2020 was a rough year for all of us. Though it was challenging, there were good things that came out of the difficulties.
At the start of last year, I was the Head of Talent for a growing startup in Atlanta. Our team was growing, and I felt overwhelmed with the amount of things on my to-do list.
On March 13th, our team left the office to start working from home. We ended up never returning. What began as a trial run unfortunately ended with massive layoffs, which I was included in. I faced what so many others were facing. Within a few short weeks, we went from thriving to unemployed.
This part of my story isn’t unique. Millions of people all around the world were facing a similar situation. I’ve heard similar stories shared over and over again.
Since 2011 I’ve jumped in and out of the small recruiting firm that I started. I took a corporate position twice, and my firm had been sitting dormant for the past two years. The same Friday we were sent to work from home, I was planning to close my business bank account.
I had been depositing a few hundred dollars into that account every week to keep it active. I remember telling my husband, “maybe I should wait and see what happens with all of this before I close things down.” Looking back, that was a great decision.
The day I was let go, I posted on Facebook saying I’d lost my job. Almost immediately I received a message from a former client saying he could use my help. I was back to work the following week, and Resource Wranglers was back in business.
Since relaunching, we have been remarkably fortunate. Our business has grown, we’re working with several new clients. We have three full-time recruiters and one contract recruiter on our team.
At the start of this year, we met to work out our plan for 2021. Part of that plan was defining how we want to market ourselves and define our core values. The conversation was better than I expected, and I love where we landed as a team.
Our four core values are fairly simple but immensely important to us:
- Be real
- Be kind
- Give a shit
- Have fun
I’ve never been more excited to see where we are headed in the next year. We have big plans for 2021 and look forward to helping our clients with their talent needs. We’re also excited to help more people find exciting new opportunities.
Last year certainly wasn’t what we expected. It was full of challenges and difficulties, but those ended up creating new opportunities. I’m thankful for the journey and excited to experience what’s to come!