We recently connected with Nat C. Jones and have shared our conversation below.

Nat C., appreciate you joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

For both my non-profit (The CLIC) and my for-profit business (Nat C. Company LLC) I knew that team building was the most important thing that I needed to do in order to succeed. When I first started it was just me, but my very next move was figuring out who I needed on my team. I made this a priority years ago after reading the book, “Good To Great” by James C. Collins. This is why every entrepreneur should read as often as they eat. In that book I learned that the team is actually more important than the vision and mission. That is how I structure business now and it has served me well. I felt exhilarated looking for team members and I selected them based on a problem that needed to be managed in my company’s mission. I posted the jobs on social media instead of career sites because I wanted personable people. That’s my brand: Everything is “personal” when you’re a person. While interviewing them I spent about 25% of the time asking questions about their work experience and the other 75% asking them personal questions that would reveal their character. I want good people working for me no matter what. I can train good people to sharpen certain skills but even if a person is skilled I can’t improve their character. if i was starting today I would have kept an active waiting list and even made connections with the people who didn’t make the cut (maybe because they were a good interview but I only needed to fill one position at the time) that way once a team member has to move on, I could’ve reached into a warm pool of qualified potentials and fill the new void seamlessly.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Master Facilitator. A Master Facilitator is a communication specialist who establishes and maintains a safe and productive space for diverse participants to connect and interact until they reach a unified goal. The art of facilitation is extremely valuable, as it is essential for top-level planning and can be used in every kind of industry or organization. As a Master Facilitator, I have highly-tuned analytic skills which allow me to streamline procedures, process information quickly, and identify vital details in a discussion.

I’m also a connection guru and executive problem solver who has been facilitating masterfully for over 15 years; working with corporations, entrepreneurs, nonprofits and government entities.

I have high-level skills in workshop facilitation, moderating, team building and strategic planning for community engagement.

I believe in the power of partnerships and I’m always striving to achieve significant outcomes for my clients.

When you work with me, you can expect a dynamic collaboration rooted in transparency and consistency.

I have always been a great facilitator but I didn’t know what it was. Earlier in my career I would constantly receive rave reviews about my presentation skills and ability to think strategically. It wasn’t until I began working for the City of Orlando for Mayor Buddy Dyer that it became clear what my gift was. My ability to be diplomatic with politicians, read a room, handle difficult citizens and transform the way people looked at a problem skyrocketed me to entrepreneurship.

I solve team problems for my clients. I help them build teams, troubleshoot and reorganize for maximum results and I make it really enjoyable for everyone involved.

I’m most proud that Nat C. Company LLC has a fully functional team of trained facilitators, so I don’t have to do the work alone, because my services are in high demand. With my team, I get to practice what I preach and exemplify excellent team building in front of my clients. I’m proud that I have the ability to identify the “super powers” in others and help my clients build a team that has a magnificent capacity to achieve based on knowing and leveraging their own strengths.

www.natcompany.net
info@natcompany.net

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My reputation came from posting consistently on social media. Most of my business comes from social media. When people follow you on social media, they feel like they know you, they trust and like you. People are more likely to do business with people they think they know and people they like. Remember, business is about people. People are personal and all people make decisions based on how they feel. Social media allowed me to create a narrative that compelled people to feel good about me and my business.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that I could do it on my own. I used to try because I didn’t trust anyone else with my dream. I became stressed, overwhelmed and I experience burn out. It’s delusional to think that you can accomplish anything alone. We like to say things like that when we are overwhelmed or don’t have as much help as we would like, but the truth is there is always someone there, even if just temporarily, who makes things better for us. It’s not wise to even have the goal to try your business alone. They say “teamwork makes the dream work.” I say “The team IS the dream!”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.natcompany.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themastersfacilitator/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatCJones100/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nat-c-jones/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/NatCFacilitator
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NatCJones
• Other: www.natcjones.com