“One of the biggest hurdles is making people aware that drivers license help exists…”

Interview by Michael Curving of Vital Internet Ventures

The concept of license restoration – navigating the thorny bureaucratic channels of the DMV to obtain special permission to drive at a time when one’s license has been legally revoked – is not something you’re likely to know about, or even have heard of before, let alone want to try to accomplish. Yet this very concept is one that has allowed Vincent DiAngelus of Philadelphia PA to build a profitable and rewarding enterprise around.

Vincent is the owner and founder of License Restoration Services, Inc., a family owned and operated business which earns its livelihood by helping others to mitigate the impact of an ordeal that can pose serious hardship for some, such as the inability to support a family via lack of transportation to work. Here Vincent takes the time to share with MO.com how his business began, how he’s managed to grow it despite a lack of public awareness that such services exist, and some of the rewards, as well as challenges that he’s seen over the years.

 

MO:
How long have you been in business for yourself with License Restoration Services? What did you do prior to stepping out on your own?

Vincent:
Prior to License Restoration Services (LRS) I worked as a paralegal for my father who was the “License Lawyer”. Besides handling client interviews and research, I was also tasked with the daily marketing and advertising campaigns. With his retirement in 2006 I started LRS to continue to help the residents in Pennsylvania with drivers license issues. Other prior jobs I have held over the years were telecommunications sales/design, auto detailing, and in my very early years landscaping. I also currently do small business and legal marketing for local clients and friends. This started as a hobby and an effort to help others duplicate the success of LRS, and has now turned into a fun career for me.

For the last decade I have been running License Restoration Services with my family. My father has come to work with us on a part time basis as he found retired life did not suit him, he has such extensive knowledge of these things his help to our team is invaluable.

MO:
Was there a defining moment that made you take the leap toward starting your own business? Or was it a more gradual realization?

Vincent:
The defining moment happened early in 2006 when my fathers retirement from his law practice would either mean I would be changing careers and leaving this market un-served or continuing on and finishing what we started. I was blessed that my leap was not as far as most entrepreneurs because I was taking over an existing service. The hardest part was the transformation from a law firm and legal related services, to a non governmental organization (NGO) and changing the way everything was run from the inside out. It took some time to manage the changes in perception and work flow during this transition period, but today we have everything running smoothly and have been able to assist with thousands of restorations, and have shown people there is help for their problem.

MO:
License restoration is not something I’d heard of before.  Do you find that many people who lose their license are aware that such a service exists?

Vincent:
One of the biggest hurdles is making people aware that drivers license help exists. We are unique in that we only handle license suspension issues in Pennsylvania, and our approach is to only concentrate on the suspension. We are not a law firm, and we specifically do not help clients with legal trouble, and most people start their search for help by speaking to criminal attorneys. Unfortunately, I’ve seen that most criminal attorneys do not know all of the details and procedures on dealing with drivers license issues. There is a different set of regulations and procedures when dealing with a license suspension and working with PennDOT to have a drivers license restored, or preventing a suspension. Almost everyone has heard of DUI, the most publicised reason for a license suspension. There are hundreds of other reasons for license suspension ranging from accumulated points to serious moving violations and even includes non moving offences like underage alcohol violations, drug charges, and medical conditions. When a Pennsylvania suspended driver looks into getting help for a suspended license for these reasons, they typically start by finding a DUI attorney, and only after the attorney is unable to help do they do further research and find License Restoration Services.

MO:
What types of marketing have you engaged in to get yourself in front of potential clients, and of those which have you found to be the most successful?

Vincent:
I have been marketing heavily to both make the public aware of my brand, and to generate direct response and drive new business. I also maintain some awareness campaigns to make residents aware of options they may have to get out of license trouble. These drivers might not know about options like the limited work license (OLL) or probationary license (PL), and we want every resident to know these products exist.

