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AND WELCOME TO THE SCORE HOUSTON TV SERIES, THE ENTREPRENEUR'S JOURNEY WITH SCORE.THIS IS EPISODE 10, A HUMAN RESOURCES IN A STARTUP.
I AM PETER LINTON, ONE OF YOUR HOSTS FOR TODAY'S SESSION, AND A SCORE MENTOR WITH FOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND THE VICE PRESIDENT OF VOLUNTEER SERVICES.
FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS, SCORE HAS BEEN PROVIDING EXCELLENT SUPPORT TO SMALL BUSINESSES.
HOUSTON IS THE SECOND LARGEST CHAPTER IN THE US WITH OVER 150 MEMBERS.
WE ARE A RESOURCE PARTNER OF THE SBA SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, WHEREBY WE WERE OFFERING FREE BUSINESS ADVICE AND MENTORING, LOW OR NO COST BUSINESS TRAINING, AND A LARGE LIBRARY OF BUSINESS TEMPLATES AND WEBINARS.
NOW WE ARE PARTNERING WITH HOUSTON TELEVISION TO DEVELOP A SERIES WITH ACTUAL BUSINESS INSIGHTS.
EACH EPISODE OFFERS MANY TIPS AND GUIDELINES TO ELEVATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXCITING JOURNEY OF BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR.
TODAY WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AROUND HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE WORKPLACE.
OUR EXPERIENCE WITH SOME OF OUR CLIENTS IS THAT HR ISSUES ARE THE LAST ITEM THEY THINK OF.
SO TODAY WE WILL HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH A CLIENT RELATED TO WHAT THEY WISH THEY WOULD'VE DONE DIFFERENTLY EARLY IN THE PROCESS.
SO AFTER A BRIEF BREAK, WE'LL GET STARTED.
WELCOME BACK TO TODAY'S EPISODE OF ENTREPRENEUR'S JOURNEY TITLED HUMAN RESOURCES IN A STARTUP.
I'M PETER LINTON, A SCORE HOUSTON MENTOR, AND I'M JOINED BY MY CO-HOST, ANOTHER SCORE, HOUSTON MENTOR RICK WEBB.
THANKS PETER FOR THAT INTRODUCTION.
WE BOTH SPENT MUCH OF OUR CAREERS DEALING WITH HUMAN RESOURCES ISSUES, SO THIS IS A TOPIC THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS.
I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF THAT, I SPENT MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCES AND HAVE BEEN A SCORE MENTOR FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
I MET OUR CLIENT, FREEWAY LOGISTICS, WHO WAS WITH US TODAY IN LATE 2020 BECAUSE THEY NEEDED HELP IN THE HR AREA.
FREEWAY STARTED WORKING WITH SCORE IN THE SBA IN 2018 WHEN THEY EXPANDED THEIR OPERATIONS FROM PUERTO RICO BY OPENING A WAREHOUSE IN HOUSTON.
RECENTLY THEY WERE ALSO ANNOUNCED AS A 2025 SBA AWARDS WINNER AS REGION SIX EXPORTER OF THE YEAR.
AND CONGRATULATIONS SO MUCH ON THAT, GUYS.
WITH US TODAY ARE ELSIE AND STEVEN SIEGEL ELSIE'S, THE CEO AND LEADS WITH A FOCUS ON STRATEGIC GROWTH, CLIENT SERVICE, AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
STEVEN IS THE PRESIDENT AS A SECOND GENERATION WAREHOUSEMAN WHO GREW UP IN THE THIRD PARTY LOGISTICS WAREHOUSING AREA ARENA.
YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT ISSUES FREEWHEEL LOGISTICS ENCOUNTERED AND THE STEPS THEY MADE TO ADDRESS THEM AND WHAT THEY DID TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR HR PROCESSES.
SO FIRST, LET ME INTRODUCE OUR SPECIAL GUEST, EL AND STEVEN SIEGEL EL.
PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH A HISTORY OF FREE OIL LOGISTICS.
YES, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US, RICK AND PETER.
YEAH, SO STEVEN AND I ARE THE DYNAMIC DUO, BE BEHIND FREEWAY LOGISTICS.
WE ARE A WOMAN OWNED, FAMILY RUN, THIRD PARTY LOGISTICS COMPANY.
WE HAVE A LOCATION IN SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO.
AND OUR SECOND LOCATION, WE EXPANDED ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
WHAT WE DO IS WE BASICALLY MANAGE OTHER PEOPLE'S INVENTORY.
