Outlier On Air | Founders, Disruptors, & Mavens
194: JobPiper Interview - The Science of Hiring

"We help companies build legendary teams, and we help individuals build legendary careers."

About: Derik Krauss, Ryan Harmon, & Adam Wilson - Founders of JobPiper

Overview: JobPiper helps employers find the right employees for their company. During this interview, we learn about the founder's story along with the ups and downs of starting JobPiper.

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Highlights:

What is JobPiper: JobPiper is a young company that helps other companies hire with science (hiring the right person for the right position). Employers sign up with Job Piper (a software platform) and they then "clone" your top employees. They use assessments to determine what the qualities are of your top employee/s to help figure out the type of people that will fit best with your company. If you are a start-up that does not have an employee or employees yet, Job Piper will use information from research to put together a profile of what you should be looking for depending on your company and the position type.

Revenue: There are 2 main streams of revenue. When you sign up as an employer- it's free, and then there are up sales offered- one is called Candidness (a more in depth application a potential employee would fill out).

Challenges: It can be difficult to build something that everyone can use. JobPiper is striving to make this application available to everyone.

Staying Strong: JobPiper actually entered an accelerator program in Provo, and did not receive the funding they were hoping to receive, but were still very determined to make JobPiper happen. They will continue to work towards this company whether investors invest or not. Right now, as bootstrappers, they have a little bit of money to continue progress- but only have a few months left until the bank runs dry. So, they are trying to reduce the sale cycle, and work on website development. They've also become involved in another pitch competition.

End Game: The guys at JobPiper would love to see this company explode and continue to grow 20-30 years down the road.

Advice for Entrepreneurs: (From the JobPiper team) Hire with science- it can save your startup company. Be passionate about what you're doing. Show up and network- go to events, do anything to meet people. And lastly, start doing what you love.

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Website | LinkedIn

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Direct download: JobPiper.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 11:42pm MDT

193: Ceci Johnson Interview - Building a Luxury Empire

"Punch fear in the face. Fear is the only thing that keeps people from trying. If you don't try, you'll never know."

"Love doesn't pay the bills."

About: Ceci Johnson- Founder of Ceci New York

Ceci Johnson’s story started with an invitation she created for a coworker’s wedding combined with the realization that a truly customized graphic design experience in wedding invitations was not available at that time. Armed with a clear desire to create the best invitations in the world, she started her business out of a shared office space NYC. Ten years later, her love of paper, design and innovation still drives her to create beautiful and completely original pieces every day.

Ceci was named “Woman to Watch” by Tory Burch, “Invitation Innovator” by WeTV and garnered Modern Bride magazine’s trendsetter award and New York magazine’s prestigious Expert Stationer award. Her designs and expertise have appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, InStyle, W Magazine, Town & Country and on the Today Show, VH1 and Gossip Girl among many others. Notable clients include the President of the United States, International Royalty, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katherine Heigl, Dylan Lauren, Rosie O’Donnell, the Empire State Building, Cole Haan, Hugo Boss and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Overview: Ceci is a graphic designer that was born with the entrepreneurial gene. After seeing the need for custom wedding invitations 16 years ago, Ceci paved the way and eventually started Ceci New York- a luxury invitation and corporate design company. During this interview, Ceci shares what it took for her to start her own company, and also offers great advice on how to stand behind your brand with clients.

New York wedding photographer Sofia Negron CeciStyle Ceci New York orchid Invitation L'Olivier Floral Atelier

Click to Tweet: Ep 193:

Highlights:

Background: Ceci obtained a degree in graphic design and got her first job working as a the designer for the bridal registry for large department stores. She then had a co-worker ask her to design a wedding invitation for her, which ignited the spark. From there she moved to New York City and joined the corporate world doing web design, but missed paper design. She went to the CEO of the corporation she was working for and asked if she'd let her design her wedding invitations. It was all downhill from that point on, and before Ceci knew it, she was meeting with referral after referral. Six months into launching her website, Ceci received the trendsetter award from Modern Bride Magazine. Ceci spent a lot of time working long days to get her name out there, she knocked on a lot of doors in her industry to showcase her portfolio, and was constantly revamping her site.

What is Ceci New York: Ceci launched Ceci New York in 2004 without any investors and completely on her own. It's a luxury brand that designs invitations for any event from weddings to non-profit organizations. (From website)- "Our design atelier is driven by a groundbreaking concept that unites the custom and service of couture with the tactile elements of stationery and branding, creating a new niche in the design industry for visual styling. We strive to create a superior experience for each client, offering an incomparable range of couture services and outstanding ready-to-order products that boast flawless craftsmanship and the utmost attention to detail. From one-of-a-kind bespoke designs to original ready-to-order that discreetly bears Ceci’s signature, our creations possess a coveted commissioned quality that lends to the magic we invent. Ceci’s signature is the hallmark of authenticity and never-before-seen originality, ensuring that you receive a true work of art."

