Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Pereyra. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rachel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?
As I worked my way up the corporate ladder I learned all about HR and it’s importance in an organization without being in a traditional HR role. I had just gotten promoted to be a branch manager and was opening up a new office so I needed to hire an assistant. Our company recruiter was stretched too thin and not sourcing great candidates so I took it upon myself to find people. I hadn’t ever formally conducted an interview before and when I asked my supervisor for support he gave me a generic packet of interview questions. In that first 8 months opening that office I wound up conducting 100 interviews because our team was growing so rapidly and my first hire wasn’t a great decision. This helped me learn all the ins and outs of recruiting and supported my further growth as a team leader.
This informs the way I approach my business now, I believe people should receive the appropriate guidance and training to excel at whatever you are asking them to do. I also believe wholeheartedly that traditional hiring is deeply flawed and a painful process for everyone involved. I strive to regularly communicate with my applicants whenever I hire to keep them informed and remove the guessing game elements so often seen in corporate.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started my career young, I got my first taste of a management role at only 17 in the local grocery store. I truly enjoyed supporting my team members and thinking through the larger picture, this inspired in me a deep love for team development and leadership. After 12 years working in people leadership & operations across retail, finance, small business, and non-profit spaces I feel very well rounded to tackle my clients problems and be a true thought partner for them.
I work with my clients as a fractional COO, this means I am their strategic advisor, their people leadership consultant, their operations strategist – and I help them build a sustainable organization through our time together. Whether this support is a 90-minute intensive, a VIP day, or retained services I meet my clients where they are to help them to where they want to be.
I also founded and run an operations consulting agency, we specialize in helping service-based businesses and mid0size non-profits to develop sustainable operational foundations. We work with them through process development & evaluation, tech set ups and optimization, and team training.
Over time my mission has developed to become changing the world through operations. I am incredibly passionate about supporting those who have historically had the deck stacked against them. This means women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC folx who are trying to change their lives, their communities, and/or society.
I have lived what feels like many lives; from growing up middle class to becoming a teen mom and heading into adulthood impoverished. I have been through a divorce, changing industries, starting a business, and coming out to the world. My diverse experience brings something so often lacking in the analytical world of operations, perspective. I am here to support the humans behind the business with the business’ processes and tech.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I have bootstrapped my business from day one – this means I have self-funded through revenue, my personal savings, and bank financing. I started my initial freelancing while I was still in my 9-5 job, so I used that money to buy a laptop and some credits on UpWork to get started with finding clients.
I was lucky and found work pretty quickly, since then I have maintained the business through its own revenue and bank financing. I knew coming into this business that I wouldn’t be looking for investors and this means every financial decision has to be incredibly strategic because the only money I have to invest is the money I earn.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Remember that your company culture starts long before an annual performance review. Think about the environment you want to create for your team and develop job descriptions and RFPs (Request For Proposal) that illustrate that environment, your values, and your expectations. Be clear throughout the hiring process and be open to their feedback at each turn.
My team is global and so we have had to get creative to create a culture that accounts for different timezones and backgrounds. We have monthly all hands meetings and talk daily in our team Slack channels. I share weekly company reports and keep them updated on the progress of business initatives. I also give them the ability to book onto my calendar at any time to talk through any issues or catch up as people. I have had team members who have been with me since day one of starting my agency (almost 2 years ago) and I really credit this loyalty to the way I respect, trust, and care for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mastermindbusinessservices.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermindbusinessservices
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-pereyra
- Other: https://www.rachelpereyra.com https://www.mastermindbusinessservices.com/podcast
Image Credits
Photo by Jessica Joseph Photography, Austin