Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dawn Myers Robin White. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dawn Myers, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Robin and I met in 2019 when we worked at a Professional Employer Organization as Strategic HR Consultants. We each supported over 80 small business owners and leaders with the goal of helping them develop workforce strategies, policies, and procedures.
We had not been in this position for very long when we concluded that there was no possibility for us to provide our clients with the kind of service and expertise they truly required (due to the high volume of clients we were assigned). After it became clear that we were unable to make a significant difference, Robin proposed that we start our own company. Giving us the ability to give business owners not only what they wanted, but also what they genuinely needed. It was more than just a conversation; rather, it was a calling that we knew we needed to answer.
Our goal was to help business owners rediscover why they began their business in the first place, and to lay the groundwork for them to enjoy what they do instead of being consumed by the day-to-day. We committed to providing owners and leaders with peace of mind by serving as trusted partners. Providing the methods and processes needed to comply with employment law while also caring for their most valuable asset, their people.
We began by “brain dumping” all of the ways we could address the needs of potential clients – handbooks, compliance assessments, strategy sessions, leadership development…you name it, we listed it. We listened to business podcasts nonstop and worked tirelessly to identify our target client and come up with the perfect name. We recognized after a few weeks that we just needed to get started and the rest would work itself out with our experiences. So, we filed our company with the state as Dawbin LLC (a combination of our names) and began telling everyone about our new startup. We established a bank account and deposited $3000 each into it to get us started. We used those funds to engage experts to create our marketing strategy and branding. That is how we came up with the name Guided Leadership Solutions.
We had our first handbook client within a month, and we quickly discovered what worked and what didn’t. With each new client, we refined our operations to be more efficient and effective in meeting our clients’ needs. While we continue to produce handbooks and other projects, we have streamlined our Guided HR Solutions program. We understand that success necessitates strategy, planning, and accountability. Our creative mix of strategy, coaching, and HR expertise has proven to save time, aggravation, and money for the businesses that have put their trust in us.
Obstacles and difficulties were abounding in the early phases, and overcoming our own mental barriers was difficult. Imposter syndrome was triggered by pricing, service offerings, and the ability to develop to the degree required to deliver the impact we envisioned for small business owners. Scarcity mindset crept in as a result of no longer having our comfortable corporate wages and benefits. Fortunately, things ebbed and flowed at different times, so one of us could usually bring the other out of that space relatively quick.
We also learned that business coaches need the need the support of other business coaches. While our responsibility with our clients is to take a step back and assist them to understand their business from a high level and what must be done to achieve their goals, we were having trouble seeing it in our own business. We were too emotionally invested and too deep in the weeds to recognize what measures needed to be taken next or where our priorities should be set. We invested in a business coach and accountability partner to keep up moving forward. Having a sounding board outside of the company has been critical to our success in keeping us focused on the most crucial aspects of our business.
We recently celebrated our two-year anniversary, and while our company looks considerably different from when it began at Robin’s dining room table, our passion and objective remain the same. We have assembled a skilled team of experts to help us grow our services into the future. At Guided Leadership Solutions, we couldn’t be more excited about where we are right now; our only regret is that we didn’t make this leap sooner.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Robin brings a unique background in business operations and human resources to be an ideal partner for small business owners in managing their most valuable asset – their people – while also providing an overall business perspective on how to maximize their business and achieve their goals.
Robin was born into an entrepreneurial family and was involved in the family business from a very young age. She has a bachelor’s in business management and industrial/organizational psychology and master’s in human resources are both from San Diego State University. After college, she set out to prove herself outside of the family business and spent several years working in corporate human resources before joining her siblings and mom in co-owning and operating a 24/7 restaurant. She began consulting when their business sold in 2018.
Dawn is an experienced human resources leader, adjunct instructor, and speaker with a strong desire to see people and companies succeed. She is at her best when teaching, coaching, or speaking on personal and professional development. Dawn’s candor about her mental health struggles, as well as her successes and failures, has made her a highly sought-after consultant.
Dawn was born into a family of five daughters in San Diego, California. She discovered her natural ability to connect with people and desire to help others at a young age. It may have been a means to gain attention as a typical middle child. These two traits became an advantage for her in her career where she spent over 20 years as a successful Human Resources Director in the hospitality industry before transitioning into consulting.
In the last decade, the business community has grown to recognize the importance and appreciate the value of human resources. In California, where employment laws are particularly complicated businesses need and are seeking support in recruitment and retention, employee relations and communication, managing employees and remote work, as well as compensation and benefits. Many companies provide a portal for employers to have all of this information readily available to them. The probelm we found is that business owners become overwhelmed and the resources goes unused. We offer Guided HR Solutions which is the ideal solution with a blend of do it yourself and expert guidance. This program provides the tools and resources to develop solid HR systems, timely compliance updates, and regular access to our trusted team of advisors whose goal is to not only protect but guide businesses to their full potential.
Program Features:
Consultation and Coaching - The biggest complaint we hear from small business owners is that they don’t know what they don’t know. In our monthly scheduled Clarity Calls we ask the questions (we’ll answer yours too) to proactively guide you to areas you may need to focus your attention on.
Customized support and guidance – Up to four (4) calls each month to receive customized support from our local team of experts. This time may be spent on phone calls to address your more pressing questions and/or to support employee relations or other HR needs.
Mineral™ DIY Tools and Resources
Certified Advisors – Our outsourced team is available Mon – Fri from 5am – 5pm PT to answer questions, provide guidance, and follow-up with research to advise on sensitive issues like safety, attendance, and overtime.
Compliance - A comprehensive library of templates, forms, and checklists at your fingertips as well as automated legal updates available for all 50 states. You’ll also receive a periodic newsletter from our local team of experts.
Proactive alerts - Let you know what steps you need to take to stay compliant wherever you do business.
Multi-state handbook builder* - Simply fill out a short questionnaire to easily generate a federal and multi-state compliance handbook available for immediate download.
Monitoring – Should laws and regulations change, you will receive notifications allowing you seamless handbook updates.
E-signature – Track employee acknowledgements through the Handbook Manager.
Includes a 90-minute handbook review session with our local advisory team to ensure it aligns with your business needs and nothing important was missed.
Job Description Builder - Guides you through a step-by-step process for building meaningful job descriptions.
Training library – Courses to develop employees in the areas of anti-harassment, compliance & legal, computer & IT, customer service, and more.
Anonymous Reporting - Empower your employees to anonymously report workplace concerns before they become larger issues – or a liability risk.
Workplace Safety - 140+ courses available to help you reduce potential hazards, accidents and liability while creating a culture of safety among your employees.
Our mission is to help organizations achieve clarity, lighten their loads, and create a clear path to success by minimizing their risk and leveraging their greatest asset – their people.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
We are serial audio book listeners and there are so many that have impacted us, however a few stand out above the rest:
1. The E-Myth Revisited – Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It [Michael E. Gerber]
2. Business Made Simple – 60 Days to Master Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Execution, Management, Personal
Productivity, and More [Donald Miller]
3. Leadership and Self Deception – Getting Out of the Box [The Arbinger Institute]
4. Good Authority – How to Become the Leader Your Team is Waiting For [ Jonathan Raymond]
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
We have come to accept the fact that we can’t use our superpowers on ourselves. We have been told numerous times that our insight and guidance is invaluable. So, you would think we should be able to see clearly and know the path we should take moving forward. Not true. We have had to learn to reach out to our business coach and/or accountability partner when find ourselves swirling rather than keep to keep striving to no end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://guidedlead.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guidedlead?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/guidedleadershipsolutions/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@guidedleadershipsolutions8969
Image Credits
John Menville