Latest / The Inspired Stories Podcast / From Crisis to Record Success: Ana Munoz's COVID Recovery Strategy at Pride Staff Chicagoland

Transcript

From Crisis to Record Success: Ana Munoz's COVID Recovery Strategy at Pride Staff Chicagoland · The Inspired Stories Podcast

0:04
Welcome to another edition of the Inspired Stories podcast,
0:08
where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from
0:11
their successes and be inspired by how they've overcome
0:14
adversity. My name is Anthony Kotaspodi,
0:17
and today's guest is Anna Munoz, owner and strategic partner at
0:21
Pridestaff Chicagoland Now. Pridestaff is a national
0:25
staffing agency founded in 1978 dedicated to helping businesses
0:30
across various industries connect with quality employees.
0:34
Their mission revolves around offering personalized service
0:37
that meets each client's specific needs and focuses on
0:41
creating positive workplace experiences.
0:45
Anna began her journey as a receptionist at Pride Staff
0:48
before progressing into an Administrative Assistant role
0:52
and eventually rising to a leadership position.
0:55
She proudly Co owned the Chicagoland branch where she
0:58
fosters a supportive environment for both employees and clients.
1:03
Among her many achievements, Anna received the prestigious
1:06
Mile High Award at the 2025 Pride Staff Annual Conference,
1:12
recognizing her talent for breaking down complex tasks and
1:15
empowering teams to succeed. Now before we get into all that
1:20
good stuff, today's episode is brought to you by my company,
1:22
Add Back Benefits Agency, where we offer very specific and
1:26
unique employee benefits that are both great for your team and
1:30
fiscally optimized for your bottom line.
1:33
One recent client was able to add over $900 per employee per
1:37
year in extra cash flow by implementing one of our
1:40
innovative programs. Results vary for each company
1:43
and some organizations may not be eligible.
1:46
To find out if your company qualifies, contact us today at
1:49
Add Back benefits.com. All right, back to our guest
1:52
today, co-owner at Pride Staff. Anna, thanks for making the time
1:56
to Share your story today. Thank you so much, Anthony.
1:58
It's an honor to to be on. So I appreciate you wanting to
2:02
spend a couple of minutes with me today.
2:06
It's going to be a good time. I've been looking forward to
2:08
this. So Anna, how did the opportunity
2:10
to join Pride staff first come about?
2:14
Yeah, so you know, my journey started with staffing.
2:18
It was completely by accident, which is often how the best
2:22
adventures begin, right? I was 19, a new mom, working
2:28
part time at a law firm and desperately searching for full
2:32
time work. I stumbled upon what I thought
2:35
was an administrative assistant role on CareerBuilder, and when
2:40
I went for the interview I quickly realized that it was for
2:42
a staffing agency, something I knew absolutely nothing about.
2:47
And frankly, at 19, I hadn't done my homework.
2:50
So, you know, I thought I knew everything at the time.
2:54
And they told me they'd call me if something came up.
2:57
But then the very next day Pride staff called me back with a part
3:00
time receptionist opening in the afternoons and it aligned
3:04
perfectly with me being able to keep my other job in the
3:08
morning. So I started as a part time
3:11
receptionist and very quickly I saw the incredible impact we had
3:15
on people's lives. I witnessed first hand how
3:18
connecting someone with the right job could transform their
3:21
situation, not just financially but also their confidence and
3:26
sense of purpose. It was the constant stream of
3:30
seeing lives genuinely change, helping people find not just a
3:36
paycheck but also a pathway that made me realize that this wasn't
3:42
just a job, this was my calling, and it shifted from being a
3:49
being an accident to a deliberate path very quickly.
3:53
And so at what point did it transition from becoming part
3:56
time to full time? It transitioned probably about
4:01
2-3 months in. If you were to ask Angelo, he
4:07
would have wanted me to quit my other job and come work for him
4:10
full time, probably within three weeks.
4:13
But again, I didn't know, you know, I didn't know anything
4:15
about them. So it was, I had AI had a
4:20
daughter. She's my daughter Michaela.
4:23
She's just turning 1. So I had to be responsible and I
4:28
wasn't just, you know, going to be able to jump from job to job
4:32
to job. So I needed to make sure that it
4:34
was the right fit for me. And I knew it was, but I was
4:38
just scared of change and, you know, taking that leap of faith.
4:43
And I think by like June of that year, I became full time.
4:50
And so after you became full time, you kind of progressed in
4:55
your role there, kind of take us through the different steps and
4:58
how eventually you became a co-owner today.
5:01
Yeah. So I started as a receptionist
5:05
and then I think by the end, and this was 2010, by the end of
5:10
2010, I was offered a position to be a staffing consultant,
5:15
which is now you're dealing with clients directly.
5:17
You're going out to meet different clients and you know,
5:21
the responsibilities were different.
5:24
And then I think in like 2014, I was offered the position to be a
5:29
20/14/2015. I was offered the position to be
5:32
a branch manager. So now not only am I overseeing
5:35
and my entire staff, but you know, you're still having those
5:38
to build on those client relationships.
5:41
So I was doing that and then in 2016, Angelo, who is somebody
5:48
that I call on the office with right now, he and his wife Sue,
5:53
you know, told me that they were going to be retiring and their
5:57
options were we're either going to sell or we were wanting to,
6:02
you know, bring somebody into the business and would you be
6:06
interested? So it took me a while.
6:09
I think it, it, it probably took me about 662 to 8 months to
6:14
think about it. And then in 2017, March of 2017,
6:18
I I signed Co ownership papers and it has, I would like to say
6:24
it's been smooth sailing since, but it has not.
6:27
Any entrepreneur knows better than that, Yeah.
6:31
And So what were your reservations in that sort of 6
6:34
to 8 months and kind of the decision making process?
6:37
You know, I, I'm, I don't like to go outside of I'm not a rule
6:45
breaker, right? I, I lead a straight path in
6:50
everything that I do. And when you talk about
6:54
ownership, it's not just myself, it's not just my family.
6:59
Now I'm taking a bigger financial responsibility for not
7:04
only myself, but also Angel and Sue, who trusted me to come into
7:08
this partnership with them, but then also my team.