SO THAT IS SORT OF PICK AND PACK, UM, LIGHT ASSEMBLY STORAGE.
WE'RE ON THE WAREHOUSING PART OF THAT.
UM, WE CUSTOMIZE AND SCALE TO OUR CUSTOMER'S NEEDS SO THEY CAN CONCENTRATE ON THEIR BUSINESS WHILE WE DO ALL THE BEHIND THE SCENES WORK FOR THEM WITH THEIR INVENTORY.
SO LET'S START OFF WITH A DISCUSSION QUESTION.
HOW HAS SCORE HELPED FREEWAY LOGISTICS OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS? STEVEN, YOU WANNA START WITH THAT ONE? SURE, SURE.
UM, SO WHEN WE FIRST CAME TO HOUSTON, WE KNEW NOBODY AND WE HAD NO CONNECTIONS.
UM, I, I LOOKED UP SCORE, CALLED SCORE AND LITERALLY WITHIN TWO HOURS RECEIVED A PHONE CALL BACK, UM, WHICH WAS AMAZING.
UM, FOUR DAYS LATER, UM, I HAD THREE SCORE MENTORS, UM, WORKING WITH ME.
AND NOW SEVEN YEARS LATER, WE HAVE FIVE SCORE MENTORS, UM, THAT MEET WITH US DAILY EVERY WEDNESDAY WITH ONE WITH ONE ENTERING SOON.
WITH THE EXTRA ONE ENTERING SOON.
UM, IT'S BEEN ESSENTIAL TO OUR JOURNEY HERE IN HOUSTON, UM,
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NAVIGATING THROUGH THE OBSTACLES AND ISSUES, UM, WITH OUR BUSINESS AND BEING ABLE TO NOT ONLY JUST START UP, BUT TO SCALE WHERE WE ARE TODAY.UM, IT'S BEEN AMAZING AND IT'S JUST BEEN, UH, REALLY, UH, UM, VERY IMPACTFUL TO OUR BUSINESS.
WE WOULD NOT BE HERE IF IT WERE NOT FOR SCORE.
YEAH, I, I'LL ADD A LITTLE BIT TO THAT AS WELL.
UM, SCORE HAS BEEN VITAL TO US.
WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GET EXPERT ADVICE? THE NETWORK AND SCORE IS SO WIDE.
THERE'S, UM, EVERY, EVERY CAREER PERSON IS AVAILABLE TO US.
AND THROUGH OUR SCORE MENTORS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ABLE TO RESOURCE OTHER PEOPLE AS WE NEED THEM TO GROW OUR BUSINESS.
AND THIS IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, FOR FREE.
IT'S AMAZING AND WE'RE SO LUCKY THAT PEOPLE LIKE RICK AND YOURSELF, PETER, GIVE OF YOUR TIME TO HELP STARTING COMPANIES LIKE OURSELVES BE ABLE TO GROW AND LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THE BUSINESS WORLD.
SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT, ELSIE AND STEVEN, HOW DID YOU END UP EXPANDING THE BUSINESS FROM PUERTO RICO TO HOUSTON? SO THAT'S, THAT'S AN INTERESTING AND FUNNY STORY.
UM, BACK IN 2017, SEPTEMBER, 2017, UM, HURRICANE MARIA, CATEGORY FIVE RIPPED THROUGH THE ISLAND OF PUERTO RICO.
UM, IT WAS WHERE OUR FIRST MARKET, UH, UM, STARTED.
WE HAD TWO KIDS IN COLLEGE, ACTUALLY WERE EMPTY NESTERS THAT YEAR.
SO WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT REALLY FAST HOW WE WERE GOING TO KEEP OUR DOORS OPEN AND MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR BUSINESS.
UM, AT THAT TIME WE HAD A CUSTOMER OF OURS, WHICH WE CALL OUR FREEWAY FANS, UM, WHO HAD ASKED US TO, UM, OPEN UP A, TO SERVICE THEM HERE IN HOUSTON A COUPLE OF YEARS PRIOR TO 2017.
WE WEREN'T READY FOR THAT, AND IT WAS JUST ONE CUSTOMER.
SO THAT WOULD'VE MEANT A LOT OF, UM, WORK FOR US MOVING FORWARD.
SO WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING AFTER THE HURRICANE, WE SAY, HEY, THIS MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY.
LET'S GO BACK TO THAT CUSTOMER.
