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

Alright, Vikita thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

We are a Certified Management and Human Resources Consulting firm committed to providing the total Human Resources infrastructure your business needs to succeed in today’s complex work environment. With over three decades of experience, our team understands the intricacies of labor law, workers compensation claims, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), sexual harassment training and prevention, EEOC complaints and compliance, training and development, conflict resolution, discrimination claims, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employee benefits, recruiting and so much more. The rules and regulations governing human resources change constantly. Let us interpret and assist your company in implementing what in many cases are complex, confusing, and seemingly contradictory requirements.

Our target clientele is small business owners. We define small business as 500 employees or less. What separates our firm from others is we “partner” with business owners in assisting them with being compliant with the various labor laws. We encourage them to get involved to understand the process, but we manage it.  We also encourage them the importance of getting involved in the public policy process.  This will assist with eliminating the passing of laws that cripple small business owners.

Vikita, 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?

I have been in human resources for over 30 plus years. I just happened to fall into HR. Now I know it was just part of my destiny. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do. I was always fascinated with the legal field, but I wasn’t a fan of going to school for years. So, at the time, law school wasn’t an option.

I worked my way up from assisting those with disabilities in college as an intern to being the VP of HR for a large corporation. It was challenging but rewarding.

It all shifted when my son was born, who at the time wasn’t expected to live to be 10 years old. I was the Vice President of HR for a large corporation. There wasn’t any teleworking at the time, and I needed to by my son’s bedside. He spent most of his life in the hospital and I was advised I needed to be in the office more. Being a mom was my first priority, so I begin to create an exit strategy for myself. I knew I always wanted to start my own business but wasn’t sure how or where to begin. I just knew my son needed me and I had to keep the balance for my daughter as well.

HR was what I knew and loved. It was expertise. I just needed to figure out how to turn my expertise and passion into a profit. I had to learn what was needed to set up a business, run a business and how to obtain clients. I knew I wanted to focus on small business owners as they typically didn’t have that HR support. They were just like me. Just trying to figure it out.

I started my business in 2000 in California with just myself. Now were in 10 states and growing with a very diverse workforce. All our employees are bilingual. Were currently in the following states.

California
Washington
Texas
Nevada
Colorado
Idaho
Iowa
Arizona
Oregon
Utah

Whether you are running a business or working for someone, you’re going to work hard.  At times you may encounter sleepless nights, times of stress, anxiety, meeting deadlines, respond to a plethora of emails, managing your team and just drained mentally.   If I am going to work that hard, I am going to do it for myself.  Running a business is hard but so rewarding. Work for yourself instead of someone else. The challenges will pay off.

My personal philosophy: You can achieve whatever goals you have if you just help enough people achieve theirs.

My favorite quote: “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.”— BARRY FINLAY

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

Juggling being a single parent with a child with medical challenges and starting/running a business is not easy. You are your own support system. You have to network to build you name, brand and reputation. In my business, I have to stay abreast of all the various employment laws in multiple states as they change constantly. Let’s not even talk about all the changes that COVID added to this. Due to my son’s challenges, I was equipped to assist my clients and team with understanding COVID. Helping them to pivot was crucial for them to stay in business.

When you first start a business, no one knows you. You have to build a reputation. People do business with people they know, like and trust. We are a referral-based business. Most if not all our clients have been referral by an existing or previous client. When a business owner is dealing with complex HR matters, potential legal matters, people tend to ask for referrals from others who may have used your services. No one wants to deal with or admit they have any HR matters. They are embarrassed and have a propensity to blame themselves instead of viewing it as part of being in business.

In my first few years of business, networking was how I grew my business. You learn that people do business with people that they know, like and trust. Our statement is not a tag line.

It is our Motto our Mantra so to speak. We Are “A Partner You Can Trust.”

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We are transparent. We tell our clients the truth regarding their challenges. It may not be what they want to hear, but to be an effective partner, you have to be honest with them.

Customer service is becoming non-existent. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service to our clients. Anyone that refers a client to us knows and understands that we value their trust and confidence in providing that referral.

We fight for our clients. Whether it is in court, arbitration, or mediations, we take pride in making sure our clients voices are heard.

We give back to the community. We are involved with various organizations that assist business owners. Whether it is financing, needing additional capital or mentoring. We donate a considerable amount of time and resources to assist our communities.

Knowledge is powerful. What you don’t know can be detrimental in business. I am often asked to speak on various topics, whether it is wage and hour concerns, ongoing COVID compliance, public policy matters that affect business owners as well as upcoming and ongoing employment law matters. The independent contractor issue in California has been a big topic. Misclassification of employees can result in enormous fines and penalties.

Most importantly, I currently sit on boards that deal with issues that impact business owners. Public policy is extremely important. You must be at the table where decisions are being made. If there is not a table for you, build your own.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://pcghr.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vikitapoindexter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoindexterConsulting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikitapoindexter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vikitapcg