Unicorn Talent Hunter

"Your first hire is your most integral, so create a thoughtful hiring strategy." - Keosha Gibbs-Lucas

This week's guest is Keosha Gibbs-Lucas, Chief Financial Officer for Smithsons Staffing Solutions. She is working to create positive disruption in the staffing industry as she spearheads the marketing, financial and human resources divisions of the organization.

In this episode we discuss: 

• The basic things a CEO should have in place before coming to a staffing agency
• Preparing candidates for success with clients
• Tips and best practices that may be helpful to inexperienced interviewers
• How DEI practices help CEOs build and grow great teams?

Listen in to gain tips and practical strategies to help you hire well and build the team your business needs to scale.

Learn more about Keosha Gibbs-Lucas and Smithsons Staffing Solutions at:

IG/FB/LI: @smithsonsstaffingsolutions

www.smithsonsllc.com

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Sometimes you just need a project done quickly. How do you find great talent, really fast, for a short-term commitment?

In this week's episode I chat with my friend, serial entrepreneur and side-hustler, Beverly Lwenya about how she sources for contract workers using Fiverr. This is a very practical guide on how to use the platform. She also shares the lessons learned using the platform to help you have a great experience on the platform.

The tips and strategies shared in this episode include:

• The value of using Fiverr to fill your short-term gigs (4:14)
• Understanding your own strengths so you can find people that compliment you/your team (9:__)
• Identifying the type of person you need on your team (10:48)
• Soft skills to look for when searching for talent for a role (18:33)
• Tips about communicating with talent at the platform (24:06)
• Keeping good people in your pipeline for future needs (30:40)
• Using Fiverr as a resource when starting new client projects in your business (32:53)
• Onboarding your hire onto the project and into your business (38:46)

Again, lots of great tips are jammed into this episode to help you confidently utilize this platform for hiring.

You can follow Beverly and learn more about her entrepreneurial journey on Instagram @beverly_______ (pssst - don't forget the _ or simply search for Beverly Lwenya on IG)

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In this week's episode, we get to hear firsthand the joys and struggles of growing a business that stretches your capacity. It was a pleasure to chat with Britt Parrish from Branding with Britt to discuss her rapid success that is making hiring help a real need.

You likely can relate - your business is begging to grow and you can't make it happen alone. So listen in to hear how Britt is navigating and preparing for the hiring journey. We'll discuss strategies to put in place well before you are ready to pull the trigger and hire new team members. It definitely will get you to thinking differently about how to prepare to hire and scale your business.

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"Is it time to hire?"

"Where do I find the right people?"

"How do I hire?"

These are some of the questions that solo and growing entrepreneurs have. I've invited some HR pros to join me for a roundtable where we tackle some of your most pressing questions around bringing on new team members.

You'll get some great insight from myself and three other HR professionals, each with a unique experience and skill set in the HR field and as founders building their own businesses. In this episode you'll learn:

When to Hire 

• Indicators that it is time to hire (7:28)
• Tips on how to prepare yourself to hire (19:54)

Who to Hire

• Knowing what role(s) to hire (28:20) 

Where to Find Them

• Strategies to find good people (40:51)

You will gain very practical strategies and tips to put in place immediately so you can confidently hire the help you need in your business. Not only do each of the HR pros bring years of experience as HR pros but also the lessons they've learned as they've built their own businesses.

My guests this episode are:

Tricia Sitemere

CEO & Founder of CTRL Alt Delete

Connect with Tricia on IG: @TriciaSiteremere or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/triciasitemere-com

Courtney Underwood 

HR Alignment Strategist, Kassar Consulting

Connect with Courtney on FB and IG: @Kassarconsulting or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/clunderwood

 

Donta Legette

Sr. Human Resources Business Partner at NACCHO and Independent HR Consultant

*This episode is in honor of my friend and colleague, Donta' Legette. He passed away unexpectedly just a few weeks before this episode launched. Yet, his contributions to the HR field and insights into building a successful small business are powerful and will live on. He will be greatly missed.

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A great business that you love, makes impact and changes lives is the your goal.

But how can you turn your baby business into a multi-million dollar enterprise that will have impact for generations? Why aren't you seeing the growth in your business? It is because you don't have a great team in place that can help make your dreams a reality.

So often as entrepreneurs, we don't get the right help to drive our business growth. Many times it boils down to one thing. Mindset. It is time to think differently so we can grow and scale these businesses!

In this week's episode I am holding no punches as I break down the truth around the limiting mindsets that are holding many entrepreneurs back. As I share about the lies associated with each of these 4 mindsets, I'll also share how you can reframe your thinking so you can move forward boldly and get the help you need in the form of a great team.

Listen in and get ready to shift your thinking!

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Is your employer brand attracting the right people?

Your employer brand (mission, vision, values, culture and reputation) can either attract or repel good team members. In this episode, I drop 5 tips on how to build and nurture your employer brand that will help you attract the right people onto your team.

I discuss:

• Employer brand defined (2:19)

• 5 Steps for Building and Protecting your employer brand, by...