7:12
You know, I think at the time we had three other people with us
7:17
and being financially responsible to make sure that,
7:20
hey, you make payroll, you have to pay them, you have to pay
7:23
your bills, you have to renew leases.
7:25
I didn't know anything about running a business.
7:28
So just having to really learn as you go, that's been the best
7:32
experience that I've had. But I think that was what really
7:36
scared me is I I was just afraid to fail.
7:41
And so 2017, you signed the papers.
7:44
Here we are recording in the middle of 2025.
7:48
What, As you look back over those eight years, what is maybe
7:52
the thing you learned that surprised you the most?
7:57
You know, some days I'm still waiting for, like, the grown up
8:00
to show up and tell us what to do.
8:06
So it's funny that people look at me and, you know, as a leader
8:10
because sometimes I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing, guys.
8:13
Why are you guys trusting me? But I think just, you know, not
8:18
being afraid and knowing that, you know, if something doesn't
8:23
go my way, it's not the end of the world.
8:25
There's always workarounds. And I think just getting through
8:30
it and saying that I did it. I don't know what the next, you
8:34
know, 10 or 20 years holds for me, but I'm so glad that I took
8:38
the opportunity and with and, and, and could say that I did
8:43
it. And I'm so glad that you said
8:45
that out loud because there's so many times in my own life and,
8:49
and getting the chance to talk with so many other business
8:52
owners, business leaders, they'll open up and admit the
8:54
same thing where it's like, yeah, yeah, people look to me
8:58
like I've got all the answers. Sometimes I'm just making it up
9:02
as I go along. And I, I have no idea.
9:05
And I'm kind of I, I wish somebody else would come up with
9:07
the idea for the next step. And so I think it's good to give
9:11
voice to sort of the the uncertainty that exists in all
9:15
of us from time to. Time I agree.
9:16
I agree, yeah. And, and, and it's, but it's
9:19
true though, because you were expecting someone to show up and
9:22
just give you all of the answers.
9:25
And I have the answers, right. But sometimes you have to
9:28
question yourself, especially when other people who are
9:30
looking at you for guidance and, and leadership, like am I making
9:36
the right decisions? Are these the right decisions?
9:38
Is this the right answer? We don't know.
9:42
But I mean, it's, it's like I said, it hasn't been smooth
9:44
sailing. But again, it's business.
9:47
There's highs, there's lows, but I am grateful.
9:50
I'm very grateful for the opportunity.
9:52
And you just have to make the best decision that you can in
9:55
the moment and that's all that you can expect from yourself.
9:57
Exactly. So OK, let's talk specifically
9:59
about Pride staff and what it is that you guys do.
10:02
What kind of staffing are you offering?
10:04
What industries? Tell us more about the geography
10:07
kind of paint the picture for. It Yeah.
10:08
So I you know, we're called the pride of Chicagoland office and
10:13
that is exactly what we service. It's the suburbs we don't
10:16
service like the city of Chicago.
10:19
It's just basically the suburbs that we service and we
10:23
specialize in temporary temp to hire and direct hire positions
10:30
and the industries that we work in are light industrial,
10:35
manufacturing, office, clerical and then everything in between.
10:42
And what percentage of your business would you say is sort
10:45
of temp, temp to hire versus the direct hire?
10:48
You know the direct hire comes in waves this year.
10:52
I, I think about 15% of our revenue or the business that we
10:57
do will be direct hire. The other 85 is going to be temp
11:04
temp to hire. And obviously, you know, you
11:08
weren't involved early on. It was Angelo who sort of
11:12
started the, the the franchise. So you weren't involved in sort
11:17
of that decision making process of choosing pride stuff.
11:20
But now that you, you know, have been there a number of years and
11:23
you've, you know, worked very closely with the the franchisor
11:27
and their leadership. Tell us more about kind of the
11:30
the support services, the value that they deliver to you, you.
11:35
Know I will brag to anyone who will listen to me.
11:42
I and, and maybe my, my opinion shouldn't count as much as maybe
11:47
somebody else's, because keep in mind, Pride staff's all that I
11:50
know, right? I don't know.
11:52
I don't have any experience shopping around for any other
11:56
franchises. From the time I was 19 to I'll
12:01
be 35 in, in a few weeks here, Pride staff's been my, my only
12:06
home. But the support and just the
12:13
helpfulness that I get from what we would call my Home Office, my
12:19
corporate office, I would say is second to none from just when
12:27
things are going really great, right?
12:28
They're there to, to, to applaud you and make you feel good about
12:33
all of the right things that you're doing.
12:36
And then in the years when business wasn't so great, they
12:41
weren't even in just, you know, from the, from the C-Suite, they
12:46
weren't the type of company that says, well, you know, you, you
12:51
bought the franchise, you're kind of on your own.
12:53
It's no, we're not in the business to just sell franchises
12:57
and not support our strategic partner.
13:01
So I I just can't say enough good things about my corporate
13:06
office from every from every level.
13:09
So if you have questions, what's the process you're, you know,
13:13
filling out a contact form, you're sending an e-mail, You
13:16
probably can't get anybody on the phone.
13:18
No, I. I can call somebody right now
13:20
and get anybody on the phone. That is how available they are.
13:24
In fact, they just finished a conversation with our franchise
13:29
development leader and our our CSO, our Chief Sales Officer.
13:37
So I mean they are just readily available again, you know with
13:40
respect to their schedule, right.
13:42
If they aren't able to speak with me, it's not one of those
13:45
like sorry. It's not like there's this big
13:47
wall that you've got to try to get around.
13:50
You know, they're, they're super accessible.
13:52
From our Co CEO Mike April and Tammy Heaton down to just, you
13:57
know, our IT department and everybody else in between,
14:00
there's a person and a department for everything.
14:04
And again, like I said, maybe I'm a little biased because I
14:07
don't have anything to compare it to.
14:08
And you know, I've read a little bit about you too, Anthony, and
14:12
you've owned many businesses and I'm sure you've dealt with many
14:15
businesses. So I don't know if that's the
14:17
norm or if I'm just really lucky that I.
