We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sheree Knowles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sheree, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the early days of establishing your own firm. What can you share?

When I worked in Corporate America, on paper, I had a ‘good job’. I held the top position in Human Resources which included an amazing compensation plan (salary, bonuses, stock options, etc). But I was miserable. I worked in an environment that didn’t value my diversity as a Black female executive and I experienced bias, microaggressions, exclusion, and incivility on a regular basis. After a series of significant personal events, I decided to leave my ‘good job’ and God led me to entrepreneurship.

The early days were scary, exhilarating, uncertain, and exciting. God and I became BFFs because I didn’t have a clue about being a business owner. I literally had to trust Him and take a leap of faith that I was walking in my purpose. I decided to meet with everyone I knew who already had a consulting firm, and so I just sat at their feet asking questions and taking notes. These amazing business owners poured into me and shared sage advice like: 1) Don’t get so caught up into thinking the business has to be perfect; you will bump your head at times so just learn from it and keep moving; 2) Get a client and make some money; you’ll feel like you’re making progress; 3) Have integrity in everything you do; if you make a mistake, own up to it, and focus on the recovery; 4) Don’t take yourself and your business too seriously; enjoy the journey and celebrate small wins.

The first steps I took were to get my EIN and set up a bank account in my company’s name. I also started to establish business credit by applying for a small business Amex. I purchased my office equipment (laptop & 3-n-1 printer) and office supplies on the Amex. I made a point to pay off the Amex each month. I also invested in creating a website and social media pages. I later hired a social media expert who was just launching her own business and I became one of her first paying clients.

The first few years were very difficult. I didn’t understand the buying patterns of my clients and solely relied on referrals. Even though I had a vast professional network, I felt awkward about asking people to hire my company for projects. There were plenty of lean times where I didn’t know if I’d have enough money to help support my household. Every time, God provided a way and we never missed a beat paying our bills.

If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, I would have placed more value on what I offered to the marketplace. I would not have worked with ‘micro clients’ – those who need HR but cannot afford to pay for it. They were most needy and I gave a lot of my talent away for free.

Sheree, 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?

HR Knowledge Source (HRKS) is an inclusive faith-based, woman-owned, and minority-owned Business Consulting Firm specializing in HR Management, Talent, and Culture. The company was founded on the principles of Ephesian 3:20 and launched on March 20, 2014. Since then, HRKS has achieved significant recognition and achievements over the years. The Cobb Chamber of Commerce (GA) recognized us as their first Top Minority-Owned Business of the Year and one of the Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year for three consecutive years. The State of GA recognized us as a top small business within the State. We were further honored when CNBC’s Inside The Blueprint, a nationally recognized TV Series, featured our company in their “Improving Your Business With Human Resources” segment.

We are the undisputed experts in helping companies navigate the complex terrain of people management. Our clients trust us to help them solve their people-related business challenges. We offer a variety of consultancy solutions designed to meet every Client need – no matter how large or small, simple, or complex. Our company’s strategy is based around four (4) key Centers of Excellence:

The Recruitment Alliance (TRA)
The Recruitment Alliance (TRA) provides a unique and engaging recruiting solution. We offer our clients a flexible, cost-effective, and individualized approach to hiring people through original and cutting-edge sourcing techniques. To better understand the vision and needs of each organization, we immerse ourselves in their culture, and identify candidates with the skill set to match the culture and establish the foundation for retention. We take great pride in applying our highly refined search strategy to develop lasting connections with every client and candidate. Our comprehensive, personalized approach ensures the best candidate and client experience from the beginning through onboarding and beyond.

Diversity, Inclusion, Culture & Equity (DICE™):
We have designed a unique Diversity, Inclusion, Culture, and Equity (DICE™) solution where we focus less on compliance and transactional “checking the box” activities and, instead, place more emphasis on transforming organizational culture and individual mindsets. Our approach to DICE ™, where inclusion and belonging are the cornerstones, is based on calling people ‘in’ versus calling them ‘out.’ Our distinctive approach includes DICE™ Assessments, Leadership and Staff Courses, Experiential Programs, DICE™ Councils and ongoing Sustainability & Ongoing Improvement Programs which increase our clients’ ability to promote positive communication, uncover the value of different perspectives, hold space for hard conversations, build authentic relationships, and nurture diverse teams.

Career Blueprint Pathways (CBP)
The pandemic has forever reshaped the workplace. Shifting market trends, ‘quiet quitting’, the demands from the “Everything Employee” (Gartner, 2022), and other factors such as changes in consumer spending patterns have forced employers to reconsider how they approach their talent management and retention strategies. Many companies need solutions that strengthen their workforce, upskill their leaders, and increase their capacity to do more in a different way. We help our client optimize their workforce by retaining their top talent through leadership development and coaching, career navigation programs for staff, teambuilding, performance management, and a variety of professional skills classes.

Signature Consultancy Solutions (SCS):
Every great people strategy needs a stable solid foundation built upon ethical human resources practices. Not every company wants (or needs) a full-time HR department and yet, they require HR expertise to manage their people practices. We offer a unique outsourced, fractional approach for clients who don’t have HR at all, as well as for clients who have HR but need senior level expertise. We work closely with companies to provide HR Strategy & Oversight, Employee Engagement & Retention, HR Compliance, Employee Relations, Organizational Design, and Health & Wellness. Essentially, we provide the same services that an in-house HR team would provide…for a fraction of the cost.

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

Because we sell business consultancy solutions and thought leadership in the human capital space (and not widgets), we utilize our marketing efforts to build brand awareness and to generate business leads. We build brand awareness through a variety of unique activities. We have a very strong digital media presence and are active on every major social media platform. Our posts can be informative and thought-provoking as well as light-hearted and fun. We enjoy engaging with our audiences; it serves to make connections and form relationships. Each month, we stream a live podcast called ‘The Radical Edge of HR’ where we bring a unique non-traditional approach to relevant HR topics. We showcase subject matter experts who provide creative, edgy and out of the box perspectives. Another communication vehicle that we utilize is our e-newsletter where we share trending HR topics and highlight our accomplishments. Members of the HRKS community are often requested to speak at conferences and events throughout the year including HR industry conferences and non-HR business conferences. We also strategically select sponsorship opportunities that align with our mission and goals, as well as those that place us within proximity to our target audience and future clients.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I spent the majority of my growing up years in a dysfunctional, sometimes abusive, household. There was favor over my life though and through the hard times, I was able to develop endurance and resiliency. I learned how to look at the glass as half full versus half empty and that positive outlook on hard situations saved my life. I also developed agility and the ability to pivot. I put myself through college and raised amazing children during my period of being a single mother. I have changed careers (social workforce development to human resources to entrepreneurship), each time moving into a different level of success. I expect my journey to be challenging and yet rewarding, offering lessons for me to stretch & grow while affording me the opportunity to celebrate my wins. My motto is “Today is an Amazing Unfolding of a Blessed Experience” and I try to live my life with that in mind.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hrksllc.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/HRKSLLC
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/HRKSLLC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hrksllc/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/HRKSLLC
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@hrksllc

Image Credits
HRKS LLC