About Ceci New York: The company currently has 20 employees that all work at the main showroom in New York City. Ceci says if you want to grow your company, you need employees. And with that, you have to learn how to let go of having control over everything to be successful. However, she is a very hands-on CEO that enjoys being a part of the design process and leading the way with her vision of the company. Their main target audience started out as brides and weddings in general, but now they help anyone who is looking to elevate their events through design.

New York wedding photographer Sofia Negron CeciStyle Ceci New York orchid Invitation L'Olivier Floral Atelier

Goal: Eventually, Ceci would love to be a part of different markets and use her designs for bedding, phone cases, jewelry, etc.

Work-Life Balance: Ceci is the proud mother of a little boy and feels that having him in her life has really helped her prioritize her time at work. She strives to stay focused and be effective while working so that she can spend the time she'd like with her son.

Challenges: Ceci shares that it can be difficult to deal with certain clients and stick up for what you know needs to be done in order to accomplish their project. There have also been times when Ceci has been afraid to tell her clients what the prices were for their order. However, she realized that when she confidently explained to her clients the extent of work that goes into their project, they appreciate her time and effort.

Advice for Entrepreneurs: When reaching out to others, show them how invested you are in their company and how you can solve potential problems. When creating a sales plan, look at how much you want to make on an annual basis and break it down by month, then by project or amount. It's important to educate your audience and pave the way for what you're offering. Lastly, stand behind your work.

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Connect With Ceci:

CeciNewYork.com | CeciStyle.com | @CeciNewYork | Instagram | Facebook |Pinterest

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Direct download: Ceci_1.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 11:23pm MDT

192: Sarah Kathleen Peck Interview - Finding Balance

"One minute is enough."

About: Sarah Peck- Director of Communications at One Month, Founder and Writer of It Starts With

Sarah Peck is the Director of Communications at One Month, an essayist, a speaker, and an open-water swimmer. One Month is an online school for accelerated education that teaches people business and coding skills in as little as 30 minutes a day. Based in Brooklyn, Sarah is an intuitive relationship builder, a philosopher, and a deep lover of mind-body integration. She is a 20-time NCAA All-American swimmer who escaped from Alcatraz nine consecutive times, a yoga instructor, and a beginning dancer. She believes that communication is about finding the roots of our power and owning our deeper narratives and stories. With more than a decade of graphic design, marketing, and writing experience, her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Fast Company, 99U, Psychology Today, Life Hacker, Thought Catalog, and she has spoken at Berkeley, Penn, Harvard, the University of Virginia, Alive in Berlin, WDS, and more. When she’s not writing, creating, or teaching, you’ll find Sarah teaching yoga, doing open-water ocean swims, practicing her handstands, or hosting themed dinner parties for quirky, philosophical, compassionate groups of people.

Overview: Sarah is a well-rounded entrepreneur who is not only a certified yoga trainer, but is working on a book, has her own blog- It Starts With- and is also the Director of Communications at One Month. Each of these activities compete for her time, and throughout this interview, Sarah shares her secret to finding the balance.

OneMonth_Team-2015_Copyright-NoaGriffel

Click to Tweet - Ep 192: Sarah Kathleen Peck Interview - Finding Balance

Highlights:

Background: Sarah attended school in Palo Alto, CA where she studied Architecture and Design. It was an opportunity for Sarah to look at how the physical world around us influences our daily decisions. After school, she launched her own publication, started a magazine, and eventually broke away to become a consultant. While being a consultant for a firm, Sarah worked for a lot of amazing companies and with her experience, decided to start her own company online. She was able to build a number of digital products and online classes. Most recently, Sarah started working with One Month- an online education company.

It Starts With: After wanting to join the online blogging scene for some time, Sarah took the plunge and started her own blog- It Starts With. In the beginning, she made it a point to publish something at least once a week and has been able to do that pretty steadily for the last 4 years. Now, her site has over 300 essays, and Sarah enjoys the connections she is making with her readers.

One Month: One Month is an accelerated education site that mainly teaches coding. About six months ago, Sarah was contacted by One Month and was asked to be their Director of Communications. Sarah focuses on all of the ways people find out about One Month. She writes blog posts, coordinates content strategies, works with social media, and has even taught a class. Currently, One Month offers 9 classes. They have already had over 30,000 students from 70 different countries. Some of their students have included individuals from Apple, Google, Harvard, and Duke. These students are hungry for knowledge, and One Month is excited to help educate in a different way.