14:20
I think you got really lucky. I think you got really lucky and
14:24
I and I think you're you're right to be grateful and that's
14:27
awesome. Yeah.
14:29
Now I know that Pride staff emphasizes client experiences
14:33
that are focused on what they value most.
14:36
Curious how you tailored your approach to truly understand and
14:41
meet those client values specifically in the Chicago land
14:44
market you. Know for us exceptional client
14:48
service and quality candidates it it isn't just a mission
14:52
statement, it's the heartbeat of our day-to-day operations.
14:57
As a leader. It means constantly reinforcing
15:02
the why behind what we do. Whether it's in our daily
15:06
huddles. We don't just talk about the
15:08
numbers, we share our success stories.
15:12
A client who was thrilled with a candidate or a candidate who
15:14
found their dream job through us.
15:17
You know, I think that's, that's really important for us.
15:19
And again, it's not just, you know, what we do.
15:21
We, we, I, I, like I said, I reinforce the why and, and
15:24
everything that we do. I want to talk about the Mile
15:29
High award that you won in the earlier this year, in 2025.
15:33
It's a pretty big achievement now, you know, reaching those
15:38
kind of milestones don't come without challenges.
15:42
I'd be curious to hear how you overcame some of those along the
15:46
way. Yeah, so winning the Mile High,
15:50
I mean, we were not expecting it.
15:51
You know, we were, we were super excited, but we had had some
15:57
rough years and we were bouncing back.
16:00
So we were hopeful we were going to win something.
16:03
But just kind of with everything that was going on, we were like,
16:07
you know, probably another office probably did better than
16:09
us. So we were super excited.
16:12
I mean, winning the Mile High award, it was an incredible
16:15
honor and it truly represents A collective effort from my
16:19
amazing team. I believe that it was earned
16:23
through our unwavering commitment to living price of
16:27
score values every single day, particularly our focus on
16:31
service and and integrity. And you combine that with
16:35
consistent strong growth even through challenging times.
16:39
Specifically, I think our dedication to client and
16:41
candidate satisfaction metrics like our Net Promoter Score and
16:45
PS is what we like to call it really stood out.
16:49
We don't just aim for good scores.
16:51
I mean, we strive for excellence in every interaction, though war
16:56
to me perfectly just, you know, says what pride steps, culture
17:00
of valuing genuine relationships and operational excellence above
17:05
all else. You know what that means to me?
17:09
It's it's about being truly invested in the success of our
17:12
clients, our candidates and and our internal team.
17:15
And it shows the hard work, the resilience over the years and
17:21
living by our values truly gets it's just recognized with within
17:26
our organization. So we were, we were super
17:28
excited. We weren't expecting it, but we
17:31
we glad we got we're glad we got that.
17:34
Yeah. You know, I talk with a lot of
17:35
staffing firms and you know, COVID was kind of a big roller
17:39
coaster. You know, a lot of industries,
17:41
they kind of saw a big uptake in their business.
17:43
And then coming out of that, you know, things kind of tapered off
17:47
and with the economy kind of being up and down, you know, not
17:50
everybody is sort of uneven footing.
17:52
So it's it's great to hear that, you know, you guys were kind of
17:55
coming through some of those struggles and winning this
17:58
award. It's kind of affirmation of all
18:01
the attention that you've really been putting into the attention
18:04
to detail and the quality on every single interaction that
18:07
you have with your customers and and your frontline workers.
18:10
Yes, yes. And I think and I and I won't
18:14
say that that's always how we've operated.
18:17
There was a time when when we didn't operate that and I think
18:23
once and we'll probably get a little bit more into this, but
18:28
when COVID happened, I had to completely re evaluate how we
18:35
did business. And I think just the way that we
18:45
interacted with our clients changed.
18:50
I'm not saying that I didn't value them before, right?
18:53
But I think we were just very comfortable.
18:55
We were very comfortable with every conversation was
19:01
transactional. Does that make sense?
19:05
And I think I had a big wake up call when COVID happened.
19:09
And again, not saying that I didn't value my clients before
19:11
because I've always valued them, but they were always there.
19:15
And I think maybe I shouldn't be seeing this, but I didn't.
19:21
I didn't. I took them for granted.
19:24
And then COVID happened and it really was a diff.
19:28
I had a different. Let let's, let's dive a little
19:31
bit more into this. And I think you made, you made
19:33
reference to, we might get into this more later because, you
19:36
know, one of my favorite questions to ask is sort of the,
19:38
the serious challenge that you've overcome.
19:40
And so I, I think this is going to fall into that bucket for
19:43
you. So what was it about COVID?
19:47
You guys saw a big drop off in business I think is what you're
19:50
getting? At yeah, yeah.
19:53
So going back, I mean, I took over in 2017.
19:56
Angela was retired. COVID happened what, the end of
19:59
2019-2020? But we really didn't feel the
20:03
effects of COVID-19 until June of 2020.
20:09
Because if you remember April, May.
20:13
Everybody was like, oh, we don't know.
20:14
It's just going to be, you know, things are going to be closed
20:16
down for a week or two. It'll be a small hit.
20:19
We'll bounce back. I don't think anybody was really
20:22
prepared for the aftermath of, of COVID.
20:27
So one of my most significant challenges maybe 2 years into
20:32
being an owner, not even 2 full years of being an owner, it, it
20:37
was COVID and it was both a significant challenge both
20:41
professionally and personally. Like many businesses, I mean, we
20:45
saw a dramatic loss of, of business and by 2022, we were
20:49
truly on the brink of closing our office.
20:54
It was terrifying. As a part owner, you know, the
20:59
weight of my team's livelihoods and the future of the business
21:01
was immense. I was filled with fear, fear of
21:07
failure, fear of letting people down, fear of losing everything.
21:10
I had worked so hard to, to build, you know, and, and not
21:16
just within those two years of being an owner, but since I had
21:21
started, I mean, now we're, you know, 10 years into this, but I
21:27
think my, my core belief of resilience and refusing to give
21:31
up was, was severely tested. You know, practically, we had to
21:35
get incredibly lean and creative.
