We recently connected with Elizabeth LaBarge and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

Nothing is more motivating than family. My sister, Kathryn, is my business partner and best friend, and I cannot imagine my professional journey without her by my side. I remember when I picked her up for our first client pitch in 2010, and we were mortified to realize that we had on the same exact dress. It was 100 degrees outside, but she wore a coat from my trunk in exchange for me taking the lead on the presentation.

I love that our partnership is devoid of egos or competition, and we equally share in the highs and lows of the business. One of the biggest challenges has been discussing work when we are together socially, with our families, or even common friends. That boundary became even more blurred when Kathryn’s husband joined the company as our COO five years ago. I would love to say that we have overcome that challenge, but we have inevitably eroded the boundaries between our work and personal lives. However, the amount of trust and commitment that cements the bonds of a family business is absolutely worth it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2009, after graduating from Washington University St. Louis School of Law, I took a position at a large defense firm in St. Louis. My practice focused on commercial litigation claims in Missouri and Illinois. In the summer of 2010, I made an uncharacteristically risky decision to leave my associate position to take the July Texas Bar Exam and move back home to San Antonio. Immediately thereafter, I co-founded a medical legal consulting company, Texas Medical Legal Consultants, LLC (TxMLC), along with my sister turned business partner. We jointly identified a need to provide administrative assistance (scheduling, billing, collections, etc.) to healthcare providers who offer consulting and testimonial services to law firms on their personal injury and medical malpractice cases. For the first seven years of the business, Kathryn and I held every position within the company to include case management, client development, vendor relations, business planning, bookkeeping, and legal issues (transactional and litigation based). We hired our first full-time employee in 2017, and our team is now composed of thirty-five employees, serving over 450 medical experts across the state. Our growth has been recognized by the Inc.5000, and TxMLC has been voted the #1 Expert Witness Provider by attorneys in the markets of San Antonio/Austin, Dallas, and Houston for the last two years in a row. However, I’m most proud of our recent recognition as the #1 Best Place to Work in San Antonio (small business category). Keeping our work family happy is a major priority for our executive team!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Like many female entrepreneurs, my partner and I both struggled with delegation and progressive hiring. We resisted hiring our first full time employee for seven years out of the fear of client disappointment, limited time to train, and the short-term financial setback of investing in personnel. By the time we committed to growing our team, Kathryn and I were both busting at the seams. She had two small children under the age of seven, and I had a toddler and a three-week old baby. A few weeks into training our first/new employee, our mother suffered a catastrophic stroke. She survived, although with many deficits, and spent months in the hospital. The experience forced us to individually reflect on our commitment to the company, ensuring there was no lapse in service to our clients, overseeing our new employee, and keeping our heads above water at home. For me, it was an absolute low that required intense resilience to pull through the acute challenges and plan better for the long-term future of the business.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Employee satisfaction is key to a successful business. When our small business outgrew us, we had to rely on our employees to give our clients the same level of service that we could. Our executives are constantly brainstorming ways to attract and retain the best talent. It’s important to identify your employees’ love languages and cater to each one accordingly. Some people are motivated by money (give them raises and/or bonuses), others feel valued by verbal affirmation (tell them how much their work matters and give them promotional titles), whereas others’ currency might be flexibility (offer additional PTO or a flex schedule). Leading by example is also a huge benefit to gaining the respect of the team which includes common courtesy and positivity.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TXMLC.com