Latest / Fractional Frequency / One

Transcript

One · Fractional Frequency

• Amy Crook: Good morning. Look at us. Erin Todus: Good morning. Look at us. Amy Crook: Who'd have thought it? Erin Todus: Not me. Amy Crook: I think we definitely thought it very adamantly in the beginning. And then there was that little patch in the middle of the year that was Erin Todus: Yes. Amy Crook: less than comfortable. And then this the year of twenty twenty six has been pretty good to us. Erin Todus: Yeah, it has. It really has. Amy Crook: But I'm really excited that we got a chance to chat today on the actual official one year birthday of Strativis. Erin Todus: It is crazy. How has it been a year? It has not been a year. It doesn't feel like it Amy Crook: I I I it feels like five minutes and five hundred years at the same time. Like I don't Erin Todus: Mm. Amy Crook: remember doing anything else. Like I know I did, but like my routine now of chaos is just so ingrained into my life that I can't imagine doing anything anything else. Erin Todus: It does feel like a long time ago that I was in a completely different environment working in corporate. It just feels like a lifetime ago, actually. Amy Crook: Yeah, for sure, for sure. So let's start by doing a little brain warming up exercise and let's each pick like three year three three years. Three words that would describe this last year. And soon Erin Todus: Mm. Amy Crook: as it was my suggestion, I'll start us off. I would go Erin Todus: Okay, sounds good. Amy Crook: for challenging. Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: Creative And defining Erin Todus: Ooh, say more about defining. Amy Crook: I think it's really tough when you're in corporate and you've been told how special you are, because you start to believe it. Erin Todus: Ha ha ha. Amy Crook: It's not true. Sorry guys. but I think so much of my identity was tied up into job title, compensation package. just the the prestige, I guess, of like being an executive in a corporation that had all the bells and whistles. And when you take all of that away, you have to really figure out, okay, who am I without those things? And how do I celebrate success that looks so different? and how do I feel good about what I'm doing when the rewards are so different? And I'm feel like I'm so much more balanced now Erin Todus: Hm. Amy Crook: than I was before. Work is still and will always be incredibly important to me. Doing a good job is incredibly important to me. fixing problems is important to me. But my title it it's kind of irrelevant and the money in the bank, I mean, that's an interesting concept because sometimes twenty thousand dollars seems like no money at all and five hundred dollars feels like a lottery win. So money's value is completely changed. Erin Todus: Yeah, yeah, I feel that Amy Crook: How about you? Erin Todus: for sure. My three words hard. I Amy Crook: No. Erin Todus: think we've had, you know, some moments early on where I've got sort of a a toxic tendency to say, how hard could it be? And the answer is hard a lot of the time is hard. And yeah, I think to dovetail off of w what you just shared around defining, I'd say identity. My identity has changed so much in the space of a year. It's no longer about my title or how many people I have on my team or whatever, right? It's it's about other things. And then I would say peace because there's a there's a peace that you have when you're really working for yourself that is unattainable, in my opinion, when you're working inside of just one company. And I think it has lot to do with when you're in tough moments or tough situations that are made harder by people that you're dealing with, who sometimes can be really frustrating or unfair. in in a corporate context where you're working for those people, you feel trapped. because Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: you can't just leave. Right. Like it takes it takes quite a bit to walk away from a situation and you feel you feel like you cannot you don't have the option to step away, even if it's no longer the right thing for you. And I think in this context, we always have that option. It doesn't mean that we do. I mean, I we rarely do I don't even know that we ever actually have, but i the having the option in front of you, I think makes that partnership so much healthier and stronger. and for me brings me a lot of mental An emotional peace. Amy Crook: Yeah, yeah, I'm completely with you. And I've walked away from agreements. I've walked away Erin Todus: That's true. Amy Crook: I've walked away from from clients, not because you know it's personally any anything that was a huge obstacle. It was just more working styles were not in line with my preference and I don't want to do I don't want to do a job that I wouldn't be proud of. And so, you know, if if there's a a need or a want that I just don't think I I'm the right fit for, I'm gonna say. and I'll, you know, I'll walk away to protect my to my to protect my peace and not just set myself up for painful situations down the line. that being said It doesn't happen very often, you know, because the whole point of being this company that we created was that we wanted to go in and fix hard problems. Erin Todus: Mm. Amy Crook: but people being really passionate about doing the right thing by people and understanding that business success and great people policy isn't ex like mutually exclusive. We can we can do both. Erin Todus: Yeah, no, totally. I think I had in my mind like a big breakup and and we really haven't had that, but I think that we've gotten Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: really good at spotting it early, usually Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: at at contract negotiation or or even a step before as we're doing discovery to say it this is not the right situation for us to help with. Here's what we could do for you. and and Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: a bunch of times. I know we've you know either like given tips and tricks or in made introductions elsewhere. And and then if not that, like calling it early to say if the following things are not true, then it's not the right time to work together. And not to say we wouldn't revisit in the future, right? But like just being really open and and honest about that I think is protects the peace. Amy Crook: Yeah. Yeah. I l and I love that too. And that, you know, that's for a a different reason, but definitely protects the peace of like we're not gonna commit to something that we don't think is achievable. and not that it's you know, we're it would be negative about something, but like if there's a complex search like you definit that that has some pretty stringent criteria, you know, I you've definitely gone out there and gone and worked f for free to help that person to get into a better situation. But yeah, wouldn't charge for it because it's just too there's too many contingencies that Erin Todus: Mm. Amy Crook: would go against it. And it just doesn't feel good to take somebody's money if you know that this is a gonna be a tricky, a tricky execution piece. So I love your approach of let me help you as much as I can with the resources and experience that I have. but we're not gonna get into a contract because this is, you know, too risky for them. which Erin Todus: Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Amy Crook: which I love. I love. So it's been a minute since we did that very high quality podcast of like getting our first one I think it was like our first one back when it Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: was called Honest HR. Erin Todus: Oof. Amy Crook: which we later found out is also the name of someone else's, right? Is it Sherm? Like, Erin Todus: Think it is, yeah. Should have done that research up front, probably. Amy Crook: we were so new to podcasting. We still are, Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: but like with thirty five episodes under our belt it's pretty good and pretty pretty decent following and and high streaming volumes each week. So it's been exciting to see that grow. But just for folks who are getting to know us more recently, maybe it would be cool if we share a little bit about where we actually were personally and professionally when we started this a year ago. Erin Todus: Hm. Do you want me to go first? Amy Crook: Sure. Erin Todus: it I I don't like to go back to that time because it was really tough. Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: you know, I for me, I'd I had built my whole career around in in-house corporate talent acquisition leadership in in some great companies, you know, tech and and fintech companies. And I had made a decision for my family that we had decided to to move from Texas to North Carolina. And you know, initially had had thought about continuing down the path I was on and and make that move. And and then my company did a return to office. And so I I had this sort of inflection point of, you know, do I sort of pump the brakes on my you know, personal goals and plans that are important to me and my family in in order to stay there, or do I take the leap and do something else? And and the job market, talent market at that time for recruiting leaders was just awful. I had some conversations and everything that I encountered was overscoped, underpaid, and generally uninteresting. I'd get into these conversations and I'm walking away thinking, this company is a house of cards and all I'm gonna do is come in and help you lay off your recruiting team, then you're lay lay me off next. And it just to say the least wasn't inspiring. And sort of in the middle of all of this reflection and discovery, you called me and said, Would it be crazy to start our own thing? And we had talked like just a bit about that in the past. We've always kept in touch for years since we worked together forever ago. and I I think I told you at Amy Crook: At America's favorite credit bureau. Erin Todus: America's Favorite Credit Bureau, yes. And I think I told you, yeah, you would be crazy to do that. and then you kind of walked away and said, Well, I'm gonna go do it anyway, but I want you to come with. Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: And so it was always in the back of my mind as you started to kind of gear up. But I I watched you kick off a company, start to build it for real. I like I could feel the energy and the passion from you through the phone when we talked. And I I just I remember sending you a text and just saying, okay, I'm coming with. I I'm coming too. And I think within an hour and a half, like you'd set me up. with a Strativis email on Google Drive and I had all sorts of like access requests coming my way and I remember it just kind of this jolt of like, my gosh, this is real. I better get my seatbelt on. And the rest is history. Amy Crook: I I remember it so clearly. You actually were gonna take a couple of days to think about it. And I had Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: texted you just another little like wrap up text because I was like sat there with my fingers crossed, just like, please do this with me, it'll be so much more fun. and we'll be so much more successful because you're so smart. And then you text me back almost immediately. I was like, Yeah, I don't need a few days, I'm gonna do it. Erin Todus: I'm decisive to a fault. And Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: you know, but I think what was happening in my mind at the time is there's one thing that you've told me before, and I don't can't even remember in what context, but you told me you just don't do things by halves. And it's true. Like if I'm if I'm going to do something, I'm a hundred percent in and I'll see it through until the end, until I get there, or Or there's nothing else left. And so I wasn't gonna Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: be halfway committed. I was either gonna be all in or all out. Amy Crook: Yeah, well I'm so glad you are all in. because it Erin Todus: Yeah. Me too. Amy Crook: it was it was a rough couple of weeks back there that I was solo, you know. Like it was Erin Todus: Ha ha. Amy Crook: Actually it was just filled with endless paperwork and forms and Erin Todus: Mm Amy Crook: engagements of accountants and lawyers and all that kind of stuff to kind of figure out what I needed to set up to make it legit. Because yeah, I I've seen a few people go into consulting as like a backup. but creating Strativist was never just gonna be my like backup gig until I go back to corporate. Like I wanted to create a company Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: that had all the the values and models like good leadership and good behavior that that are really important to me. because, you know, like you, I was thrown A curveball from my employer. I'd been at Glassdoor for five years and worked my way up to senior director of people. And when they merged with Indeed, it was like a jolt to think through, like, okay, what do you want to do now? Because I probably would have stayed there forever. I I could do the job with my eyes closed. I loved everybody that I worked with. There was still you know, occasional interesting challenges that popped up. but if I'm honest with myself, we hadn't been in any serious amount of growth for years, you know, maybe two, three years at that point. And so the the business challenges that I was used to facing just weren't there anymore. So I started, you know, poking my nose in other things. but I didn't really get the chance to be as creative as I would have liked. So that also rolled into my decision of wanting to start a business is that I feel like I have some untapped genius when it comes to design. Erin Todus: Designs. You are a design genius. I have to give that to you, but you still need to give it up at some point. Amy Crook: I mean, let no, it's not true. And it's not even true. Like I I just enjoy doing it. I enjoy writing, I enjoy thinking, I enjoy researching like our industry. And so it's a long way of saying that, you know, after the layoffs came through, I like you, looked at the job market and thought I don't want to do that. I don't. I already had like a great corporate job. It's gonna be really tough to like match that somewhere else. The people I met with seemed frazzled. Like every single person I interviewed with, and this is an interview. So like this is them on their best hour. And they seemed absolutely frazzled. And I was just like, oof. I mean, literally in one of my interviews, the person stopped and was like, We have to terminate one of the sea level people in like an hour. So I'm just so distracted. And I was like Erin Todus: Yeah, wow. Amy Crook: What can I do to help you with that in this instance? Erin Todus: Ha ha Amy Crook: Should we talk later? Needless to Erin Todus: Okay. Amy Crook: say, I withdrew my interest in that particular in that particular opportunity. But yes, Erin Todus: Yeah, I Amy Crook: I wanted to set up I wanted to set up my own business. I wanted it to be a company, not just a you know, I'm gonna consult until I find something. And I didn't even really like the term consultancy, even