21:38
We diversified our client base, actively sought out essential
21:42
businesses that we're still hiring.
21:46
And it became even more, and we became even more consultative
21:51
with our existing clients, which is what I was trying to, you
21:53
know, reference a little bit more.
21:54
It's, you know, This is why you need pride staff.
22:00
And I think they used, you know, they, they saw us as a resource
22:03
during that time on how they were adapting and there was new
22:06
laws and that were coming into, into effect for COVID.
22:11
So having to stay up on that. I think our clients valued us
22:15
and used us as a great resource. And, you know, and I also
22:20
doubled down on connecting with my team.
22:22
We had to take the check insurance.
22:23
It's not just about work, but about how everyone was was doing
22:27
mentally and emotionally. And for me personally, I mean
22:32
daily exercise and mindfulness became a non negotiable and it
22:36
was staying grounded and in managing that immense stress.
22:40
And it was, it was a difficult time.
22:42
But what I did learn from that experience is the immense power
22:46
of grit and adaptability. It taught me that genuine
22:51
success isn't about avoiding setbacks, but about how you
22:55
respond when you're knocked down.
22:57
It reinforced my my belief that fear kills more dreams than
23:02
failure ever will. You know, it's my favorite quote
23:05
because if I had given into that fear in 2022, we wouldn't be
23:11
here today. But fear can be crippling.
23:14
It can be paralyzing. How did you how did you get
23:18
through? It How did you push through?
23:19
I don't know. I have no idea.
23:21
I mean I. Just sheer necessity.
23:23
Oh my God, it's something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
23:27
I have no idea. And and I guess and I I do know
23:32
how I got through it right. But just like when you're
23:35
thinking about it, I'm like, God, I don't know how I did it.
23:39
Would I do it again? I don't know.
23:42
But, you know, like I said, if I had given into that fear just a
23:46
couple years ago, we wouldn't be on track to have our best year
23:51
ever this year. So it made me much stronger.
23:56
It made me more empathetic and a more strategic leader.
23:59
So as much as I look back on COVID and hated what it did to
24:05
to people, to businesses, you know, it's a silver lining.
24:11
I'm grateful that it happened. You found a, a different gear
24:15
inside yourself that you didn't know was there.
24:19
Yes. And you also talked about how
24:22
you became more like a consultant for your clients.
24:26
How did that strategy evolve? How did, how did that seed sort
24:30
of get planted that, hey, we need to not take the clients for
24:33
granted as much. We need to be more helpful, more
24:36
like consultants. Where did that come from?
24:40
You know, I think so kind of going back to it.
24:45
So we lost a lot of our business, over 50% of our
24:50
business was just gone. And it wasn't even like, you
24:57
know, now we have to be, how can I say this?
25:01
It wasn't, you know, even like, hey, we need to be more
25:06
consultative to the clients that we have now because we didn't
25:08
have any clients, they were gone.
25:11
So it was more so of, you know, any new client that that we
25:14
have, we have to be a resource. I'm not just selling you, you
25:21
know, a body or a person. It's what it, what are the
25:26
benefits of you working with Pride staff?
25:29
What are what are some of the things that pride staff can
25:33
offer that no other staffing service can offer?
25:38
And, and I think that is where our clients saw more value in US
25:45
is we, we did become a strategic partner to them.
25:48
We were more of a resource if they had questions, even if they
25:52
didn't have an order, you know, I understood, I understood that
25:56
and I understood that maybe the orders would come down the road.
25:59
But I had resources, I had tools that maybe their company, you
26:05
know, for whatever reason didn't want to invest in or they didn't
26:08
have a need. These were resources or tools
26:11
specifically around COVID. Necessarily around COVID, but
26:15
around hiring. So for example, if you remember
26:18
COVID, we we had ton of ton of openings, but nobody to fill
26:23
these jobs. So we had to be more
26:26
consultative in the approach of hey, this is what's up there.
26:30
This is who is hiring for these jobs.
26:34
You know, we have tools that can tell us there's a warehouse
26:39
worker opening and there's 500 candidates available that are
26:46
interested in that position. But only, I don't know, let's
26:51
say 100 of them are within that pay range of what you're wanting
26:56
to make of what you're wanting to pay.
26:58
So how can we open that door to, hey, we need to pay a little bit
27:03
more if we're wanting access to all 500 candidates?
27:07
Does that make sense? What I'm trying to explain is
27:09
just be more again more consultative in in their
27:14
apartment. Even if they're not calling to
27:16
place an order, if you're not calling to say, hey, I, you
27:18
know, I want to give you a check, you know, I here, let's
27:21
do some business like just being there as a professional
27:24
resource. Exactly.
27:26
I've got a I've got a question about hiring, about what
27:29
whatever it was that that's within, you know, your
27:32
wheelhouse of expertise. Be a trusted resource.
27:35
That way they they feel good about you, they they remember
27:39
you when they do have that order.
27:40
Exactly. And it also came down to we are
27:43
not just I didn't want them to look at Pride staff as Pride
27:48
staff only cares about even now, right?
27:51
Pride staff only cares about the orders.
27:54
If I don't have an order with them or if I don't have people
27:57
on assignment with Pride staff, they're not willing to help me.
28:01
They're not willing to answer any questions.
28:02
They're not willing to spend 10 or 15 minutes educating me on a
28:09
on a certain law or a certain bill regarding staffing and
28:12
hiring or they're not willing to share any of their tools because
28:16
I'm not spending any money with them.
28:18
I did not want my clients to have that feeling and I still
28:21
don't anybody that I meet with, whether it's a sales call or our
28:27
current clients, anybody that could use our services, whether
28:32
they pay pride staff or not, I want them to know that I am a
28:36
resource outside of just, you know, them sending us orders.
28:40
If they have a question whether they have somebody placed out to
28:44
work with me or not, I want them to to feel comfortable calling
28:47
me. I think that's so smart.
28:49
Give first, give first, give first.
28:51
I think that's a great lesson that everybody can kind of take
28:53
from this story. And I know you know that for
28:55
Pride staff, obviously a big part of your success hinges on
28:59
being able to connect businesses with the right candidates.
