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

Cami, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

My hope is that people will see me, hear my story and be inspired to think big, go after their goals, break barriers and live their dreams. There are so many people who don’t realize the power that they have on the inside of them, the greatness that’s waiting to be tapped into. There are challenges that we face, many of us have had hurdles and barriers stacked against us from childhood, up through adulthood but the key is to see those things for what they are. See those challenges as speed bumps, or forks in the road meant to steer you in a different direction, don’t allow those challenges to cause you to give up hope. The one thing you should always have is hope and the boldness to make any changes or decisions in your life that will help you to break free from anything that makes you feel stuck.

Cami, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a wife, mom, and business woman who’s encountered many challenges in my life such as childhood traumas, sexual assaults, abusive relationships, and I was also a teen mom to name a few. The challenges I’ve overcome fuels my passion for empowering others to heal, know their worth and become the heroes of their own stories. My candor and authenticity is meant to pull the curtain back on the labels that get thrown at those of us who have similar stories and to end the shame associated with those things. I am not a victim, I am a survivor and I speak openly about my experiences because those things happened but aren’t where my story ends. In fact, those experiences serve as a baseline that make my successes even more impactful. As a certified motivational speaker and professional development coach, my testimony connects me to others in a way that’s unique because I’m not just giving fluff and words with no substance. I’m giving you myself as a living example of what life can look like when you move from “Surving to Thriving”. I’m giving practical tips and strategies for overcoming life’s challenges whether that’s in your personal life or professional life.

As an entrepreneur, I’m demonstrating how to monetize your skill set and think outside the box to live the life you’ve dreamed of. I went from working in Human Resources for several years to running my own recruitment & consulting firm, to now working as a freelance Executive Level recruiter and being the founder/owner of the careers site www.Linked4Launch.com

I’ve also turned my trauma history into a way to give back to those in need, through my 501c3 nonprofit organization, Safe Space Property Management Inc (DBA Safe Space ATL). Our mission is to provide supportive services to domestic violence survivors and educate the community on intimate partner violence. Some of the services we provide include but aren’t limited to short-term emergency shelter, career coaching, furniture & household items donations, barrier removal, safety planning, case management/linkage to care, and more. We host annual events, which include our school supplies/backpack drive and our holiday toy & coat drive.

This year, in 2022 we have 83 children on our list to receive gifts and coats, all of these children have been directly impacted by domestic violence.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for my careers site www.linked4launch.com has been reach outs on LinkedIn as well as building connections via in person events. Linked 4 Launch will be a sponsor/exhibitor at several Human Resources conferences, across the country in 2023. We are also a supporting sponsor of the SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management)’s Atlanta Chapter Meeting that is being held on December 13th, 2022. This strategy is helping to put Linked 4 Launch in front of our target audience, HR Professionals who can utilize the site by posting their job openings. We also have a posting package that provides targeted candidate sourcing. Linked 4 Launch is tapped in to career trends and provides companies with access to thousands of applicants.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There have definitely been times when I’ve had to pivot professionally and each change has taught me valuable lessons while sharpening my skill set. After leaving my Human Resources role, I started my own recruitment & consulting firm which taught me the business side of staffing and providing business to business services. There were benefits and challenges that came along with that journey and I ultimately took a step back from my firm to take an internal recruitment role. And there was a very specific reason that I made that decision. I had another goal that I was working on at the time, buying my first home.

As many millennial business owners can attest, banks don’t look as fondly on self employed people as they do on people who are working a “w-2” job. Lenders see a w-2 role as a more stable income source than entrepreneurship (though I made more money as an entrepreneur). I took that path to accomplish this big goal that I’d had for years, one that had been out of my reach for my entire adult life (up to that point).

Another thing that millennials can relate to is having student loan debts that make homeownership feel impossible or out of reach. As a first generation college graduate, I had no choice but to use student loans as I also worked full time putting myself through college. But I said all of that to paint the bigger picture of how important it was for me to buy a home. Overcoming so many challenges to get where I am financially and professionally, becoming a homeowner was a big, audacious goal and I was willing to make tough choices to accomplish that. One thing to note is: the experience I gained from running my recruitment firm plus the years of experience I have in the recruitment industry put me in a position to make enough money to offset the debt to income ratio that had previously prevented me from qualifying for a mortgage (due to the student loan balances).

The moral of the story is definitely a happy ending, sometimes you may have to pivot or take what may appear to some as a step back in order to accomplish a bigger goal. My husband and I are now homeowners, and I’ve gone back to being a freelance recruiter, taking it a step further by creating my careers site www.Linked4Launch.com

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CamiBarnes.com
• Instagram: @the_real_camibarnes
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/CamiBarnesSpeaks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cami-b-0a72a6121
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx8qjou_Zm5mVwfCikssj0A
• Other: www.Linked4Launch.com www.SafeSpacePropertyManagement.com

Image Credits
Photographer: Mike D Shotme