though it was part of the name. I mean, it's a nomenclature that everybody's familiar with, but to me, consultants had just been such a drain, like in the past, like when we brought them in, that I just I I didn't even really want to be associated like with that brand. I think that's why I've like moved us over to being operators, like in the in the recent months, because that's more reflective of what we do. like consultants, other, you know, advisors and deck builders and what that's not what we do. We go in and do the job. So so yeah. Again, long way of saying got laid off, set up a company. Personally, things were great. Like I'd only been married a couple of years. we had just come off the back of, you know, some good travel. I think I felt I felt like ready. And it was actually because my mom and her friend who also owns a business, Gail, who's been on our podcast, were visiting from from London and they just had so much positivity around it and I'd seen Gail be so successful that I was like, I'm all in, just like you. All in. Erin Todus: And it's so important to have people we trust in our corner who are nudging us along and encouraging us along Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: the way. I think that, you know, especially in the beginning, I felt like we were trying to squeeze water out of a rock. You know, it's like it's when you are starting from nothing, you have very little to lean on outside of your own personal previous reputation within companies. But I remember being on early calls and having, you know, now clients say to me, you know, you you've been around for what, a couple of months? Yeah, I have no idea. I have no idea whether I can trust you. And so building that early trust was really hard. And even just convincing people to give us a chance. And so for every yes or maybe I'll give you a chance that we got, I mean, there were a handful of no's or just left on reds. tons. Amy Crook: Mm. Erin Todus: Can't even tell you how many thousands of those I have. But Amy Crook: Yeah. By surprising people too, people that I thought I would hear back from and I was just like, Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: Wow, I just got big timed. But you know, like that's life. And I Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: I don't think our skin could get much thicker at this point, to be honest. It's just like we were pretty close Erin Todus: Yeah. And I rem Amy Crook: before. So now we're just like Erin Todus: I remind myself too, when people big time the hell out of you, like, is it sometimes because they're an asshole? Sure. But sometimes it's just because they've got so much stuff on their plate that they just can't take on anymore. Even you know, even something as small as a response. Yeah, and and I've been there. Like I remember being pregnant with my second daughter, Violet, and like towards the very end and you know, you're exhausted and just you know, everything seems like the way to the world and having a a good friend at the time reach out early in a job search in a terrible market asking for help and and I left him on red and I felt terrible about it and and called him back a few months later when I'd cleared my head and gotten over through that kind of early postpartum experience, if you will. And, you know, apologize. And we had a good conversation. But, you know, I think about that a lot when when people leave me on read, it's like, you know, maybe there's something going on like that. I Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: just can't do it. Amy Crook: I do too. I think it's a lot better to approach life with the mindset that everybody has good intentions. You know, Erin Todus: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Amy Crook: I just it's easier that way, for sure. So now that we're a year in, does Strativist look and feel like you imagined it would do when we started a year ago? Erin Todus: I don't even know what I imagined, to be honest. I felt honestly, it felt very much to me like like jumping into a void because I just didn't know what to expect. Is it what I would have hoped for? 100%. I I like I can't even believe the brand that we've built, the connections and network expansion that we've been able to develop, even the growth of the team with like the most incredible people that I can imagine. It's it's wild. No. I I guess then the answer is no. I I don't think I really imagined us looking like this. Amy Crook: Yeah, I think my answer would be exactly the same. Did not know what to expect, did not know what each week, month was gonna look like. but yeah, I'm thrilled with with where we're at today. It's it's just really rewarding to sit there and do like payroll or sit there and look at like our client interactions. Like obviously at the end of the month I have to reconcile all the books. So, you know, yesterday I sit down and see, you know, kind of our transactions for the month and I'm just like, Wow, there's the water. It's finally coming out of the stone. When do you Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: think it really started to feel like it was a real business? Erin Todus: Immediately. Immediately. Because I remember actually at first we were as we thought about kind of the two arms of the business, fractional arm and then more traditional executive staffing side. i initially, maybe this is even before I'd agreed to to join you and and come on, but you were like, Yeah, you could just, you know, do some consulting work under the Strativus umbrella. And I've never done that before and I just don't know how to do it. What I know how to do is build companies. Yeah, I've done it my entire career for other people. And Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: I think I quickly realized like maybe on day one that like that's all we were gonna do. We were just gonna do it for ourselves. And so I elbowed my way into everything, whether I was invited or not, and like just sort of fell into this this aggressive rhythm of like, let let's go get it done. You know, let's build this Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: thing. Amy Crook: Yeah. I feel the same way too. I never again, you know, I don't wanna repeat myself too much, but I never just wanted to be, you know, that little standalone I I w don't wanna say like dusty consultant that just comes in and is like, you know, I can help you with your HR honey, you know, type of thing. Like I I just did not wanna be that person ever. Like I Erin Todus: I remember when you're when you were bouncing names off of me for the firm. This is like before I'd even, you know, we'd have that conversation about me joining. And Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: I remember just saying to you, any of these options is better than AC consulting. Just please, God, don't make it Amy Crook consulting. Amy Crook: No, no. It was not even an option. It was not even an option. Terrible. Terrible. Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: yeah, I I couldn't even the day that I started to do it, so Mom Gail gone home. I'm like, right, okay, this is it. I'm gonna withdraw my interest on the jobs that I'm in process on. Gonna buy the domain, I'm gonna do the website, I'm gonna set up the LLC, I'm gonna I need Google Workspace. I can't function, you know me, I've got to have a good doc for everything. So like Erin Todus: Yes. Amy Crook: I couldn't think without like having my Google workspace set up. So then I start to think about like other things that I just need to have from like an infrastructure perspective to be successful. And none of those things were designed around like, okay, this is a short term set temporary, or like I can get by with this. Like we don't need a CRM. Let's just use Excel. No, we got the Osheets even, because we're a Google environment. but no, I needed I needed everything to feel this I say this all the time. It's not very good, but I needed it to feel correct. Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: and I have definitely stolen that from Shits Creek, but like some things just are not correct, and I could not I could not have that. I needed it to to feel real and when clients interacted with us from day one, I wanted it to feel professional and buttoned up. I didn't want it to feel janky. Erin Todus: Yeah. A hundred percent. Amy Crook: So about go on. Erin Todus: Should we I know I should we dig into the moments behind the highlight reel? I feel like this is the the part that people don't get to see. right. Like we're one Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: thing we do incredibly well, I think, is our social brand presence. And everyone gets to see the celebrations, whether it's Amy Crook: Wow. Erin Todus: like a milestone or you know, even our birthdays, like you're always doing it up. I can count on you for a glittery birthday balloon. asset to be shared on my birthday, which I love. Amy Crook: I do. I'm very proud. So I was I was looking at all the birthday ones and these are the only ones where I will throw caution to the wind on our regular kind of brand guidelines because I want to make them look and feel like the person. And I was like looking Erin Todus: Nice. Amy Crook: back on the ones that I've made and I was like, these just fit like yours, simple, classy, obviously put a crown on your head. Erin Todus: Ha ha. Amy Crook: loved it. Jenna's with the very glamorous like black and gold theme Erin Todus: Yes. Amy Crook: and the fireworks. You know, Jenna is just our glamorous, well put together, just sharp as attack person. And I feel like that like Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: fits her. and then we had Nicole's, and hers was all kind of just you know, sweet and light and delicate, a little bit artsy, because that's who she Erin Todus: Yes. Amy Crook: is as a person. And then of course for Billy, it's a pink love fest, you know? So Erin Todus: Yes, yes. Amy Crook: I just I I think it's important because the people behind the work is what makes the work good. So I just I love celebrating those those moments in life. especially as you get older, 'cause you have other things to celebrate, you know, there's kids that take the lead and And I just, you know, I like giving a little moment for us to to just enjoy the fact that we've got a special occasion on deck that day. Erin Todus: I know. I love that too. and it it had me, I think you put this in just kind of the the frame of the conversation about spending a bit of time on what's beh behind that sometimes. Like there's there are moments that are really hard and where we've learned lessons or maybe relearned lessons, certainly in my case. And I think Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: like, you know, the biggest things that were hard to get used to were, you know, obviously, you know, the the patterns of income, you know, you're not just waiting for your every two week little check to hit your account or or big check. Right. Like Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: you have some months that are incredible and then others that are literally zero. And you know, last time I had zero dollars coming into my bank account on a regular basis. I don't know, it was maybe when was Amy Crook: He was still in high school. Erin Todus: 14, yeah, like illegal to work. And I, you know, it's been like, you know, sort of in the beginning it was jarring to get used to that. Like sometimes it looks one way and then and then it looks completely different. And then I think too, like early this year there was a really strange effect in the job market. And this is maybe a little skewed to the the staffing side of things, but as companies began to grapple with what does it mean to imagine the future workforce where there are humans and agents working together and how do we plan for that? None of them knew the answer. And so the the sort of knee-jerk reaction at that time, given some of the additional pressures economically or macroeconomically, were, you know, let's actually just pump the brakes and we're just not gonna do hiring or or we'll spend a lot of time Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: in hiring process and then pump the brakes at the end. And it wasn't just one one client. This was happening across the marketplace. And so we had, I think, what four people at offer, even offer accept. And they all fell through in the space of like 30 days. And it was crushing. I mean, like in my mind, I I had been so excited about those and for the candidates that, like, in my mind it was done. But I'm reminded of some early coaching that I got in in staffing of like, you know, it's it is not closed until it is closed. And so I, you know, I think that was a healthy, healthy lesson to be reminded of early on. Amy Crook: Yeah, I mean we definitely can talk about it that way now. I remember at the time it being quite different. Erin Todus: I think I asked you if I if you thought I should sell my house. Amy Crook: Ha ha ha Erin Todus: Move into a van down by the river so we could keep grinding and Amy Crook: But that's a good point. Like that was on your list before quitting. Like Erin Todus: Yeah, I was. Amy Crook: the that was just not an option. And I think something that I love that's become a bit of a catchphrase of ours is that we can fail, but we can't quit. Like we can fail. Like we'll try things, they won't all land. But like we cannot quit. We can't. Erin Todus: yeah. Amy Crook: When those times cropped up for you, what kind of kept you going? Erin Todus: Just you. You. Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: I because I think like it's one, there's no way I could do this business by myself or any version of it. Because I Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: think that when you get into really tough spots and you don't have somebody to lean on, it's so lonely and it can crush you. And in those moments where it's so hard, I can just call you immediately and we'll talk about it. And you know me so well to know that it like it's it's very little about just needing an ear and very much about like I need solutions and ideas right now so that I can redirect my thinking. And sometimes it's like I'm so beside myself with the situation that I just need you to lead me. It's like a it's like a take the wheel sort of situation. There have been a handful of times I remember just calling you and saying, like, here's the situation. I need your help with the solution and also I need you to tell me exactly what to do step by step, like for the next for the next couple of steps. And yeah, I should know the answer, right? But like I think sometimes because we're so personally invested in this and in the success, and you feel like there's a huge barrier in front of you, it it can just be like a wall. And so like having you to jump in and lead me through in those moments. has been huge. I I don't know what I would have done without it. Amy Crook: Same goes, like right back at you. If you if you're stuck on something, like we don't have time to ponder it or you know, let's go what what would we do? Like, I'm just gonna go take a walk and just like think it through. No, I