We recently connected with Kristen Lamoreaux and have shared our conversation below.

Kristen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

It’s human nature to look for the familiar. When walking into a conference room for a meeting or an interview, we scan the room for who we know, who looks like me, who feels familiar. Too many women have walked into meetings – or even networking events – and been the only woman or only woman of color in the room. Women will either lift their chins, put on a “company smile” and brave their way into the room or they’ll walk in, turn left and hug the wall while reaching for their phones. I’ve lived both scenarios; both are uncomfortable and can foster the “I don’t belong here” self-talk. I don’t want anyone to feel or think that way. I was at a CIO conference in early 2000’s with 350 attendees and no line for the Ladies room at lunch. A woman a few stalls over called out, “Really, how few of us are here?” As I’d had a balcony seat, I volunteered, “22. There are 22 of us here – more if you include the “Booth Girls” that one sponsor brought with them to entice the men over to their booth.” Everyone groaned, washed hands, and exchanged business cards. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was the beginning of SIM Women, as it was that moment where I thought, “So what are you going to do?”

Early on in forming SIM Women, I realized we didn’t just need to support each other, we needed women in leadership roles to inspire the next generation of female IT leaders. At the time women held 7% of CIO roles in the US. I launched Lamoreaux Search and focused on generating diverse slates for every search we perform, regardless of whether a client asks for it. I believe diverse teams are stronger teams and there’s plenty of research that proves diverse teams are more effective and successful, but more importantly, I take pride in the fact that we are helping organizations augment their diversity and enrich their culture while simultaneously heightening the visibility of our leadership candidates and actively working to change the national numbers. Women hold approximately 20% of CIO roles today and those numbers shrink further when you’re considering other aspects of diversity. There’s still work to do and we’re going to keep doing it so no one person remains “the only” in the room.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I describe myself as a wife, mother, and family member first, then philanthropist, and finally business owner. I’ve been working with in IT executive search for 26 years and running my own firm for 13. Lamoreaux Search is a boutique executive search firm that focuses on delivering the differentiating talent our clients need. Focused on only permanent placement, we build long-term relationships with both our candidates and our clients, so we know who’s a dog person and who’s a cat person and who has fish because they’re allergic to fur. We continuously cultivate relationships across the country which keeps us “at the ready” for when opportunities open up. I love calling a candidate and saying, “THIS is what you’ve been waiting for!” I was mentored in my 20s by a gentleman who had 30+ years in executive search. He taught me that a solid network is built one handshake at a time and that operating from a place of what’s best for candidates and clients is how you build trust, “Operate with integrity and that trust will expedite every search you lead.”

Lamoreaux Search demonstrates the strength of our network in our speed to delivery. We execute C-level searches at 10x faster rate than other large firms and over 80% of our candidates come from referral because good people know good people. We also have decades-long relationships with organizations like ITSMF – Information Technology Senior Management Forum, BDPA – Black Data Processing Association, SIM – Society for Information Management, HIMSS – Healthcare Information Management Systems Society, WITI – Women in Tech International, as well as strong relationships with HITEC – Hispanic Technology Executive Council, ISSA – Information Systems Security Association, Gaingels, Board Curators, and dozens of other diversity and diversity in tech organizations in addition to SIM Women. We put the time into building authentic relationships across a myriad of sources so we can quickly deliver the most talented leaders and team members to our clients.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When I started to consider launching my own firm, I planned on funding it myself from savings. I told my husband, and he completely shot me down on the whole idea of going out on my own. “You get a steady paycheck. You get benefits and a 401k match. They’re nice people with a great reputation. You have a non-compete so you’d have to start over. Our son is a toddler. There’s no need to do this.” He was right in many ways, so I paused my actions and began planning versus jumping in right away. About a year later, with a business plan at-the-ready, I was looking for funding ideas. I had lunch with a CIO that I had placed years earlier, and he mentioned that he was going to quit his job and go work elsewhere. He then added, “Don’t worry. I’ll get your firm added to our vendor list so we can continue to do business.” I leaned forward and said, “I’m thinking of going out on my own, but the funding and my non-compete was holding me back. Your new company isn’t a current client of my firm, so I could do business with you, and it would be outside my non-compete.” He smiled and said, “I have fourteen searches slated for my first year. I’ll just give them all to you.” It was a gift beyond measure that completely changed my life, and it was all because of the trust I’d built over time. I was able to start my business with less than $20k from savings because I had hundreds of thousands in anticipated receivables year one.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Most things don’t go according to plan. There are recessions or hiring slumps that slowed us down. Life can get in the way – I just had an elder care situation that overtook my life for a full year. There are also times when clients slow down their payments – one time we waited 7 months to be paid on an invoice! The one thing a business owner can be sure of, is that there will be times when business isn’t going to go well; so, have a plan.

From 2007 to 2009, the US recession prompted the closing of 65% of search firms – never to be opened again. During that time, I saw that the two things that made a difference in keeping work flowing our way: trusted relationships and visibility.

When I begin to see the market slow or hear from clients that the next quarter might be a bit tighter, I launch into visibility mode. I am a huge believer in “Networking through Philanthropy” a phrase I coined when writing for CIO magazine. Remembering that top leaders are humans with philanthropic causes they are passionate about, you can connect with people as part of a shared cause, instead of trying to get a “sale.” The opportunity to build relationships while focusing on helping children, protecting pets, getting more tech supplies into schools, or other initiative you authentically care about, exists in any market. Focusing on others and their needs during a quieter time not only helps you to feel energized and purposeful, but it truly creates opportunities to reach leaders that you’d never be able to “cold-call.”

I’m incredibly fortunate to lead a life of service to others. My friend Daphne Jones described the stages of life as, “Learn. Earn. Return.” I’m in the “return” portion now and it feels great to help others find their swagger, and to help organizations to make advancements in diversity. If we all do “our part” we can change the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LamoreauxSearch.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenlamoreaux/
• Twitter: @LamoreauxSearch

Image Credits
Anne Katherine Photography, FMM Productions