LET'S SEE WHERE WE ARE WITH THEM.
AND IF THIS IS A POSSIBILITY FOR US, IT WAS, WE STARTED WITH A 32,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY AND, UM, TODAY WE'RE IN PRACTICALLY A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT FACILITY.
SO THAT, THAT WAS A LOT OF GROWTH.
WE'VE ALWAYS WANTED THE, UM, WE WANTED TO GROW OUR BUSINESS AND, UM, WE JUST STAYED STAGNANT FOR A WHILE, BUT THIS WAS THE LEVERAGE WE NEEDED, UM, TO FINALLY SAY, OKAY, LET'S DO THIS.
LET'S NOT HAVE ALL OF OUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET.
AND WE WANTED TO SCALE AND THAT WAS THE OPPORTUNITY AND WE TOOK A CHANCE.
SO, STEVEN, CAN YOU TALK TO US AND THE, OUR AUDIENCE, THE CONCEPT OF FOUNDERS SYNDROME AND IN YOUR BUSINESS AND WHAT DOES THIS TEAM, UH, WHAT DOES THIS TERM MEAN FOR YOU? WOW.
SO FOR ME, UM, IT'S A NEW TERM THAT I JUST HEARD, AND WHAT IT MEANS IS IT'S THE INABILITY TO LET GO.
UM, STARTING OUR BUSINESS FROM SCRATCH.
AS OWNERS AND FOUNDERS, WE'VE WOR WE WEAR MANY HATS AND, AND WE DID EVERYTHING WE THAT WAS NEEDED TO BE DONE IN THE BUSINESS.
AND OBVIOUSLY, UH, DEPENDED ON OURSELVES TO GET THE RESULTS.
UM, AS WE STARTED TO GROW AND SCALE, I FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DO SO AS WE GREW.
SO I NEEDED TO START TO RELY AND TRUST IN PEOPLE, UM, AS WE GROW, AS WE GREW.
ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE LEARNED THOUGH DURING THAT PROCESS, PETER, IS THAT, UM, WE NEED TO ALLOW OUR PEOPLE TO FAIL.
AS LONG AS WE CAN LEARN FROM THOSE FAILURES, THERE IS SUCCESS.
THAT'S BEEN HARD FOR ME, UM, BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN FOCUSED ON ME DOING IT AND DOING IT MY WAY.
AND, AND YEAH, I'D LIKE TO ADD ON A LITTLE BIT TO THAT AS WELL.
UM, THAT HAVING THAT FOUNDER SYNDROME FOR US, LIKE STEVEN SAID, WEARING ALL THOSE HATS, LETTING GO OF SOME OF THOSE HATS TO OTHER PEOPLE, THAT FOR US WAS VERY, UM, CHALLENGING BECAUSE WE, IT, IT HAS TO BE OUR WAY AND NOBODY WAS EVER GOOD ENOUGH.
THEY MET US WHERE WE WERE AT AT THAT TIME.
AND HELPING US CHANGE THAT MINDSET AND TEACHING US AND, AND KIND OF GUIDING US REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE SUFFER FROM.
AND GIVING US THE TOOLS TO GET OUT OF THAT.
YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY, WHICH IS THE WHOLE HR YEP.
PART HOW WELL THAT HELPED US OUT.
EL CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU SAID ABOUT SCORE HELPED YOU CHANGE YOUR MINDSET.
SO CAN YOU GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL OF WHAT DID THAT, WHAT DID THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? WELL, WE, AS, AS NEW BUSINESS OWNERS,
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I DIDN'T HAVE THE IDEA OF WHAT IT, WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE TO LET GO, TO HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE MAYBE, YOU KNOW, DO THE ACCOUNTING FOR US OR TO GO AHEAD AND, YOU KNOW, DO THE HR FOR US, THE HIRING, OR TO GO AND DO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT.UM, WE, I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MY HANDS IN ALL THOSE COOKIE JARS AND MICROMANAGE, THAT'S THE WORD WE WANNA AVOID.
AND FOUNDER SYNDROME, IT'S LIKE MICROMANAGE EVERYTHING.
SO IN THAT, UM, IN THAT SPACE, WHEN WE GOT TOGETHER FOR OUR WEEKLY MEETINGS WITH RICK HERE ON WEDNESDAYS AT 10 O'CLOCK
UH, 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A LIFE EITHER.