don't have time to Erin Todus: Right. Amy Crook: be doing that. Like I need a solution. Erin Todus: Mm. Amy Crook: and I like that we have the ability to like outsource to each other like when it is Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: really needed. and there's no question, there's no like, why, what's going on? It's like, yeah, I know I've been there. So it's Erin Todus: Alright. Amy Crook: like, okay, this is this is how we'll how we'll get through this particular challenge. Erin Todus: And I think too, like it's been really important to remind remind ourselves of who we are even and the value that we bring. because sometimes when you're in a tough situation, like it can it can start to beat down your confidence. And having Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: somebody that you can call to like pull it right back up to where it needs to be, it's critical in in helping us show up as who we are and and be the best at our craft that we can possibly be. Amy Crook: Yeah, I agree. I agree. So let's think about how we've evolved like Erin Todus: Hm. Amy Crook: over time. So I remember when we first talked about talent delivery, the name was startup practice. Right? Erin Todus: yeah. Amy Crook: And I liked that a lot, but it just didn't seem to capture like the work like you were delivering people for our clients and I just and talent delivery I just like we just one day it just stuck so like we never moved away from it. Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: we obviously started out as a services business. We're now branching out into tech with Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: Javi. I think we've really learned who our client is both from a you know, metrics perspective and a philosophy perspective. Like we know who we partner well with. Obviously, the the the group of people that we work with now is phenomenal. It's not just the two of us. I think when Jenna joined, like the three musketeers became like elevated up to the next level. Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: obviously, because you can't have three musketeers when there's just two people. But the point is that we We just became like a solid little group overnight. College besties. Okay, I gotta I gotta just do a quick interjection here. So Would say doing an doing an expo and a conference is probably one of the toughest things for naturally introverted people to do. It's very, very taxing because your social battery is just getting pulled on all day long. So here's a tip for those of you out there. you can start just like having a little fun with how you got to know your coworkers. Because despite the fact that I'm clearly not from this country, and I couldn't even tell you actually where Jenna went to college, but I did overhear her at one point saying, like, Yeah, we're all college friends and we just decided to start this business and I'm like, interesting. Apologized whoever it was that that was the story that they got. We're not like sorry, it's breaking news. We did not go to college together. None of us are the same age. We didn't go to college in the same state. Some of us not even in the same country. Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: So that's not true. But it was just a little light way of like relieving some of the exhaustion of saying the same thing 800 times. but yeah, now that's an ongoing joke with the with us that we're all College besties. Erin Todus: BFFs. Yeah. I think it was at the end of the speed networking, which was just exhausting. And the choice to go explore that at two o'clock in the afternoon after already interacting Amy Crook: It was bold. Erin Todus: for six plus hours. It was bold. It was the wrong choice. We know that now. But quite a bit of fun. Yes. Yeah. Amy Crook: Yeah. 'Cause I had a great time but I went in the morning. Erin Todus: Yeah. The morning I was I was a hundred percent on. And smiling and probably dancing in the video we made, walking into the expo, and then Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: by the end of the day, I think Amy Crook: Mm-hmm. Erin Todus: Jenna and I walked up to you after that speed network and we're like, We gotta go. It's time to wrap it up. There's no more. Amy Crook: Yeah. Yeah. Actually, I think if we're being honest, the both of you simultaneously were like, what time does this finish? I'm tired. I've had enough. Like I've said too much. I've been talking too much. Like this. I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. I'm like, like, sounds like now. Sounds like now. And thankfully, we had the wonderful and lovely Nicole to wrap up the day for us. Yeah, she did Erin Todus: Thank goodness. Yeah. Amy Crook: such a fantastic job. but yeah, it's it's hard going, it's hard going, but a really fun experience and the first time that we all got to hang out together as a as a trio and we just had the best time in Chicago and I'm really can't wait to see you guys in real life again. Erin Todus: I know. Amy Crook: soon. Soon. client relationships, that's another one that, you know, we've we've evolved in. Our client base has obviously grown. We've got repeat customers now. you know, we have people coming to us when they have a new project that they want us to work on. do you remember when we got our first booking through the website? It was so exciting. Erin Todus: Yes, yes. Amy Crook: and you'd been harassing me for months to put in like a a different type of booking system on the website for people. And you were right. it works a lot better than the old one. so yeah. But just all those little things, all those little milestones and you know, they just they all add up to feeling really good. Just feeling like you are a trusted partner to the people that have paid you good money to to deliver a service and they were happy with it to the extent that they would like to engage you again. And I just I think that's a huge compliment. Erin Todus: No, same. And and I love kicking off new engagements with new clients, but there's something really comforting about someone you know. And Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: you know, in the staffing pl space in particular, you start to know what great looks like for them and what it feels like. And the it's just the cool I know any anybody with a recruiting background can appreciate you can get into a conversation with a prospect and like sometimes you know your client so well, like you know in the first Five minutes if that person is gonna be the one Amy Crook: gonna love this person. Erin Todus: or not. Yeah, it's wild and and it's fun. I love that part of it. Amy Crook: Yeah, me too. And then pretty early on we decided to do a podcast. Actually, I think I I had decided to do a podcast Erin Todus: Yes. Amy Crook: and announced it to the world. I always think of our friend Kara with that when I say that that sentence at travel ready, you know, like you think of an Erin Todus: Yes, yeah. Amy Crook: idea, you announce it to the world, and then what if it doesn't work out? So what? Erin Todus: Ha Amy Crook: So announced it to the world and then I was like, Hmm. Just me talking like feels a little awkward. and then I think after you had joined, it was maybe a week or two later, I was like, Do you want to like do the podcast with me? We could like rebrand it. And you were like, Yes. Now that is your baby all the way. You have single-handedly got us on a great schedule. You know, we record every week. You got us, you got us great guests. To to the point that na you know, we've had people consistently for the last