The Interview Podcast Series with Local Entrepreneurs in Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler, BC
We are back with In The HOT Seat, the interview podcast series with local entrepreneurs who share tips on business leadership, showcase their products and services and actively share what they are seeking from local providers in Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler, BC.
For the month of May we’ve had the chance to interview Tess Evans of HR Galaxy, a Whistler based HR Consulting firm that Tess founded at the end of 2014. During our interview we covered the business and then moved on to her insights into entrepreneurship. She has a couple of pretty unique ways of how she goes about planning her business so be prepared to learn something new. Finally she shares where she will invest over the next few months to help her grow her business. So if you are an entrepreneur looking for inspiration, HR support or an opportunity to fill Tess’s own need, then read on. To download the live podcast for free from the iTunes Store, click here.
History
A little about Tess. She lives with her husband and two young boys in Whistler, BC and loves it there. She has always been a working professional alongside raising a young family. Her background is in Human Resources where Tess has spent over 20 years in hospitality responsible for recruiting, training, motivating and managing teams in high pressure, high turn-around industry sectors. She has experienced first hand the difference that it makes to the business performance of a company when the human resources function is carefully managed and best practices are implemented. On the other hand she witnessed how companies would struggle with high staff turn over when HR was not considered an integral part of the business strategy.
Last year she had an epiphany. She wanted to take her skills and passion and bring the missing link to assist small to mid-size businesses establish and enhance their human resources platform for a seamless way to scale their operations. So here she is, 8 months into the new business and ready to share what HR Galaxy is bringing to the corridor.
Core Offering
HR Galaxy offers core services to small and medium size businesses that are either add-hoc, project based or ongoing with tailored support to fit with client’s needs and budgetary constraints. Tess’s specialities are:
- On-boarding services of new team members including job descriptions
- Systemization and process development
- Policies & procedures
- Support documentation such as employee handbooks including code of conduct, agreements and manuals
- Outsourced, retainer-based HR support
Target Markets & BenefitsTess can help any business that is employing or is looking to employ their first team member. Although her expertise is steeped in hospitality, restaurants and hotels, her business operation skills are easily transferable to any industry. The size of the company or project does not matter when defining the ideal client profile. Instead Tess is looking to work with businesses who recognize their needs for a solid Human Resources platform to better manage their workforce.
There are many measurable benefits for a company that integrates Human Resources into the core of their business. Tess’s services improve communication, productivity levels and staff motivation which in turn has a financially quantifiable impact on the business. The costs of hiring, training and then having to replace an employee are substantial and can cost a company up to $20,000 not including the loss of time and productivity. Disengaged employees or employees who struggle to operate at their best due to lack of direction and guidance are all cost factors that negatively impact business profits. Therefore Tess helps to onboard, train and manage employees to maximize a company’s investment into the growth of their team.
Sales channels
HR Galaxy is based out of Whistler, BC however Tess provides services to businesses in the Sea to Sky Corridor and Vancouver. The company website www.hrgalaxy.com offers more information on the services that Tess brings to small to medium size businesses. Here you will find her phone number and email address so don’t hesitate to get in touch. She is currently on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn so feel free to reach out to Tess and she’ll be happy to explore how her services can be tailored to suit your needs.
Accolades & News
Tess has been asked to speak and share her expertise at a variety of events and presentations. This requirement took her a little by surprise and has taken her business into a direction that she had not foreseen. Now she is diving into the world of public speaking which she describes as terrific and terrifying 🙂
Her next event is going to be held at the Whistler Library where Tess will be speaking for Whistler Community Services on June, 2nd 2015 from 7pm – 9pm. Get your ticket here!
About Being an Entrepreneur
The Love/ Hate Relationship
As a fairly new entrepreneur Tess is thrilled to have found the confidence to take the plunge and loves to help businesses become more effective in managing their workforce. She reveals that she sticks to a very structured working day. As a mom it allows her the flexibility to strive for a better balance and to be there for her boys when she needs to.
On the other hand there is a terrifying part to being an entrepreneur. It means stepping outside of her comfort zone getting out and building the business. While she is confident in her abilities and skills, having to convince others is a completely different kettle of fish. Without previous sales experience she finds business development the most challenging part of the business.
Most Enabling to Her Business
Tess has found that everyone has been incredibly encouraging and supportive of her new business endeavour. Others have made connections and opened doors for her. She says it is so gratifying and touching and simply amazing how people are helping her to meet the right contacts. She says it is an inherent nature of people to want to help those who are out there helping others.
Her Insider’s Tips to Entrepreneurial Success
Tess has three key messages here. Firstly her humility and sense of humour take her through feelings of overwhelm. She says:” Let’s be honest, not every day it’s all rose petals and unicorns.” And when one of those days comes about, she approaches it with humour as an incredibly healthy way to not take things too seriously.
Her second unique weapon can be found in her kitchen. This is where sometimes her business planning takes place. She remembers a time when she took one of her kitchen recipe cards that read ’Recipe for’ with a blank space that she filled with the word ‘Success’. With this she was able to break down fearfully big tasks and divided them into smaller steps that could be ticked off for a feeling of great progress.
Tess’s final piece of excellent advice to other entrepreneurs is good time management. She visited a course during her university years that really stuck with her. Today it comes in handy as she manages her time well sticking to a helpful structure that allows her to be very productive during her working hours. Great time management is what allows her to manage the balance of being a mompreneur working from home.
Her Areas of Success
Tess has managed the power of word-of-mouth very quickly and is thankful to everyone who has been making introductions that have led to her first paying clients. Her speaking has taken on it’s own dynamic and she is envisioning a speakers series to help bring her message to the masses and supporting small business in developing awareness about the critical need of human resources in their business growth plans.
HR Galaxy’s – Next Investment
Closing the loop on the cycle of business, Tess shares what she will be needing in the near future and where she will be spending money with other local professionals to help grow her business. Currently she is looking to find experts who can help develop her speaking platform. If you would like to contact Tess and discuss how your services may fill this need, please be encouraged to reach out to her today.
Her Final Thoughts
“To my supporters I want to say a big THANK YOU for being so encouraging and helpful. And to businesses in the corridor please let’s have a conversation. Feel free to contact me with anything Human Resources and recruitment related. I would like to hear your story and see where it takes us.”
Please join me in thanking Tess for sharing her story here with us today and in wishing her well in her business venture. Always remember – you are not alone!
Follow this link to listen to the live interview podcast free in the iTunes Store.
