Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Wilfred Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Wilfred, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I was doing alot of internship recruiting and I kept seeing the same mistakes made by college students. I spoke with several recruiters and they were seeing the same mistakes. I started working on a “Soft Skills” program. I then spoke to some people who worked for Student Support Services programs on different college campuses. I was told that students needed alot of help with their Soft Skills. So, I modified my program for Highschool students as well as College students. I was given some advice that the earlier students are introduced to Soft Skills the better. I started my company in 2019 and got my first contract at the begining of 2020. I knew that it would be a benifit after my first workshop with 20 or so Highschool Students.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am originally from Iowa. I moved to Chicago and got into Retail Management. I then moved into Human Resources/Recruitment. I actually started my company because I was fired because I was to effective at my position. I was told that if everybody was as efficient as me they would loose their contract faster. That day I got my EIN and then registered with the Secretary of State.
-I offer Soft Skills training programs for Highschool and College students.
-I train HR Departments/Recruiters for start ups
-I offer Career Coaching

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I learned this lesson from my previous life as e Retail Manager. Have weekly or at least by-weekly meetings. Always ask the hard questions; How are you feeling?, Are you still happy working here?, Is there something that I can do better as a boss?, etc. I also let them know what areas they can improve on and where they are excelling.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I recieved my first 3 contracts in 2020 before the world shut down. All of the sudden funding for schools across the board dried up. So, I had contracts that were cancelled. I knew that I had a good idea and that it worked, but I knew that I had to pivot. I started working with people that were let go from their positions because of Covid. I also started podcasting to have a social media imprint.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fypmcompany.com
• Instagram: fypm_staffing
• Facebook: FindingYourPersonnelManagement
• Linkedin: fypm_staffing
• Youtube: fypm_staffing