six months applying to us to be on the podcast. So we never have to worry about guests. you have us on a great schedule. And Billy too on your team, you know, has us on a great schedule. getting to know the the guests, recording, editing, pushing it out every Thursday. Sometimes we do an additional episode. To the extent that when you were doing a get to know you the other day, didn't somebody tell you that they like love the podcast and they they listen all the time and Erin Todus: Yeah, at first I thought they were like joking or pulling my leg, but they like they were being honest and serious. And I think the coolest thing, you know, that what what I'm thinking back to is earlier in the conversation when you said that, you know, part of your kind of core value set is that things just have to be correct. And that that sort of drives or informs like how you approach every piece of work in front of you. And I think that applying that value to something we had no clue how to do, like the podcast. Like it took a couple of, you know, rotations to really kind of figure it out. And we iterated and iterated, but we did it fast. Like I think inside of 30 days, we grew from I didn't know what the echo dial on my microphone was. And so one of the early episodes is like sounds like I'm in a like indoor gymnasium or something, to sending media kits out to guests with real shorts and quotable tiles and suggested repost copy. And getting feedback from people who've been on a number of podcasts to say that the experience, the materials that they received from us was the best that they've ever encountered. And I think it just goes to show like sometimes the how hard can it be thing is not a bad way to approach our work, but it follows with if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right and it's gonna be polished and buttoned up and and it's gonna compete with the best of of them out there. Amy Crook: Yeah, and it is. And you have just done a phenomenal job. me and Jenna are like your little sidekicks. You're the Erin Todus: I don't know about that. Amy Crook: you're the one that's on every single one. Me and Jenna, if if we but I guess we just ha you know, we have different schedules and Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: but it just works out between the three of us. We're able to you know, cover all the conversations and they're all so great. you know, not everybody gets to come on the podcast. but even the people that we meet that aren't quite right for the podcast, like we still keep in touch with them. Like we're very we're Erin Todus: Sure. Yeah. Amy Crook: very founder forward around here. and I and I like that. I like that in all regards, you know, whether we can help somebody a little bit with their branding or help somebody a little bit with their hiring or help somebody a little bit with visibility. we we do that just naturally. and I I like that about who we are as a company. and then most recently just to kind of round off this section of I guess we'd call this what we've actually done Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: is The start of Tavi Intelligence, Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: which is our tool that is designed to create a cohesive employee picture that you can understand from a high level, the health of your organization, and then double-click into areas that may require it, as well as receive. HR advice that's based on your company policies as well as our IP so that people can have a real HR business partner there, giving them advice on the data that they're looking at, giving them suggestions, even prompting them to take action so that we're really providing that people insight and support. across all levels, whether you're an executive, whether you're an NHR, or whether you're a people manager for the first time with a ton of questions. And for some reason, that's the population that corporate decided didn't need a business partner. We've we've we've been reserving the business partners for the people that have been doing this forever. And those folks that are brand new to management, good luck. Erin Todus: their own. Yeah. Yeah. Here's the one day leadership training and then best of luck. Yeah. No, I'm I like couldn't be more excited about the build. And it's you know just when I felt like I was getting really confident in the space and in kind of who we are identity wise and and how we run our business. It's like, you know, this kind of has has entered the chat as this whole new build that we've not done before. And so I wanted to pick your brain a little bit on that too, because I think, you know, when you think about like the way that our team has grown, you know in the beginning, the first six, nine months, like anybody we added to our team was operational support. And so we didn't really have to share any of the directional like strategy or critical decision making. it was that that was always just us and anybody else on the team was was supporting. And so know then as as you mentioned earlier, you know, Jenna joins, and then we built out our engineering team and we're no longer you we've we've really brought in peers to help build this thing. Like tell us a little bit about that as a founder. Expanding that sort of bench and table for the first time at Strativis, how did that feel? How does it feel? Amy Crook: It feels And this sounds when it feels heavy, but not in a bad way. It feels heavy because it feels significant. Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: And I feel the responsibility when we we bring others along to execute to the absolute best of my ability for those people and to deliver an environment. and the resources that everybody needs to be successful. Like that feels very important to me. as well as maintaining my place, you know, contributing through the services business and making sure that the business runs smoothly. I wanna make sure that people love coming to work here. Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Amy Crook: I want us to be having fun because I think that translates into the work product. You know, when people are happy, engaged, they're gonna go the extra mile, they're gonna feel connected to the work. and when that happens, the output is so much more impactful than when people are getting the minimum from there. From their employer. But I mean, we've had to get creative. You know, we are a bootstrap startup. So, you know, I was mentioning earlier some of those little people that I wanted to have in my back pocket for when, you know, things came up that were beyond my scope of experience. I will tell you, dividing up the company in equity was a terrifying moment. I was Erin Todus: Mm. Amy Crook: like, because you know. Business wise, I'm like, well, you know, I'm I'm giving away potential, you know, so I I it's not it's not a given. Erin Todus: Right. Amy Crook: and so I want to be generous with that because I want to be I want people to f I want people to feel sticky against the work. but at the same time you go from having your your baby to now it's like okay it's our baby but you have to be okay with that because that's growth Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: you know if I'd have wanted it to be just mine it would be Amy Crook consulting and I would not be having this conversation right now. You know that wasn't Erin Todus: Yeah, you're right. Amy Crook: the goal wasn't the goal. So I take the responsibility seriously there's been moments that are scary and hard But overwhelmingly, I just feel super proud and really grateful that somehow all the