My marketing efforts have stretched from traditional media of radio and television ads to print and online efforts, to direct marketing and unique placement. We spend thousands of dollars each year in awareness and branding campaigns mostly on radio and online. Our most successful campaigns have been through radio and Internet. Because drivers license suspension problems occur through a broad range of demographic age, race, and economic classes, I found that broad targets are needed to hit as many people as possible. That contact results in a direct action that I can see instantly with the influx of new clients.

Our biggest challenge is being targeted enough to reach the Pennsylvania resident who has a need for our services and broad enough to reach the person who may have moved from this state, but still feels the effect of a suspension even after they left.

MO:
Can you explain briefly what an Occupational Limited License is for those, like me, that are unfamiliar?

Vincent:
The Occupational Limited License is known by many different names. It can be called a bread and butter license, OLL, or limited work license. This is a very restricted license that is designed and offered to allow someone with minor violations to continue to drive for work, school, or medical appointments. The restrictions on this type of license are heavy to allow constant monitoring of the driver by requiring them to register every vehicle they will drive into the program, and list every time of day and week they will need to drive. This is a one time break and is only available for certain violations and after an application process that must be reviewed by Pennsylvania DOT. As an example someone who has received only one DUI and who did not have any other violations would be eligible for the work license, but only after serving 60 days of their one year suspension. If they are then granted the work license, they will be permitted to drive for the reasons stated above for the remainder of their suspension term (usually one year). After they have completed that suspension term with no additional violations they can get their full driving privileges restored.

MO:”
The name of your web address is a match to the name of the service you provide. The same term – License Restoration – is also a part of your company name. Was this more of a coordinated branding effort on your part, or were you aware at the outset that building on the generic domain name may have some benefits?

Vincent:
Because of the unique way my business started we lucked into the domain and business name. During my marketing for License Lawyer, I started working on building a larger web presence and creating some websites detailing specific parts of my business. Today these would be called mini or micro sites that gave very specific details on each part of the license suspension in Pennsylvania. I registered www.licenserestoration.com as part of that effort in 2004 I think. When my father announced his retirement I was searching for a name for my business and ran across this domain name. I know having the name of my business and domain name contain keywords and explain what we do would have a large benefit in our brand awareness campaigns.

The registration of the license restoration domain has been a great boon to our business by being very direct at what we do, memorable, and containing important keywords for our natural search rankings.

MO:
You’re essentially helping people to get a piece of their freedom back, and I’m certain that many are grateful for your service. Do you find it rewarding on a personal level?

Vincent:
There is nothing that I look forward to more than telling a client “go get your license” and it is the thrill of our day. Our small office that now includes my father working part time, my sister, and my office manager who has been with us since license lawyer, have said that phrase hundreds of thousands of times over the last decade and every time it puts a smile on our faces. It really is amazing how happy and grateful someone who has just has their license restored can be. We have a stellar reputation and track record, and there are clients from years ago that still stay in touch and have forward our name to family and friends.

I also enjoy working with our state to make sure options exist for those deserving of a break, and tools exist to correct problems that may arise and lead to a license suspension. Over the years we have been asked by government officials for input on various license matters, and I have helped to create new policy within PennDOT and Pennsylvania law to give drivers options. The feeling of being involved in structuring these policies and seeing the changes put in place is huge. I have more ahead and I’m looking forward to meeting our newly appointed lawmakers to have even more changes made.

MO:
Do you find that sense of reward has helped you to weather the rough spots that go with running a business?

Vincent:
We do see some tough parts within our business. These posts are almost the exact polar opposite of the super happy and grateful client. There are times when no matter how hard we try a driving record can not be restored in a reasonable time, or a client who is not willing to take the steps necessary to get the license restored. Thankfully this does not happen often, but when it does it hurts us all. I strive to help as many residents as possible but there are also some clients who just do not deserve my help, and part of my business is making the decision who to help, and choosing not to assist some. We work with our state representatives and government to make sure there is help available to those who deserve and need it in the form of the restricted licenses and getting better access to records and tools to correct errors and overly bureaucratic systems.