. Brian Lee (President) and Brian Liu (CEO), the co-founders of Legalzoom.com met at UCLA’s School of Law. The business started out of Lee’s apartment, with barely any money, and no staff to assist them. The duo took a chance and phoned high-power attorney Robert Shapiro who listened, liked their idea, and together, the three formed an alliance that has proven to be successful and unique. Shapiro’s influence was getting the name out to the media and the legal world, while the two Brian’s were the one’s who found the money, the space, and created the plan to get the business organized. Today they are based in Hollywood and employ eighty people in a 30,000 square foot office space. They also have a satellite office in Las Vegas. The numbers of last year’s gross revenues were in the multi-millions of dollars and the actual growth of the business was over 400 percent.

ANDIRI INC.
ANDIRI Inc. (323-819-3620) started through five friends: Shinny Anderson, Jasisri Hibler, Claudio Ramirez, David Meredith, and Rab Butler. They were all attending CSUN and studying in various marketing, graphics, and computer-related fields. Classmates would often ask them to put together proposals, graphics packages and such for various events and projects on campus. It didn’t take them long to realize they could a profit from their expertise. Today, ANDIRI creates web and graphics design and assists in the creation of image and marketing for various companies, especially those in entertainment. They also make and design brochures, CD jackets, invitations and more. The company started five years ago out of Shinny’s duplex. Their first year of earnings totaled $25,000, and this year they have made of $400,000. Their client list includes the Grammy’s, Magic Johnson Enterprise, the NAACP Image Awards, and Edmonds Entertainment.