1) Getting clear on what makes your business unique and attractive to your ideal team member (7:09)

2) Do internal and external research to find out why people want to work for you (12:00)

3) Get visible and show off your business to your ideal team member (17:09)

*In this segment I mention a company that I follow on IG. I found their name! It is Freres Brachiaux Candle Co. Go check them out to see what I mean about showing off the behind-the-scenes and what it looks like to work with them.

4) Make sure your brand promise matches what it is really like working on your team. (23:30)

5) Measure how you are doing to understand the strength of your employer brand (25:06)

• An example of employer brand by analyzing one of my favorite companies, Warby Parker, and how their employer brand attracts the right people to their team. (28:05)

This is a gem of an episode. Although I always say it, I mean it this week - bring your notebook because you're gonna want to take notes and put these things into action!

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One bad hire can cost you thousands! Who has money to throw away? 

The type of growth you are hoping to see in your business requires good help. Guess what? You can't afford even one bad hire!

In this week's episode I share the many costs, both direct and indirect, that are associated with making a bad hire. I'm laying it all out and also providing tips and strategies to help you identify and hopefully avoid making one. Here are some of the things I discuss:

• What makes a "bad hire" (2:53)
• What factors go into the cost of a bad hire? (4:11)
• The impact of a bad hire on your brand (7:14)
• Reasons why leaders make bad hires (11:28)
• A real-life story of a bad hire (26:26)

If any of this is hard to hear, just press through. And if you have questions, need to talk and strategize or get a hiring plan together so you start off the right way, I'm here for you.

Email: [email protected]

IG: @yourhrstrategist

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/krystalspeed

Oh, and don't forget to subscribe/follow the podcast so you don't miss any of this good knowledge that is dropped weekly. It quite possibly can mean the difference between hiring a unicorn or a donkey 😉

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You can design the life you want.

🤩 One you won't need a vacation from.

🤩 One where you're doing work that you love...and getting paid well for it.

🤩 One that is fulfilling and moves at a pace where you have time to enjoy it.

But how? It takes building with intention, setting and adhering to your boundaries, and leveraging a good team to help you get stuff done!

In this week's episode I speak with Sha' Cannon, The Fractional COO, about all things related to business, teams and designing the life you want. And let me tell you, she is a BEAST at what she does - quickly gaining a spot on my list of "Bosses I Admire". 

She is ALL the things. But don't take my word for it. Listen in because she is dropping some great tips that entrepreneurs can put into action TODAY.

In this episode, Sha' shares:

• Lessons learned from the early years of her entrepreneurial journey (3:53)
• Saying your best yes and staying focused in your business and true to your "why" (10:45)
• Hiring and building your team so you can be the CEO you desire (16:30)
• Establishing a rhythm of investing and checking-in with your business goals and strategies (27:23)
• Tips for managing remote teams (32:22)
• Using your business's values to guide the types of people you bring on and keep on your team (38:06)

And so much more! This is a meaty episode. So take your time to digest it, take notes and if you have any questions, hit me up at [email protected]. 

Happy Listening!

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You don't just wake up one day and decide, "I'm going to hire a new team member" and then go do it.

It takes some level of preparation in order to make sure you are ready and that the hunt for the right person for your team will prove successful.

In this episode I'm going to share with you the questions I ask clients to determine their hiring readiness. Think of it like a check-up. And the questions we explore may surprise you. The topics I cover in this episode include:

• The need for a strategic plan or outlook, to ensure your hiring actions are aligned with where your business is headed and what it needs to crush your goals (2:37)
• Confirming you can afford to hire, with a few strategies for determining if it is feasible for you to begin the hiring process (11:18)
• Getting clear on the type of leader you are/will be (14:54)
• Identifying your needs, including skills, values, experience level, attitude and timing (19:49)
• Narrowing down what the new hire will do in the first 90 days (25:44)

Don't forget your notebook - tips and strategies to help you get these questions answered are shared so you can put them in action immediately. You don't want to miss out on this!

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"Unicorns??? Please, I'm just trying to get some help building this business."

If that's what you're thinking, just stick with me for a little bit, lol.

During this first episode of the Unicorn Talent Hunter I'll introduce you to this concept of "unicorn team members" and help you realize, it is indeed possible to get great people on your team, even if it is your first hire. In this episode I will:

• Answer the question “Do unicorns exist?” That really is the fundamental question we need to answer before we even delve into this whole podcast journey, right. (1:45)
• Define what a unicorn team member is (2:20)
• Provide examples of the types of environments that will help unicorn talent thrive (4:12)
• Describe why you want unicorn talent on your team and the impact of having them on your team (14:17)
• Outline strategies for getting unicorns on your team (19:05)
• Preview of what else you can expect from the first season of this podcast (30:10)

So grab your notebook (‘cause you’re going to want to grab these gems to review and implement) and listen in!

Want more strategies, tips and resources to help you build the team you need to scale your business? Subscribe to the podcast here and get all these HR nuggets delivered directly to your inbox.

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