29:04
What creative practices have you implemented to ensure that
29:08
you're delivering that really good match for both the employer
29:11
and the employee? Yeah.
29:13
So I think with, with this, it's many, many agencies offer
29:22
recruiting services, but what truly differentiates Pride staff
29:28
and how we, how we do this and how we live our mission is just
29:32
our unwavering commitment to the right fit beyond just the resume
29:37
and job description. It's not just about filling an
29:40
opening. It's not it, it, it's about
29:42
making a genuinely synergistic match that benefits both the
29:46
client and the candidate in the long term.
29:49
So I, my team and I, we're not just filling a position to fill
29:53
a position, right? I want, I want every time I make
29:57
a placement for it to be a success story.
30:00
And on a day-to-day basis, this looks like, you know, an in
30:03
depth discovery session with both clients and candidates for
30:08
clients. We, we spend a significant time
30:10
understanding their company, their culture, their dynamics
30:14
and long term strategic goals, not just the immediate hiring
30:19
need. But again, long term, we
30:23
understand that positions, you can teach people how to do
30:26
things right, but if you find somebody that is not good, not a
30:30
good culture fit or not a good long term hire, it could be
30:34
disastrous to your current to your current team.
30:38
And I think that's something that our clients value.
30:40
You know, for candidates, we go beyond their work history to
30:43
understand their, their career aspirations and their values and
30:48
what kind of environment they thrive in.
30:52
We'll even advise a client if we feel their expectations for a
30:54
role aren't realistic for the market or guide a candidate
30:58
towards a different path if we genuinely believe it's it's
31:03
going to be a better long term fit for them.
31:07
So you know, this level of personalized consultative
31:11
matching, even if it takes more time up front, It's what we like
31:16
to call our North Star. I know it's cheesy, but it it
31:21
builds and it builds incredible trust and leads to placements
31:25
that genuinely stick and create lasting value.
31:30
It sounds like you're not just consulting for the client,
31:32
you're also consulting for the candidates and steering them
31:36
towards more realistic goals. You know the right kinds of
31:39
jobs, the places where you know they may be a better fit for the
31:42
culture. Yeah, I mean, I, I don't ever
31:45
want I, I want my clients to know that not only do I want to
31:52
have their best interests, but I also want to have my, my
31:55
candidate's best interest. So you know, you're, you're
31:58
working for both and I think you know, our clients respect that
32:02
and our candidates do too. Yeah.
32:05
And from our previous conversations, I understand
32:09
that, you know, one of the things you're kind of known for
32:11
there at Pride staff is being able to break down big, complex
32:15
tasks into smaller, manageable pieces.
32:20
Yes, you just lit up there. Can you give an example, like a
32:25
specific example of a time that you did this and and how it
32:28
helped and worked out? You know, I think just kind of
32:31
going back to to 2022 when we were having to, to, to build
32:43
back what we had. I think that was that was the
32:50
time when I really had to look at what we wanted to achieve
32:56
long term. And I think what we were doing
33:03
was we were getting so hung up on, hey, by the end of the year,
33:07
you want to generate X amount of dollars.
33:11
But what we were doing and where we were at to where we wanted to
33:17
get to, it was impossible. It seemed impossible, right?
33:24
So just kind of a, a, a perfect example of that.
33:27
It was breaking down our daunting goals.
33:31
And it just, it's again, it just ties back to our recovery of,
33:35
of, of 2022-2023. So our goal for 2023 was not
33:40
just to survive, but to start rebuilding towards profitability
33:46
and growth again, eventually aiming for a record 2025 year.
33:52
And this felt incredibly daunting after such significant
33:57
losses. So we didn't think that we were
34:00
ever going to be able to do it. So instead of fixating on the
34:04
massive revenue number, we broke it down into micro commitments.
34:09
Each week we focused on increasing our client visits by
34:12
just one. You know, I want to do one more
34:15
visit than I did last week, securing one more job order,
34:20
making five more candidate touch points than the week before.
34:25
They were small, consistent, almost boring steps.
34:30
But we were able to track these goals, these micro goals
34:33
religiously. And my team got excited.
34:37
It was just again, we went from having at my worst and now I'm
34:42
being super vulnerable here. At our worst, we had I think
34:46
like 25 people out on assignment and this is going from like 80
34:52
to 90 people. Keep in mind, I'm not a huge
34:54
office. I want to make sure that I'm,
34:57
I'm running an office where I can still be available.
35:01
I don't want to have, you know, thousands of people out on an
35:04
assignment. That's just not the type of
35:05
office that I want to be. I want to be able to cater to to
35:09
clients and having going from 80 down to 25, it was huge.
35:17
It was scary. Yeah.
35:19
Yeah. So you know, when you break down
35:22
those holes of like, hey, if we can just get two people out on
35:25
two more people on an assignment next week, this is how much
35:29
revenue we'll generate. And again, right now it just
35:33
seems silly, you know, when you're looking back on it.
35:35
But it worked. Those small, consistent actions
35:40
compounded one extra visit led to a new relationship, one new
35:45
job order led to two placements, and those extra candidate
35:50
touchpoints resulted in better talent pools.
35:54
By focusing on the daily and weekly execution of these small
35:58
tangible steps, we built momentum and this consistent
36:02
effort week after week ultimately led to the
36:06
significant rebound we're seeing now.
36:10
And again, not toot in my own horn here, but you know, it's
36:12
setting us up for, for a record year.
36:14
But really our record year was 2024 and we're we're hoping to
36:21
to break that 2024 record this year.
36:24
And you know what is I'm hearing you talk.
36:27
It reminded me of sort of the, the question that I hear people
36:31
ask sometimes is like, how do you eat an elephant?
36:34
And the answer is one bite at a time.
36:36
Yeah, one small. Tiny bite at A11 tiny bite at a
36:40
time. And and and that's exactly what,
36:43
you know, you guys had fallen a lot.
36:46
Yeah. You, you were on the verge of
36:47
closing your doors and you're like, we want to get to where we
36:50
were and beyond. And that just seems like such a
36:52
giant hill to climb. Like, how do we do it?
