We recently connected with Meghan Grimm and have shared our conversation below.
Meghan, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?
Gifting is my love language. When it’s someones birthday, I send flowers. When someone’s family member passes, I send flowers or (recently donuts). This year for the first time, I sent customized holiday gifts to clients. I’ve always loved making friends and family feel special with a gift and keep my own personal gifting log in excel, with photos, of everything I have gifted people in my life over the years. Etsy is my best friend for this kind of stuff, and an amazing resource to get inspiration for original gifts. I like to think outside of the box. A lot of my friends come to me for gifting help, and fellow assistants. To curate an amazing, personal gift for someone that they will hold onto forever, is one of the best things you can do.
Meghan, 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?
My name is Meghan Grimm. I grew up outside of New York City, and attended Georgetown University for undergrad. I started off in the nursing school but only lasted one semester because I hate blood. I transferred into the regular college at Georgetown, majored in English, and jumped into fashion right after I graduated, working at Ralph Lauren for my first corporate job. It is through my experience at Ralph Lauren that I was first exposed to fashion/entertainment. I worked on the celebrity dressing team and we styled talent for major red carpet events (golden globes, grammys, oscars, met gala). I was inspired to work in entertainment after this. My old boss from Ralph Lauren knew Madonna’s old stylist and found out about an opening on her team and hooked me up with an interview. I landed an assistant job on her team and it changed the course of my career. I worked for Madonna and her lovely family for just over a year. Afterward, I assisted producer Casey Patterson before being introduced to Jennifer Lawrence, serving as her right-hand for 6 1/2 years. I’m very lucky and grateful to have worked with such amazing and powerful women who I have nothing but respect for. Through the years they have all supported me, especially on my journey to create CLYDE. CLYDE, my company, is a knock on Bonnie & Clyde (side-kick reference). I started the company in a hotel room while I was sick with covid (season 1, episode 1 of covid in March 2020). I was able to launch with the power of my network and just started to connect people, really. The industry caught wind what I was doing and before I knew it, I was getting crazy inbounds. Business was booming! And it hasn’t stopped. Having been an assistant, I understand both sides of the job; employee and employer. People trust me to serve them great, vetted candidates, who I’m also pulling from my network. Clyde is not your average recruiting firm. The mission of Clyde is to provide talent with top-tier candidates but also ongoing support, and a community. Every person I give a job to gets access to our shared slack channel and it’s a safe space to go for resources, and contacts. Everyone on slack is on NDA . People share information, without oversharing. We host assistant events, and coffee open houses. My goal is for everyone to bond and really create a sense of community. Which brings me to my next new endeavor; philanthrophy. Recently, I set up a Clyde Community Relief Center, powered by television city, inside CBS Studios, for all those affected by the Los Angeles fires. I used my network to set up space here and provide a healing and nurturing environment for displaced families and individuals. We are working on organization and setting up the studio before we open doors to victims on Feb 1. I want people to know that if I say I’m going to do something, I will do it. I follow through and I execute. I make things happen. My company exists because of a powerful and trusted network, and that’s exactly how this new project came to life. I want to give people opportunity. I want to give back as much as possible, and I have access to resources that many do not, because of my network.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect, by Will Guidara. One of my clients actually recommended this book to me. It explores the power of exceptional service in the hospitality industry by creating memorable experiences for guests by going above and beyond. The author advocates for a mindset of generosity and authenticity, encouraging us all to cultivate deep relationships. When I provide a service to a client, I want to go above and beyond always. The same goes for when I give a gift to someone. A strong commitment to this practice can elevate a business, while fostering a culture of care and community.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
CLYDE very much started as a side hustle. Business really took off once people caught wind of what I was doing and the type of high-quality candidates I was presenting. Key milestones were definitely the Wall Street Journal Article and Hollywood Reporter article, both which changed the course of the business and helped get me established.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clydestaffing.com
- Instagram: clydestaffing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-grimm-9656ab52/
Image Credits
Ryan Tunick