While she shies away from the spotlight (and we had to force her to be the subject of this post!) our Founder and Director Jaime Gallocher has been a fundamental source of inspiration and sage advice for our team’s careers. We asked Jaime for her 5 biggest learnings over her 5 year’s building a successful business (*she gave us 8 because she’s an overachiever). Here’s what she had to say:
1. You think about the business 24/7 – This is energising and draining at the same time. You need to ensure you find balance and create boundaries.
2. Everyone has imposter syndrome, so just get on with it – Humans generally want to treat others well, they don’t want to see you fail. Taking a punt, pushing outside of your comfort zone or being bold usually pays off. If someone is not a nice person – walk away and forget about them. Only concern yourself with people that are in your corner and what you can control.
3. Be true to yourself – I’ve always been unapologetically me. There are no hidden agendas which means our team has a culture of openness, trust, and no judgement.
4. Do not compare yourself to others – The way I do things is the way I want to do them with my business, my team and my clients in mind. I focus on what I want to achieve, this gives me joy because it is individual.
5. Know what brings you fulfilment – Fulfilment for me comes from seeing others thrive, not metrics. I love a good win from a financial perspective but over the years this has dwindled. I get a more lasting high from delivering outcomes for clients that I know makes their life easier or adds material value to their business and people. That goes for my team as well, seeing them grow, develop and inspire.
6. One word: Listen – This is where you do most of your learning. I have learnt more from the clients I’ve worked with in the last 5 years than ever before. It is the ultimate source of wisdom – listening to other people’s successes, failures, and learnings.
7. Know what your offering is and stick to it – We have focussed from the outset on what we do “end to end outsourced HR for SME businesses”. We are committed to this space and are passionate about adding value to kiwi businesses.
8. You can hire whoever you like! Including your pup. 🐶