36:55
And you're like, you know what, one foot in front of the other,
36:58
I'm going to make one more client visit this week than I
37:01
did last week. That's it.
37:02
That's all that's all I'm going to do.
37:04
And and so then it, it doesn't seem so insurmountable.
37:07
Like I don't know how many client visits you would
37:08
typically make in a week, but let's say it was 4.
37:11
You know, you're not going to go from 4 to 20 next week.
37:14
Like it's, it's just going to be a shock to your system.
37:17
It's going to feel overwhelming. You're just going to be taxed
37:20
exhausted. So I'm just, I'm going to go
37:21
from 4:00 to 5:00. Yes.
37:24
And I'm gonna go from 5:00 to 6:00 and, and each each of those
37:28
visits, each of those touch points, it's another opportunity
37:30
to open a door to another client to another placement for you.
37:33
Yes, yeah. And, and, and that's that that
37:36
was really I, I know, you know, a lot of people have asked and
37:41
they're probably expecting me to give them this crazy formula on,
37:46
you know, this is what I had to do and how strategic it was.
37:50
But sometimes the answers are just right in front of you.
37:54
And it, it was just doing the work.
37:57
Again, I'm not saying that it was easy.
38:00
It was still hard. And there were days where we,
38:07
we, we, you know, we could have had, let's say we grew 5 and
38:11
then the following week we ended 7.
38:12
So now we're right back to where we started.
38:16
But again, it was still just small tiny, tiny goals and.
38:21
It's it's really one foot in front of the other.
38:22
Like you said, I think a lot of times people are expecting that
38:25
there's like some magic wand that's available.
38:29
Yeah, like, you know, oh, if, if somebody's just going to teach
38:32
me how to run this one ad or, you know, I'm going to land this
38:36
one huge client, you know, that just comes walking in my door.
38:39
And now it's like you got to get up and 1 foot in front of the
38:42
other take take the small steps. And I'm kind of curious to hear,
38:45
you know, and as you were kind of going through this and
38:47
getting back on track and motivating yourself and
38:50
motivating your team, how did you keep the team kind of
38:53
pushing forward to these goals? Were there, I don't know, any
38:56
incentives or things that you were able to put in front of
38:59
them that helped? Yes, so, and, and I feel kind of
39:05
silly and they'll probably be so embarrassed if I mentioned this,
39:10
but it was what we what we were looking forward to, right.
39:14
So there's a steakhouse, a really nice steakhouse in the
39:19
Julia area that we absolutely love.
39:22
And when we were at 35, we said if we get to 50, I will treat
39:27
and 35 employees out to work. They said if we get to 50
39:31
employees, we will I will take everybody out to this nice steak
39:35
dinner again, it's silly. It's it's.
39:39
Everybody needs a carrot. Yeah, everybody needs a carrot.
39:42
But you think it's insignificant.
39:43
And right now when I'm mentioning it, I was like, Oh my
39:45
God, this is so embarrassing. I can't even believe I'm saying
39:47
this out loud but. Did it work?
39:49
Yes, OK. Then, mind you, we all could
39:52
have gone out to the steakhouse on our own, but it was just, it
39:57
was the goal of the team. We're like, no, we're getting
40:00
that nice steak dinner. They have like the best Caesar
40:04
salad there. So I was like, no, I'm, you
40:06
know, and again, I could have gone any time to go get this
40:08
Caesar salad, but it was going to be more meaningful and it was
40:13
going to taste a lot better. Because you're doing it
40:16
together, yes, you're going through the journey.
40:18
You're going through the struggles and the hardships and
40:20
the challenges to hit that goal together.
40:23
And, and this is the part that sometimes we forget about is and
40:26
you've got to celebrate together.
40:27
Yes, right. Yes.
40:28
Like, I mean, especially as entrepreneurs, as business
40:30
owners, we're always moving the goal posts, right?
40:33
Yeah, OK, we hit, we hit that goal.
40:35
What's next? You have to that.
40:37
Right, you have to agree 100% but the part that gets missed so
40:41
much and why I really love what you guys are doing here is you
40:44
stop to celebrate just for a moment.
40:46
Yes, yeah. And I think that was so
40:49
important because again, it's not yes, well, I am the owner
40:52
while I'm taking all the risk, right?
40:56
I, I was the one crying myself to sleep most of the time.
41:01
I worked so closely with them that they also felt the stress.
41:04
They, they were worried too. We were all worried.
41:09
But I think once we put everything aside and say, you
41:12
know what, let's stop focusing on trying to be nominated for a
41:17
Mile High award. Let's not focus on making
41:20
president's circle this year. Let's just focus on being better
41:24
than what we were the day before.
41:28
And again, if it was a steak dinner, if it was a massage, if
41:33
it was manicures and pedicures, I was all for it because we were
41:37
growing. And if I if I had to do it all
41:43
over again, I would. And I would do it with the exact
41:45
same team and still the same team I have in place now.
41:50
So looking back over your journey, Anna, you know, from
41:53
receptionist to, you know, business owner and leader, is
41:57
there a piece of advice you could share with listeners who
42:01
may be just starting out in a field, any field, and they have
42:06
their sights set eventually on being in a leadership role?
42:12
Yeah, you know if I were to offer one key insight from my
42:16
journey, especially for someone considering a major career pivot
42:21
or stepping into their first managerial role, it would be
42:24
this. Growth and self-confidence
42:28
aren't built in comfort, They are forged in the moments you
42:33
choose to lean into the unknown and embrace vulnerability.
42:39
My journey from a receptionist to a strategic partner was a
42:46
series of firsts in moments where I had to say yes before I
42:51
felt 100% ready. You won't have all the answers
42:55
when you pivot or step into leadership.
42:59
You know, true self-confidence isn't about being fearless.
43:03
It's about trusting your ability to learn, adapt, and seek help
43:08
when you need it. Don't let the fear of knowing
43:12
everything stop you from taking that leap.
43:17
Every mistake is a lesson, every challenge is an opportunity to
43:21
expand your capabilities, and every moment of discomfort is a
43:27
sign that you're growing. Embrace the learning curve, ask
43:31
questions relentlessly, and remember that your potential is
43:36
far greater than your current perceived limitations.
