Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meghan Medlin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Meghan, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

Thank you. To start, it’s probably best to understand who we serve and why it’s important. 60% of people with incarceration history are jobless. The overall employment rate four years after release hovers around 35% – in other words, more than two thirds of those who have been released from incarceration are jobless at any given time. This is a rate higher than any US unemployment rate – including during the Great Depression.

Working in the reentry community for over 15 years and knowing the extreme challenges people face trying to find jobs (and resources) after incarceration, I founded Medlin Workforce & Reentry Solutions (MWRS), a workforce and reentry consulting firm in 2019 to help organizations, businesses and government agencies better understand, serve and hire those with conviction histories. MWRS is a certified small business headquartered in Orange County, California and provides services nationally. It is the only consulting firm in the United States that focuses solely on workforce and reentry and is dedicated to supporting institutions and systems that help returning citizens reintegrate.

Then in 2020, pandemic was at its peak and thousands of incarcerated individuals were being released early with no safety net of resources or a chance to create a plan for supporting themselves once they got out. I couldn’t serve them through MWRS, so I decided the best way to provide services was through a nonprofit. I then founded the Hub for Integration, Reentry & Employment (H.I.R.E.), in 2020. Our mission is to maximize the skills and opportunities for formerly incarcerated and system-impacted youth and adults in Orange County through employment, mentorship, and community building. We currently provide services for over 700 people a year through all of our programs and have some exciting things in store for 2024 (and beyond) to serve even more people in a more impactful way.

Meghan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Definitely. I have been in the workforce field for close to 20 years and reentry for over 15. I actually came into reentry totally on accident. I was working in the corporate world and the recession in 2008 forced me to reevaluate what I was doing professionally. This triggered a leap from my “steady” corporate job into the unknown of nonprofit. This move truly ignited a passion inside me that I didn’t know was there. I was working with young adults who were under resourced and in need of employment. Some had backgrounds, which, during a recession made it almost impossible to find work. Being able to use my corporate experience as a recruiter to give back to the community and help those who needed it the most get connected with the jobs and resources they need to succeed did it for me. I was hooked! I since have gotten my master’s degree in this field and have been involved locally, at the state level and nationally on anything and everything workforce and/or reentry related. Helping people become their best selves has become a passion of mine and I’m truly grateful to be able to affect change both systematically and on a personal/individual level with people who need it most.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We keep in touch with clients (through both companies) through newsletters, social media and direct connections. I can’t emphasize enough how much the direct connection has on a relationship. Take the time to answer emails, answer the phone, or make quick meetings/follows up to stay in contact with someone – and not just if they have something to “offer” you. I try to make time for everyone who contacts me or is in our community in need which I have noticed truly makes a difference in both people’s interactions with me and for brand loyalty. When I was starting out, there was a well known law enforcement officer who was teaching at a local community college. I was taking a course to help supplement my work, and at class completion, he gave us all his personal phone number and told us to contact him anytime. Being a high profile member of law enforcement having solved a famous case, this seemed out of the ordinary to me. He said to us “if it’s important to you, it’s important to me” and that we could contact him any time. That had a big impact on me. I’ve never actually called him (looking back, I probably should have for networking!) but at the time meant a lot that he was willing to offer that to us. I try to carry that into everything I do, letting people I work with and for that I am always here for them and will help them out however I can. I have learned it pays dividends to go the extra mile for people since it’s not as common of a practice as it used to be. We all need help sometimes, and often times, me being there for someone results in them returning the favor when I need it.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Start posting! Invite people you know to follow you, have them invite people they know, invite clients/partners etc. Also knowing your audience and providing information that they are interested in fosters excitement and interest. The more you tell your story and are consistent with posting, it will result in growing your audience. You can also connect with people/organizations who have larger followings and have them tag you/partner with you in things to attract people beyond your immediate community. We have yet to truly take advantage of that, but through consistent posts that feature real people, it has truly helped us grow. Another thought is to tag people involved with your company/brand so that their network sees it and becomes interested in what they’re doing with you is a big help! We’re still growing and are always looking for opportunities to connect with others – please connect with us as we love to learn what others are doing and to support our fellow community members!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.medlinsolutions.com; www.hireoc.org
• Instagram: @medlinsolutions; @hireoc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/medlinworkforcereentrysolutions; www.facebook.com/hireorangecounty;
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/medlinworkforcereentrysolutions/; www.linkedin.com/company/hireoc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HIREOC

Image Credits
Randesignstudio Randy Scott Wong