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

Eric, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I believe that small and mid-sized businesses are the backbone of the economy. As I have had a chance to interact with the entrepreneurs and investors who run companies with under $100 million in revenue and less than 1,000 employees I have come to realize that HR is often overlooked.

These leaders have a passion for their teams, understand the value of relationships but were never given a simple solution to people leadership issues. They become frustrated because they didn’t start their business to be good at HR. Fortunately, I did!

As an HR influencer and advisor, Eric has consistently made sure that every employee has a chance to love their job.

I started CHRO Solution, a strategic fractional HR provider for small/mid-sized businesses to deliver HR services and support these teams.

Eric’s company, CHRO solutions, has grown to almost seven figures in revenue, despite being in the market sphere for only eleven months. Given the company’s unique business model, Eric believes it will scale with relatively fixed costs.

One of Eric Torigian’s core values is to reinvest in communities and make a difference in as many lives as possible. Alongside his team, he has already had an opportunity to be the title sponsor for a STEAM Faire which showed close to 1000 k-12 students the world of possibilities. Focused on educating HR leaders, Eric is determined to help people have a positive experience in the workplace and is committed to making a difference in the lives of the forthcoming generation.

Eric, 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?

Eric Torigian is an accomplished, driven, strategic, global HR Executive and Chief People Officer. Recognized as a highly effective business leader, he has twenty-plus years of international experience driving organizational performance through strategic HR leadership and counsel. Apart from his professional endeavors, his driving passion as a coach is to help individuals leverage their strengths and empower them to live their best possible life. He runs a Youtube channel, ‘Lessons from the corner office,’ where he covers various topics like time management, usage of basic and advanced tools, and much more.
Eric grew up in Detroit surrounded by a close-knit Armenian family where his parents provided a loving growth environment. His father was a senior executive at the renowned automotive giant Chrysler. He was a mechanical engineer, worked for Nasa, and then led Chrysler Engineering. Eric notes that his parents and family are amazing and his parents encouraged him and his three siblings to be the best version of themselves.

During his childhood, he admired process, programming, and building. On a personal level, Eric was a people pleaser who excels at creating strong relationships. Growing up, he was affectionately named ‘the Mayor’ because he became pretty visible for going around the neighborhood and talking to as many people as possible.

He attended Michigan State University first for an engineering degree but then switched to Advertising. He discovered that the unique combination of computer science, networking, and marketing was a perfect fit for him. He bagged his first job, which included programming and selling computers.

Step by step, his professional journey led him to establish CHRO Solutions. His business has seen an incredible response in the marketplace and has proliferated. Currently, Eric is open to opportunities to support business leaders create a vision and lead a transformation around people operations. He is passionate about the frontline and hopes to connect and create empathy with all levels of the organization by being an enabler of performance.

He is also very active in the Founders Institute Accelerator, where he mentors founders and leaders of startups on HR, organization design, and other business administration topics. Eric serves on the Executive Council Network as a founding member of two advisory boards and is a frequent keynote presenter on HR leadership topics.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I absolutely love this question, as entrepreneurs, we are wired a little different. To borrow a metaphor from your magazine title, we are the ones who look at a blank canvas and see what no one else is able to see. This can be our super power but also our downfall.

My strongest source of clients is my network and relationships. I have spent time nurturing my network, helping people solve problems and building my credibility with the audience. Now I have to balance the fine line between helping as many people as possible and give away work for free.

This is where our super power of seeing the future can become a challenge because we tend to jump in with solutions! I believe the more we give back, the better we serve, the stronger our network

That is my primary sales model right now

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Another amazing question and one that made me think about all the twists and turns over the years. I have always been one to take on the roles that no one else wanted but I was getting the experiences that no one else would ever get.

I look back at friends and peers who took the easier roles and looked down at me. Yes, I was in worked on the floor in a dirty/dangerous steel mill while you had bagels in your nice office; I moved my family 8 times while you lived in you swanky apartment downtown; and I managed shutdowns/layoffs and bankruptcies while you maintained the status quo. But look at us both today, I am the well rounded executive who has a basis for a relationship with everyone from the top/bottom. I know how to navigate a board room and a production floor.

My return question is if managing adversity shows a leaders resilience or is resilience formed when we are honed by adversity!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chrosolutions-us.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-torigian
• Twitter: @erictorigian
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCJWqOFBDedtzkh-uOM1Eag