We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Molly McGrath a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Molly, thanks for joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?
Hanging your own shingle is fun and exciting in the beginning until you start to get clients and then realize you cant do it all alone, you find yourself waking up at 2 a..m in a pool of panic worried you are going to get fired by a client. You relize you cannot keep up the pace of being a rugid individualist, your family and friends are always upset and dis appointed with you as your never available.And when you are….they see that undeniable look of wonder and worry in your eyes.. Our business did (thankfully) hire a outsourced (back in 2008 when outsourcing was NOT a household term) bookeeper as I knew that was NOT my strong suite. Thankfully i had an incredible biz coach that helped me identify what would suck the life out of me before i even got started. and bookeeping was at the top of the list. It was the greatet investement of time, money and energy ever spent righ out of the gate. As I grew my coach had anotehr “Cme to jesus” meeting with me and realized very quickly……strategically hiring the next best thing: a mini-me, was in order. I needed to replace myself in the day to day management and operations. , though, i needed to ensure that doing so was actually a good idea.
THE UPSIDE OF YOU TIMES TWO
There are plenty of good reasons to hire your clone. Another similar personality might, for instance, help establish the culture you are looking to cultivate at your firm. Or, you might need someone with an identical skill set to address an overflowing workload that only you (or your clone) are qualified to handle. An optimist who shares your vision and work ethic might be needed to boost your brand and unite your team. Alternatively (or additionally), a mini-you might be what’s needed to ensure your business’s continued success. The above notwithstanding, the urge to clone or replace yourself is often a symptom of misguided vanity, and a decision that brings unforeseen, detrimental consequences.
THE DOWNSIDE OF DOUBLE YOU
It’s never a bad idea to take a good, hard look at yourself in the mirror. Doing so often reveals personal aspects that need work, and—while this is productive—it may not be an experience you want to repeat every time you arrive at the office. Not only is accumulated (and errant) irritation with your clone a danger, so too is multiplying personal bad habits that bring no benefit to your firm. Whatever your ego may say, it may do you no good to have a yes-person affirming your every impulse. Instead, your firm might benefit more from a hire who balances your outlook and prompts you to consider alternative perspectives.
The past two years have made it clear that change can come quickly. New top talent has grown up amidst this shifting landscape and, in response, has developed a dexterity that may be exactly what’s needed to carry your business forward. While your gut may tell you that a steady course is the surest avenue to continued success, the reality is that old hats rarely works in new circumstances.
Hiring a second you is an understandable impulse, but it is all too often the easy (and misguided) way to leverage, optimize and scale. The greatest tool we have used to hire and place new team members is the KOLBE A Assessment and the Gallup Strengthfinder 2.o Assessments. We have canddiates take these beofre even meeting with them for an interview. And we match the assessments up with the job description to make sure we have the right person for the roles and goals. To learn more about our unique hiring process, The Smart Hire Soltion visit our website, https://hiringandempowering.com/smart-hire-staffing-solutions/.
Molly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
1. how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc– I was fortuate enough to work for an organization that invested in a national coach, back in 10997 when business and life coaching were not well know street terms. I had the honored of being this coaches “assistant” and from day 1, i was hook, line and sinker. I drank the cool aide on personal and professional development and from there I knew this is what i wanted to do for the rest of my life. I found my calling and my passion. 2. what type of products/services/creative works you provide–Full Cycle Recruiting, An Employee Leadership online training Program and consulting for 25+ years.
3. what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others—– Since 1997, Hiring & Empowering Solutions has been the only team of hiring, management & training consultants offering hiring and training support to boutique small business owners and “solopreneurs” throughout the U.S. Our programs are proven and highly effective, not just because we, too, are entrepreneurs, but because we were once key employees ourselves. We speak the language of leaders as fluently as we speak the language of their employees, and we know how to get both groups of people to work together, seamlessly, for the benefit of the business. Our hiring and training programs help law firm leaders stop wishing that their team members would X, Y, or Z and start trusting and relying on them for consistent, measurable results. We make sure your team has your back, you have theirs…and we have everyone’s.We are the only consultants who have sat in both seats; the employee’s as well the entrepreneur’s. Our entire focus is specifically designed with both the employer and the employee perspectives in mind. We train, transform and transcend the employer- employee mindset to create extraordinary results that you can measure…in ten weeks or less!
4. What are you most proud of —- My national Podcast. (Hire and Empower), I have podcast every single week for 3 years now and have published over 150 episodes. I LOVE the amazing guests I get to interview, love when i have an “ah-ha” moment and able to run on that mic and do a solo riff to get my message out globally to impact as many employers and empoloyees that i can possibly in a leveraged format.
5. what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.—- I am a 3x published author and writing my 4th book now, national weekly podcast. been blogging weekly and consistently since 2008 and my favorite podcast interview to date is where I interviewed my 20 yr old son on what it is like growing up in an entraprenurial home.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
times when i almost missed payroll…..Tony Robbins says, “Fear is a beaufful motivator”…there is something to be said when you have no money in the bank. For 25 years I have made my cleints create the unwavering habit of looking at their calendar, bank accounts, aging AR and prospective pipeline EVERY Monday morining. When you know the brutal truth of your reality on a Monday vs. Friday when there is not much you can do about it, it will put you into immediate action. I have been there myself at times when i “took my eye off the monday money ball” and missed a week or 2 and foudn myself in a position of “not going to make payroll”…that is when you start looking at invoices that are going to be paid this week and hold them. You look at what AR you have pending and have your bookeeper or youself call and send FINAL NOTICE invoices, you cal your hot prospects and get them to sign on the dotted line. And of course, you fill your brain all day with money mindset podcasts and books to keep your faith and action in alignement and the highest vibration. My “go to” book when money is tight and times are scary is “You are a Badass at making money” by Jen Scincero.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
when i started out in 2008 i had a fulltime job. That is what gave me the much needed permission to take the risk. There was absollty no way I was going to get any type of business funding– so i had to become my own bank. I used my “safe paycheck” to get started and anytime I made money in the business, i put 100% of every dollar back into the business. until my business got to the point where i had consistent cash flow, clients and leads, then I quit my job, raised my fees and finally started treating my business like a real business vs. a hobby. when you no longer have a back door or plan B, it is amazing the traction you can create. again, fear and “have to work” are a beautiful motivator.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hiringandempowering.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiringandempowering/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiringandempowering/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-hallmcgrath/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HireAndEmpower
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU2gHRylpFj9zZLs1txPm_g