In this episode of Process Server Daily, social media and cyber investigation expert Joseph Jones shares his journey from growing up in his family's private investigation business to leading a 50-person team in California. He discusses both the challenges and lessons from fieldwork—like a surveillance gone wrong involving a machete—and emphasizes the importance of cross-training staff, vigilance, and knowing your value. Jones highlights how his company evolved by focusing on quality clients, fair pricing, and deep social media investigations that uncover crucial evidence, even in fraud cases. He also talks about expanding into jury consulting, using online data to aid attorneys, and stresses professionalism, honesty, and specialization as keys to long-term success in the legal support industry.

00:00 — Introduction / show opener
00:34 — Meet Joseph Jones + background in the family PI business
02:10 — How he got started (field + office experience)
05:10 — Worst experience: surveillance case + machete incident (team safety)
07:10 — Field lessons: vigilance, notes, plates, activity tracking
09:10 — Cross-training staff (office ↔ field) for better outcomes
11:30 — Business growth: raising rates, overhead, and "know your value"
13:30 — Biggest case story: cyber investigation on insurance fraud (restaurant vs strip club)
16:30 — What he's building now: deep social media investigations + forensic preservation
19:10 — Jury consulting: researching jurors + monitoring during trial
22:00 — Favorite skip-trace tactic: last-ditch direct call to negotiate acceptance
24:20 — Defense mindset: de-escalation first (words > weapons)
27:10 — Rebuilding from scratch: networking + proving value fast
30:20 — Final advice + how to connect (LinkedIn) / closing outro