We recently connected with Shelley Ray and have shared our conversation below.
Shelley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I took a huge risk by leaving my agency recruiting job of almost 17 years where I was a top producer year after year. This was my first job out of college and all I knew. I loved what I did and loved my team but after so many years I felt pulled in another direction towards something greater. I needed a new challenge and although I was doing so well and making plenty of money I wasn’t fulfilled. I got to the point where I would just start crying on my way to the office and at that point I knew something had to give. When i was finally honest with myself and made the decision to resign, I was then met with a lawsuit from my former employer because starting my own firm was in violation of our non compete. An agreement I signed when I was 22 and did not realize how strict it was until it was too late. In that moment taking a risk didn’t seem like the right thing to do anymore, however, I knew there was something greater for me and I was not going to let this bring me down. Through all of the tough times and drama I stayed strong and learned how resilient I was. My non compete lasted all of 2022 so I will never forget that year. The year of adversity but also the year that prepared me to be an even better entrepreneur and leader. I never changed my mind on wanting to start my own firm. I ended up having a business partner for the first 2 1/2 years and helped build that firm from the ground up but I still knew there was a bigger plan for me and I took another leap of faith/risk in August of this year and finally stepped out completely on my own and founded Elevate Search! Best decision ever. I can now fully build the way that I want to and grow my team and create the culture that I know will give recruiters the opportunities to find success and feel supported. it was not an easy road to get here but for me taking risks was more than worth it and had I not trusted myself and what I know I am capable of, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today. My resilience has proved to be my biggest strength and I am also so grateful for my husband, my family, best friends, and my rock star Recruiter Cameron who has stayed with me the past 3 years. I am looking forward to growing our team in first quarter!
Shelley, 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?
Yes of course. My name is Shelley Ray, Owner & Founder of Elevate Search LLC, a boutique executive search firm based in Downtown Houston.
I had no idea what recruiting was when I graduated from Texas A&M in 2004 and now I have 20 years experience in it! I had planned on going to law school and needed something to do in the meantime. My dad actually told me to go to a temp agency and I was like what is that? We had phone books back then so I opened the phone book and called the first one that stood out because it was woman owned! After working multiple temporary roles the recruiting firm I was with had an opening in their office for an admin role to support the recruiters and they asked me if I would be interested. It was during that time I really got exposed to what recruiting is and I ended up falling in love with it and long story short I was hired perm, promoted to a recruiter and stayed almost 17 years at that firm before taking my leap of faith into entrepreneurship.
My specialties are Accounting, Finance, and Supply Chain and I place all levels from staff to C-Suite across Greater Houston. I have a broad range of industry experience but have worked with a lot of energy, construction, manufacturing, chemical, and law firm clients. After 20 years in this market, I have a strong network and take pride in the relationships I have built. My relationships are what have made me successful and also a big reason why I love what I do.
What I love is helping my clients build strong performing teams, helping to solve their staffing problems, as well as helping my candidates grow their careers. This is such a competitive industry but I feel what has always set me apart is my authenticity and ability to build real relationships. I always show up as me, and I will never say I am going to do something and not do it. I’m very transparent and honest and stick to my word. I take a tremendous amount of pride in what I do and I want my candidates and clients to have a seamless experience when they work with me. Our industry is tough because we are dealing with people and anything can happen and things don’t always go your way, but I will always be honest through the process. I will also add that my work ethic is 2nd to none. I got that from my dad but I am not afraid to work and have always put in whatever time was necessary to ensure my clients were taken care of. I love the thrill of hard to fill roles. I am super determined and always know I can make it happen.
I think I am most proud that I am building the exact life and career that I want. I dreamt about doing this for so many years but it took a long time to get here. It is so easy to stay in your comfort zone and go through the motions but taking risks is something that is imperative for growth. Elevate is my baby now and I am so excited to see her grow!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
I will be honest – business development is not my strength. I am not a sales person. I have found that I can still build my business and grow my client base organically by focusing on my relationships and building my network. We often get referrals for new clients from our existing clients. and our candidates often become our next best client as well. I might make a recruiting call to a Controller who is not looking for a new role but is looking to add to her team. One of my top clients today started this way. We now have such a great relationship and I love working with her and she is referring other business to me. It’s important to stay connected with your network. Take your clients and candidates to lunch, meet for coffee, go to networking events. Show them that you care about them and you are not only calling when you need something. It’s just as important to retain the business you have as it is to bring in new business. Social media will always be a great source for business as well. Showing up so people see you and get to know you is important. This is something I will be focusing on more in 2026. :)
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Leadership is new for me but I have always had the opportunity to be a mentor throughout my career which helped prepare me to manage a team. I have always believed in leading by example and that is what I try to do each and every day. Being supportive, always showing up and sticking to your word will build trust and your people will want to work hard for you. Train them to be better than you and celebrate their success. My industry is very competitive so building the right culture and morale is imperative to the success and growth of the company. It’s easy to compete internally with your team as we are in a sales driven environment but I teach my team to compete externally, not internally. We can all work together and fill each others jobs and we will be even more successful that way. One of the main reasons people leave their job is because of their manager so as a manager it is so important to listen to your team and understand what their needs and frustrations are so that you can help before it becomes a problem. Lastly, be transparent. Your team deserves to know what is going on when it impacts them. Give constructive feedback and don’t be afraid to tell them when they aren’t performing or meeting their goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elevatesearchllc.com/
- Instagram: @elevatesearchllc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyblount/
Image Credits
Trisha LaCoste