43:41
That would be. My my advice.
43:44
Yeah, it's all really good. I, you know, I love this idea
43:48
about sort of this idea of get comfortable with being
43:52
uncomfortable because that means that you're pushing yourself and
43:56
that's where the learning and the growth really happens.
43:59
Yeah. Yeah, and, and I don't think,
44:03
and, you know, going back to COVID, had COVID not happened,
44:06
had I not been uncomfortable, had I not been scared, I, I
44:13
wouldn't be here now. And I had to be scared and I had
44:17
to be uncomfortable in order to grow.
44:22
Because once you're, once you're in that situation, you have no
44:24
other choice. You can only you know what it's.
44:27
It's really once you hit rock bottom, your only way is up, so.
44:32
You know, I think one of the great things about you being
44:35
part of the Pride staff franchise system is that you've
44:38
got a built in support network, You know, rather than whether
44:43
it's the, you know, the franchise or in the corporate
44:45
office or being able to connect with other franchisees to talk
44:49
about what it is that you're going through.
44:52
Because I think that's such as an important thing that a lot of
44:55
business owners miss out on is that, you know, they, they sort
44:58
of feel alone in their position, right?
45:00
You're at the top of the heap. It's like everybody looks to you
45:02
for the answers, but where can you go for answers?
45:05
Where can you go for help and support?
45:07
And it it occurs to me that inside of the Pride staff family
45:10
there that that support system, that mastermind, if you will, it
45:14
is kind of baked in. Yeah, so, and I don't know if I
45:18
had mentioned this to you before and I guess we didn't really
45:21
touch on this at all during during our our time together so
45:25
far. But one of the things that also
45:28
led to my growth in that mind change was Pride staff in 2022.
45:38
At the end of 2022, mind you, like I was knees deep in, in
45:43
terrible things and I was scared for my life like I had never
45:48
been. And I truly believed in my heart
45:53
that at the end of 2023, I was going to be closed.
45:56
There was just, there was nothing that I I could do.
45:59
That's the mindset that I had December of 2022, January of
46:05
2023, corporate or, or my corporate office said, hey,
46:10
we're going to start a mentorship program.
46:13
And we thank you. Should be one of the first as a
46:18
mentee to participate. Would you like to participate?
46:23
And I said, yeah, I, I would love to.
46:24
I mean, I at this point, again, like I said, what do I have to
46:27
lose, right? I'll take help anywhere I can
46:30
get. It right I'll I'll take it
46:32
anywhere and Home Office partnered me up with Amy Lynn,
46:38
who is an incredible friend, but she is just an incredible
46:45
business leader. She is a great mentor to me even
46:51
now. And I dedicated a year of my
46:55
time of having weekly phone calls with her.
46:59
And again, some of the things that we talked about, it was
47:02
just, they were like, duh moments, right?
47:06
Like, why didn't I think of that?
47:07
Like I feel stupid because that just seems so silly.
47:10
And why didn't I think of it? But you were just so caught up
47:13
in like just defeat that you forget going back to basics.
47:19
And so I committed to a year of just having Amy Lynn, who is the
47:25
owner of the Dallas Pride staff office and just talking to her.
47:32
And I mean, we had little things right at the end of the year
47:36
like, hey, next year, because my office isn't going to close now
47:39
that I'm talking to you and I'm slowly growing, we're going to,
47:44
you know, have drinks at our Pride Safe annual conference.
47:47
You know, we're like just thinking ahead because my mind
47:51
you. Got to make plans for the
47:52
future, but you need to reprogram your brain to stop
47:55
planning for that failure and plan for and what what success
47:59
in moving forward looks. Like, and I think because going
48:02
back to me being so afraid of failing, I was also afraid of
48:07
disappointing. So having her hold me
48:11
accountable to again, just little things like, hey, this
48:14
week I want you to go out and talk to five more people.
48:18
And when you're, for lack of a better word, depressed because
48:23
nothing's going right in your life, that just seemed like a
48:26
very daunting goal, like it was going to be impossible.
48:29
Like, how can I get out and drive myself to go just meet
48:33
five more people like it? Just again, it sounds silly I.
48:36
Can't even get out of bed in the morning.
48:38
Like how am I supposed to go visit 5 new clients like that?
48:41
Just that seems impossible. But because of the fact that I
48:46
had someone that I was, for lack of better words, reporting to
48:51
and Amy, who I know had gone through, you know, similar
48:54
struggles but is now running a top five, one of price of top
48:59
five offices, she could do it. I could do it.
49:02
And then I was more afraid of if I'm having this conversation
49:06
with her next week. And I said, hey, I know I'm
49:10
wasting your time, but I didn't do it.
49:12
I was, I was afraid of that. I was afraid of her.
49:15
The power of that accountability, yeah, it's huge.
49:19
Yeah, and I was, I was terrified to let her down because this is
49:24
the Amy Lynn. And, you know, I hold her very
49:28
near and dear to my heart. And I just didn't want to
49:31
disappoint her. And yeah, I mean, at the end of
49:36
the year, like we were celebrating again a record year
49:40
just from where we were at the beginning to where I was, it was
49:44
like, I don't know, I think we grew like 56% that year.
49:48
That's fantastic. And yeah, I mean, so when you
49:52
think about December of 2022, I was like, yeah, I'm closing the
49:55
office. It's going to be so
49:58
embarrassing. I can't believe it.
50:00
What am I going to tell people? You know, there's people that
50:03
doubted me and I'm going to just prove them right.
50:06
And I think just having that accountability partner, that
50:09
mentor, that someone that truly wanted me to to see me succeed.
50:13
And again, was doing this just out of the kindness of her
50:16
heart. I mean, she could, she could be
50:18
doing other things. What a gem, right?
50:21
To give up her her time to to help you.
50:24
And how cool was it that Pride staff kind of identified you as
50:28
being in a place of need? Yes, and that and like, and
50:31
that's what I'm, that's what I'm saying.