people that I work with on, you know, the most critical components of this company's future are incredibly smart, incredibly thoughtful, incredibly hard working. and just it's it feels it feels wonderful to spend my time with those people. And I'm just I'm so grateful. What about for you? You know, you've been you've been on a similar you've been here. I think there's like two weeks between when the company started and when you joined, maybe a little more. Maybe. In my mind, it was like a day. I think I started harassing you about it after two weeks. or dropping hints. How are your interviews going? Bad? Erin Todus: Bad, good. Amy Crook: And that's awful. Obviously I would if that would have been the right move for you, I would have been so happy for you. But I I had also just recently been out on that market, so I was like, it was more, are you okay? Yeah. Erin Todus: You knew what it was. Yeah. Yeah. No, I wasn't is the answer. But yeah, I mean, it's it's crazy. I like I think that, you know, I've learned so much about myself and about about you, about our relationship. And I think the the biggest thing that comes to mind, we did the kind of one word exercise earlier, but like when I the word that comes to mind when I think of you now, it used to be the words wicked smart. Cause you're I think you're probably the smartest person I've ever met. I thought that when I met you for the first time at Starbucks. I just remember sitting there. Amy Crook: Iron's only met ten people in her whole life. Erin Todus: I've met a lot more than ten. You know how many people I've hired in my life, Amy? Many. I've met a lot more. But no, I like that was your Amy Crook: I would get Erin Todus: brand in my mind for most of the time that I've known you until the last year. But now the word that comes to mind is trust. Because I feel like I have trusted you with my entire life and my livelihood. Like there's never been a a point in my life where I've put so much trust in someone else. And you have to let certain things go. But there's yeah, the trust isn't blind. Like it's earned every single day. I know that when I call, you're gonna pick up the phone. When I need help, you've got ideas. And like we've just been shoulder to shoulder, like putting everything we have into this build. Like there's not been one moment where I've questioned the commitment from either one of us. And I think like that's the beating heart of Strativist for me, is that that foundation is just unshakable. Amy Crook: Yeah, yeah. I'm t I'm totally with you. And we know it's unshakable. because we have been in some pretty shaky situations. I gotta tell a funny story about tax season, if you don't mind. Erin Todus: do it. Amy Crook: so I I di had to be clear, I had the money. The transfer didn't go in time. However, I burst out laughing, and this is probably some form of inside insanity when I opened my bank app, as I do rarely, and I was like, wow, I'm like four thousand dollars overdrawn. I'm like, wait, what? It never happened. And then I looked below it and I would start laughing even more because in my savings account I had a whopping $100. And Erin Todus: Ha ha Amy Crook: I was like, This is embarrassing. I'm gonna send this to Erin. And then you sent me a screenshot of yours and you're like, I don't know what's worse. And I'm like, definitely mine. Definitely mine. Erin Todus: Well, what felt worse is that I think it I was not overdrawn, but it was like a double digit number in my checking account at that moment. And and like, you know, to our point earlier, I last time that happened I was like, I don't know, twenty one, you know, after taking my my paycheck to go like, you know, party and spend it on things I didn't need. And yeah, right. Like, Amy Crook: Shopping. Mm-hmm. Erin Todus: you know, as a real life grown up, North of 30, like it just I'd never been there before. And Amy Crook: Mm-hmm. Erin Todus: it's wild. Like you just learn to let go of that because you know you're doing all the right things to get, you know, to turn it around in short order. Right. It's just, you know, every once in a while you find yourself there. Amy Crook: Yeah, a hundred percent. I guess like as we near the end of this conversation and thanks very much to the people that stick around the whole time. I know we're doing a lot of chit chatting here, but hopefully it's interesting to hear a little bit about the the two of us behind the work. and so how do you think being an entrepreneur this business has changed you over the last year? Erin Todus: I think the biggest thing for me is that I'm more comfortable in my own skin. In in previous contexts, I felt like I was always seeking somebody's approval, usually a specific person, whether it was my direct leader or their leader. And I don't do that anymore. I like I'm, you know, I I care deeply about our clients and the relationships, but if one of them decides that I'm not the right fit for them or that they don't, you they're They don't want to be a part of it, fine. I'm I'm not losing sleep over it. And I think that has been an enormous just self esteem and confidence boost for me. How about you? Amy Crook: Yeah, I think it's made me really dial in like my ambition but also really get a balance that means that my full life is really I guess the word that I'm looking for, I just feel I don't want to say work life balance because it's so dumb. But like that's the that's kind of what I'm getting at. I just feel like I have a really good balance between, you know, my little things like scheduling out my day. I can I've got complete control over that. almost. Obviously clients do Erin Todus: From time to time, yes. Amy Crook: take precedent. But I have that I have that agency over my own life. And that feels really good. Because let me tell you, I was so over business travel by the end of my stint in corporate. I I just hated it. I hated being away from home. I have, you know, a small zoo of animals. I have my husband. I hate the forced fun of it all. You know, Erin Todus: Mm. Amy Crook: like, tonight we're gonna go play fairground games together and like, Erin Todus: Ha ha. Amy Crook: why? I just wanna go home. Like you guys are great and I love working with you, but I wanna eat dinner with my family. Erin Todus: Talking. Amy Crook: So I love that I have agency over my life and career. But yeah, that ambition's dialed in. When I'm sat here and focused on Strativis, I am focused and I have been able to like switch some of that seeing around corners capability that benefited the companies that I worked for for such a long time into innovative sort of processes for us. So Now I get to be way more, way more creative than I've ever had the chance to be. because it's ours, you know? Like I don't have to follow anybody else's rules. I don't have to take somebody else's crappy philosophy and wear it as my own. Like I I can I I can build something that I can stand by and that makes me feel good. Erin Todus: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Amy Crook: What do you think it's demanded from us personally though? Because I have to be honest, it's been tough those days where, you know, you're starting early and then maybe you've got meetings running through late, then you've got work that needs to be completed, then we're recording a podcast at eight o'clock at night. You know, these are long days that like pull you away from the family. And and that's been hard. And I don't have little children, so I'm just wondering like, has that felt like challenging for you? Erin Todus: Hmm. I think like I mean, what this year has demanded of me is extreme resilience, extreme creativity. Because the things that I've been rewarded for in the past in previous contexts, only get me so far. And there are different types of problems that pop up that I hadn't necessarily encountered before exactly as they, you know, exactly as they appear. And so you have to have to rise to the occasion. And I feel like there's been a lot of rising to the occasion in the last year. But I I'd say I'm leaning heavier on my husband than I ever have to to step in and and be default parent a lot of times. Like the daycare has his number first instead of mine because I'm on the phone all day. And and he's been wonderful and believes in us and is like the first person in our corner. He's our like super fan on LinkedIn, liking all of our posts. He's even, you know, joked with me like when is he gonna get his offer to join our brand promotion marketing team? Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: And like that's I like that's probably like the number one answer is like he's stepped in where I've where I have have had to extend you know, myself to make it happen on the strategist side. And I'm very grateful for that. Amy Crook: Yeah, it's it's incredible just the the change that you go through and how it impacts like most areas of your life. But I I wouldn't change I wouldn't change that change for anything. Like I it's hard sometimes, of course it was when you have like a regular corporate W two job, there's certain guarantees and certain, you know, s time frames that are expect that are acceptable. Here it's like everything we do was due yesterday. And so it's it's just a different a different pace, but it's actually a pace that I think you and I have always been pretty comfortable with. it's just now it's it's relentless, which is probably why we're having so much fun because Erin Todus: It is Amy Crook: there's no lull. There's no time for us to get bored and start cooking up dastardly plans. so what would Erin Todus: That's true. Amy Crook: you what would you say is the thing that you're most grateful for, like as you reflect on this year? Erin Todus: I would say just all the people who have been supportive, whether it's been in big ways like you and my husband Dan or in little ways like people that that interact with our posts. I know that sounds like so small, but we actually notice like Amy Crook: it's weird. Erin Todus: almost like every time like we we notice and people that reach out and just want to have coffee. It's like, you know, that's a lot of days that's part of my part of my operating rhythm. I'm the one knocking down the doors of my industry colleagues and friends to make sure that we keep up the relationship. And so like when people are the one coming to me, it feels really good. and the people that are genuinely like excited for our success and and cheering us on along the way, how big or however big or small. that it feels great and I'm so grateful for it. How about you? Amy Crook: Probably along similar lines, really grateful to my family. You know, Bill has been a great support. My mom has been a real support. and then working with you and Jenna is just a dream, you know, working with smart, credible, competent people. Is not as common in corporate America as it probably should be. But we have managed to create our own environment where everybody here is strong, everybody here is hardworking. I'm inspired by conversations that we have. I never feel like feedback that we give each other is mean spirited or designed to trip me up. because there can be some of those little games in in companies Erin Todus: yeah. Amy Crook: too. And so we don't have any of that. In fact, when you go and look at things that I've put together, you don't even tell me what you've changed. You're just like maybe edit. okay. And that's fine. That's just fine. Cause we're not. I trust you. You're gonna you you're Erin Todus: Yeah. Amy Crook: gonna have made it better. And I don't need to see, I don't need to see what it was that you did, just thank you for doing it, you know. And I like that we have that kind of of relationship and cadence with each other. so yeah, the relationships, all the relationships, super grateful. that's that goes for family. you guys, clients, friends, yeah. Everybody who's everybody who's been there along the way. So yeah, similar to you. So should we wrap it up with our biggest ambition for this next year? That feels like something we should be talking about. Erin Todus: Ooh, yes. Who goes first? Amy Crook: why don't you take this one? Erin Todus: Okay. my goodness. I mean, I've got big ambitions from a revenue perspective, like I have from the beginning. I remember you talking me down. You came to Raleigh and we did an off site the week after I started. And I remember putting some wild numbers out there from a revenue perspective. I was being serious and and you had to kind of like walk me back of like, here's why that's not realistic. but I love the energy. So those numbers and more are on my board for year two. and we're actually positioned to meet them, which is pretty freaking cool. Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: I I just aspire to to continue to build upon what we've built so far. I want at the end of of year two for the existing client relationships that we have. to still exist. And they may have changed, they may have become bigger or smaller. it's all a function of the maturity of the company and what they need, and and that's all fine, but I want them to be positive. Like I want every client that works with us to feel great about the partnership that we have based on their needs. I want for our team to feel great about being a part of Strativis. I love the people we have in play. I hope that they're all still in play at this time next year and and maybe we'll have some new faces. I expect we will. Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: and so I just am really excited, you know, from a people and and talent perspective to see how we all continue to grow and evolve. How about you? Amy Crook: the above and just want everybody to get the opportunity to engage with Tavi and see how great it is and just really excited to get that launched in into beta with our beta clients and continue to create and build this fantastic product that's gonna really change the game for for organizational effectiveness, I think. Erin Todus: Yeah, I'm so excited. It's it's crazy to watch what was just an idea a few months ago become a living breathing product today. Amy Crook: I know. Erin Todus: that is is is getting close to ready for beta. So I'm I couldn't be more excited too. And I think we're gonna blink and it's gonna become something huge. Amy Crook: A real thing. Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you for an incredible year, Erin. And I'm super pumped for year two. And couldn't couldn't be prouder to to work with you. And I always said when you left me at America's Favorite Credit Bureau that we would work together again. I didn't fully appreciate that we'd have to start our own company to make it happen, but you know. We're very determined people. Erin Todus: We made it happen. We're making it happen every single day. I Amy Crook: Yeah. Erin Todus: could not be happier to be here. Thank you for having me, for believing in me. And Amy Crook: Always. Erin Todus: yeah, I just believe in us. to the end of the earth, probably to a fault. Amy Crook: We can fail, we just can't quit. Erin Todus: We can't quit. Well, cheers to one year. Amy Crook: All right, you enjoy the rest of your Saturday. Yeah. Cheers to a year.