Cost of Attendance: One Month recently turned to a subscription model. A student can take any single class for $49 for 1 month. If you wanted to take it over a slower period of time, then you can. Everything is taught via video and there are 5 different video speeds students can choose from.

Challenges for One Month: Sarah shared that One Month is trying to figure out the best way to do enterprise sales (B2B), and are in search of good team members, especially for their customer support system.

Work-Life Balance: Sarah understands that it's not humanly possible to do everything at once. Her main focus is One Month right now. She'd rather give her all in one area of her life at a time, and then give small amounts of time to other projects that will slowly build up. She often tells herself that one minute is enough. Instead of feeling discouraged about not doing all of her morning routine, Sarah will do 1 minute of yoga, 1 minute of meditation, 1 minute of journaling, and that's enough to trigger calm and peace for her.

5 Year Goal: Sarah hopes that in five years she will have a toddler, have her first book published, and continue on the path that she's on right now. She loves being around the people in her life and feels lucky to be learning all that she is.

Advice for Entrepreneurs: Get out there and be uncomfortable. Even though there may be others out there who look like they know what they're doing, odds are, they don't either. Everyone has insecurities and weaknesses, just do your best with where you are.

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Connect With Sarah:

Website | One Month | @SarahKPeck | @OneMonthEdu | FB SarahKPeck | FB One Month

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Direct download: Sarah_K_Peck.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 11:50pm MDT

191: Keith Humphrey- Soaring Above the Competition

"If you come against a brick wall, don't be afraid to take a right turn."

About: Keith Humphrey- President and CEO of Jet AirWerks and Jet AirParts

Keith Humphrey, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Jet AirParts, LLC, is a commercial aviation veteran with over 30 years of worldwide experience, including expertise in CFM56 overhaul; on-wing maintenance; aftermarket sales and component repair; strategic planning; and sales and marketing.

Humphrey, who also serves as the President and CEO of Jet AirWerks, LLC, an FAA Part 145 Repair Station and sister company to Jet AirParts.

Overview: From the military, to jet engine mechanics, to politics, and acting, Keith has been involved in just about everything imaginable. During this interview, we learn about the various jobs Keith has had, how he started his company in 2007, and what advice he has for those stepping onto the entrepreneurial path.

Highlights:

Background: Right out of high school, Keith enrolled in the navy and became a jet engine mechanic. (And although it wasn't planned, Keith has spent the last 40 years working in the jet engine mechanical field.) After the military, Keith took a job in Maryland for a year, and then obtained a 2 year degree so that he could work for GE. Four years into working for GE, Keith felt he had learned what he needed to learn and moved on. Overall, Keith worked at several different companies all over the map- from California, Manilla, to Europe, and Florida.

Jet AirWorks: Prior to starting Jet AirWorks, Keith was working for a French company in Miami that fixed jet engine components. It was while working there that Keith finally decided upon what niche he wanted to focus. Keith then took his family and moved to Kansas to launch his company. He started small, paid himself small, and only focused on things that would help bring in revenue. Because Keith started the company during the economy crash, he had a hard time finding lenders.

Customers: Part distributors (brokers), engine shops, and airlines.

Jet AirParts: In August 2011, Jet AirParts was organized to meet a specific demand of low-cost, high-demand aviation material. It was also a way to make money on the side for Jet AirWorks.

Managing Employees: It's a difficult aspect in any company, but especially when you start your own. Keith has created an employee handbook for his 26 employees and felt that has helped dramatically. They are in a very small town in Kansas (about 15,000 people) and so to prevent high turn over, Keith decided from the beginning to offer 100% healthcare for their employees. And starting this year, he his also implementing 401(k)'s. Keith is grateful that he's had the opportunity to provide people with jobs who haven't had work in over a year, or are even recently released from prison. It makes him happy to know that he can help others get back on their feet and feel good about their life again.

End Game: This year, they will be obtaining Chinese certification, and once they have that, it will allow their customers to sell those parts into China. Within in a few years, Keith hopes this company will expand tremendously and become much larger than where it is today. But for right now, he's just taking it one step at a time.

Advice for Entrepreneurs: Go all in. Pay yourself enough just to get by in the beginning- don't go overboard. Learn your business from the ground up, and know every aspect of your company that you can, but know that you'll learn even more as you go. Don't be afraid if you come against a brick wall to take a right turn. Do not let fear run your life, just work past it.

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Connect With Keith:

Website | About.me

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Direct download: keith_humphrey.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 11:48pm MDT

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