50:33
I mean, I can't speak, you know, any any more highly than I
50:38
already do of them just because again they could have picked
50:41
anybody. There's over 80 offices and
50:45
there could have been other offices that are going through
50:47
the same thing. You know, the fact that they
50:50
said, hey, we see the potential here.
50:53
We know what the price of Chicago land office is capable
50:56
of doing. Let's pair them up with let's
50:59
pair them up with Amy. So that was huge.
51:02
And I think she's a big part of the reason why I'm still open
51:05
today. Just having again having that
51:07
mind change. Anna, how would you characterize
51:10
your superpower? Go ahead, set the humility
51:16
aside. Oh, no, no, I don't know.
51:20
I think I would see one of one of my super.
51:27
No, my superpower would probably be taking accountability.
51:34
I am. I don't like to take blame.
51:37
I don't like to to push blame on others for my own mishaps.
51:43
I think that's something that I embrace is I, I am responsible
51:49
for my own actions, my own feelings.
51:52
And I would say that that's, that's one of my superpowers is
51:58
holding myself accountable and knowing when I'm wrong, I'm
52:02
wrong and and I need to learn from my mistakes and I need to
52:07
own up to my mistakes. And I am in charge of my own
52:11
happiness. There's nobody else that can
52:14
that can do that for me. I mean, is that, is that silly
52:17
that that's. Not at all.
52:18
I think it's beautiful. Yeah.
52:20
And brilliant. And in simplicity.
52:23
Are there any daily habits, rituals that either help to get
52:27
you started or keep you on track?
52:31
You know, I think one of the things that I do is just really,
52:36
I take time for myself. I, with me being a mom of, you
52:43
know, a 16 year old and a five year old, you know, and they're
52:47
in sports and, and trying to run a business at the same time and
52:51
being responsible for your team and your clients.
52:55
I think sometimes I spread myself too thin because I can't
52:59
say no and I'm OK with that. I, that's one of my love
53:05
languages, right? Is is helping people and making
53:10
sure that I'm available to people.
53:14
But genuinely, putting aside time for myself every day, you
53:20
know, at least one hour a day, just just me.
53:23
No kids, no work. What does that look like?
53:25
What do you do for fun? I binge watch Netflix.
53:31
What's a great show I need to check?
53:32
Out. Oh, you know, I really like Four
53:35
Seasons with Steve Carell. That was really good.
53:38
So I was, I just finished watching that.
53:42
All right, I, I've seen that one come up in my feed and I just
53:44
haven't given it a shot yet, so. But I again, I don't, you know,
53:48
it's one of those things like I don't have time for that.
53:50
But it's like, no, I want to make time for that.
53:52
I want to make time. For that's your thing, that's
53:54
that you that you just kind of unplugging, checking out, just
53:58
just a little self-care. Type, yeah, don't bother me.
54:01
Like, you know, whether it's before my kids wake up or after
54:05
they go to bed, it's like it's I'm unplugging.
54:08
I don't want to see my phone. I don't want to think about
54:11
pride staff again, even though I live, breathe and eat Pride
54:14
staff. You got to shift gears.
54:16
Yeah, you got to shift. Gears, if not it would consume
54:18
me. And I think when I was going
54:21
through my, my roughest point, it was consuming me and
54:26
everything that I did, every decision that I made, whether it
54:29
was personally or professionally, it was
54:31
surrounded around Pride staff. And again, we were, we were in a
54:37
really tough spot. And I just knew that for my own
54:42
mental health, I needed to take take time for myself as well.
54:47
That was not Pride staff related, not kids related.
54:51
It was Anna related and what made Anna happy.
54:56
So Anna, I've just got one more question for you.
54:58
Excuse me. Before I ask it, I want to do 2
55:00
things. First, I'm going to invite all
55:01
the listeners to go ahead and hit the follow button on your
55:04
favorite podcast app. We've had a really nice
55:06
conversation today with Anna Munoz from Pride Staff of
55:09
Chicagoland. And I want you to get more great
55:11
content, great interviews, great advice from business leaders
55:14
like we've had today. And I also want to let people
55:17
know the best way to get in touch with you or your office.
55:22
What would that be? Yeah, so if you wanted to reach
55:25
out to me, you can do so on my LinkedIn.
55:30
Anna Munoz is how you would find me.
55:33
They can reach out to, they can look on our website,
55:36
whichispridestaff.com/chicagoland WSW, but they can call us at
55:44
815-730-3760. Very good.
55:49
So last question for you, Anna, you and I are going to reconnect
55:53
in a year and you're going to be super happy.
55:55
You're going to be excited. You're celebrating a thing.
55:58
What's that thing? What are you excited about a
56:00
year from now? I might be oversharing here, but
56:06
my thing is to make President's circle this year, right?
56:12
So President's circle we have. What does that involve?
56:17
It's making over $1,000,000 in revenue or gross margin for the
56:22
year. That is what that looks like for
56:25
my office. We have we're, we're halfway
56:30
through our goal. We met our halfway point goal.
56:34
We are on track to exceed that. And I'm going to Hawaii if we if
56:41
we make president's circle. So when we connect a year from
56:45
now, I will have gone to Hawaii and I will be breaking another
56:51
record next year. I love it.
56:54
And so when you go to Hawaii, is this with the company or is this
56:58
you just that's the carrot for yourself that you're gonna.
57:01
Go so it's actually that's the it's a company thing.
57:04
So that is our that is our our you know, you make president's
57:08
circle. That's where we're going is
57:10
Hawaii and I get to bring my husband so.
57:14
I love it, can't wait to see the pictures.
57:15
Yeah. So that is our goal right now.
57:20
And like I said, we we're, we're halfway into the year and we
57:23
have met and exceeded our halfway goal and we are on track
57:30
to exceed our goal for 2025. Oh, good things in front of you.
57:36
I love it. Anna Munoz from Pride Staff
57:39
Chicagoland, I want to be the first to thank you for sharing
57:42
both your time and your story with us today.
57:44
I really appreciate. It thank you so much, Anthony.
57:46
I really appreciate it. Folks, that's a wrap on another
57:50
episode of the Inspired Stories podcast.
57:52
Thanks for learning with us today.