Phoenix Rising

I am writing the final update on my journey of success in starting my own recruiting firm (Higher Talent Group). If you read the two previous updates ("For the Record" and the other update is on the Higher Talent Group Website called "My Sabbatical Experience"; talks about my journey where I left a promising corporate job with Belcan, honored my non compete and then ventured out on my own.

I am also writing this final update to encourage those of you who live an unfulfilled life to finally get out of that stifling cage you live in. It could be a stale relationship that you stay in because it is comfortable and convenient and not too disruptive to those around you. If you are too afraid to make those changes at work or at home you will never find the greatness within yourself but will just see the same results day after day of living that comfortable lie. Don't be afraid of change, you might be doing someone a favor by turning their life upside down with your absence so that they can find their happiness too. I finally broke free from those chains and live my life my way and will not settle for average anymore in all aspects of my life.

It was about a year ago when I stepped out of my comfort zone of my corporate job to face new challenges. Was it easy? Heck no, did I learn from all of this?? Yes, I did. Did it make me a much stronger person than I was a year ago? Absolutely...It felt like the story told in Greek Mythology where the long lived Phoenix spirit was broken down before it was able to rise from the ashes as a new and stronger version of it's old self.

Somehow going down that long dark tunnel with a flicker of light at the end somehow changes you in a good way if you are able to make it through to the very end. In the beginning of the journey, I think I was waiting for others to help me along but soon realized I needed to do this by myself if I was to succeed. I did have the support of many people and this included my immediate family but it was up to me to make the business happen. My Son had finally returned from England after I promised that I would finally start that business that I had talked about since he was 10 years old (he is now 24 so I had no more excuses to make it happen).

I quickly realized I would not make things happen until I forced/disciplined myself to change my daily habits. So I started getting up earlier, staying up later, searching, calling, qualifying candidates. In addition in order to keep myself sane, I made sure to work out, meditated, and listened to a slew of motivation tapes to keep me going (the last three helped immensely). There was no personal time for anything else if I was going to make this happen. This daily ritual changed me immensely and I now hope to make some changes in my personal life now that I value who I truly am. Change is indeed scary but if we do not step out of our comfort zone in either a stale relationship or situation we will never discover the greatness that we have been searching for that changes or completes us. . .!

I thank those of you who kept watch, you are my cheerleaders on the sideline. Before I knew it things were happening from all of the hard work I was doing. In six months I have surpassed what I would have made in the job I was doing just a year prior. I cannot even imagine what I will be able to do next year as I continue to grow the business in small steps.

I feel very blessed that I have had such a strong following with customers and candidates in the Aerospace market. As soon as I started the business I had immediate business offers to move me along. I have never worked so hard in all of my life while going through the transition. However, once you start making money from your dream job, and you are able to let go of all the side jobs you were doing to survive, you suddenly have this immense burst of energy towards your business that won't let you stop. I understand now how some of these self-starter success Guru's do not sleep! The passion they carry drives the mind to do more than the body is sometimes capable of doing.

This year was mainly about Direct Hire Services and next year will be about growing both sides of the business with the assistance of a local aerospace business. They had read my first article ("For the Record") and offered to assist me with providing pay-rolling services for my contractors; that is until such time that I was stable and large enough to handle this on my own. I am excited to see how quickly I can grow the business with this unique partnership in 2018. They have already been assisting with some of my clients but we will now be able to assist larger customer's on a national basis in 2018.

It feels great to finally take a short break and to join multiple professional organizations as well as take some classes to strengthen my skills even further (I am planning on taking my PHR early next year). Additionally, I am also looking for Advance Recruiter Training (AIRS) so that I may become as strong as possible in what I do as a Professional. I am in control of my future therefore I will educate and train myself so I can be the best I can be. I also plan to learn more about sports, as I am a competitive by nature so this is a hobby I look forward to!

Already I am growing quickly and will need to hire if I am to keep up with the demands of the market. So if you are at a point in your professional life where you want change and want to be in control of your destiny, I can talk you through this and help you start the journey of change.

I suspect you will see more posts from me while I am taking a break. I wish you all a prosperous Holiday Season and hope to hear from you in the near future!