I MEAN, HONESTLY, TWO BUSINESSES IN TWO DIFFERENT MARKETS TAKING PLANES BACK AND FORTH.
UM, MOST OF OUR COMPLAINTS WERE LIKE, OH MY GOD, I'M TIRED.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? HOW ARE WE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD? AND THAT'S WHERE WITH OUR MEETINGS, WITH OUR SCORE MENTORS, WE LEARNED HOW TO CHANGE THAT WHOLE PERSPECTIVE AND UNDERSTAND, LET GO, LET OTHER PEOPLE DO IT.
EVEN PUTTING TOGETHER A ORG CHART.
YOU KNOW, AND PUTTING PEOPLE IN THOSE POSITIONS, UM, AND THEN HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
THAT WAS THE CHANGE OF MINDSET FOR US.
YOU GUYS, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A SHORT BREAK NOW AND COME BACK TO SOME OF THOSE HIRING ISSUES THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT YOU ENCOUNTERED WITH FREE RAIL LOGISTICS.
WE'VE BEEN INTRODUCED TO ELSIE AND STEVEN AND THEY'VE PROVIDED US WITH THE HISTORY OF FREEWAY LOGISTICS AND HOW THE COMPANY BEGAN ITS OPERATIONS IN PUERTO RICO AND THEN EXPANDING TO HOUSTON.
WE WERE ALSO INTRODUCED BY STEVEN TO THE FOUNDER SYNDROME AND THE PITFALLS THEY ENCOUNTERED.
SO WE'RE GONNA START OFF THIS SEGMENT AND TALK ABOUT THE HIRING ISSUES THEY HAVE ENCOUNTERED.
SO PLEASE TELL OUR AUDIENCE HOW SCORES HELPED YOU IN THE HIRING PROCESS OF YOUR GENERAL MANAGER IN PUERTO RICO.
HONESTLY, THAT PROBABLY, UH, LOOKING BACK WAS, UM, ONE OF THE FIRST VALUABLE MOMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PO THERE HAVE BEEN MANY, BUT, UM, HAVING TWO MARKETS IN PUERTO RICO AND IN HOUSTON GOING BACK AND FORTH, WE NEEDED TO GET SOMEBODY IN PUERTO RICO WHILE WE BUILT UP HOUSTON.
AND, UM, AND THAT WAS A REAL CHALLENGE FOR US BECAUSE THAT, THAT MEANT WE HAD TO LET GO LEADERSHIP ON THE ISLAND.
SO WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO HIRE SOMEBODY LIKE THIS? THIS IS WHEN WE WENT TO OUR SCORE MENTORS.
AND AT THAT POINT WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
WE TALK ABOUT AGREEMENTS WITH THE RECRUITING AGENCIES.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, WHAT ARE THE MARKUPS FOR RECRUITING AGENCIES? WHAT IS THE CONTRACT THAT WE DO WITH A GENERAL MANAGER? UM, WHAT IS, UH, WE BASICALLY COVERED ALL THE ASPECTS AND WE WENT AS FAR AND RICK BEING OUR HR PERSON AS DOING THE INTERVIEWS.
WE DID VARIOUS, THE FIRST ONE WAS WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER, UM, THAT WE WERE HIRING FOR PUERTO RICO.
AND, UM, RICK WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SIT IN ON A FEW OF THOSE INTERVIEWS.
'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE.
WE WERE JUST, YOU KNOW, WE WERE INVOLVED IN GROWING THE BUSINESS, NOT HAVING TO DO ALL THESE OTHER THINGS.
SO YEAH, SCORE WAS VERY VALUABLE FOR US.
IT WAS, IT WAS FROM, YOU KNOW, PUTTING TOGETHER THE, UM, THE AGREEMENT HAVING A 30, 60, 90 IN PLACE.
UH, RICK TAUGHT US ABOUT, UH, UM, A NON-COMPETE, HAVING THEM SIGN AN NON-COMPETE CLAUSE.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW, UM, OR DIDN'T KNOW WE CAN DO OR EXECUTE.
SO, UH, IT WAS ESSENTIAL, YOU KNOW, AND YEAH.
AND THE, THE KEY FOR AT LEAST FOR ME, WAS THE FOLLOW UP, WHICH I LAXED YOU'LL HEAR LATER.
AND, UH, AGAIN, RICK HAS BEEN KEY TO OUR SUCCESS.
SO HOW DID THAT HIRE WORK OUT FOR YOU? WHAT DID YOU DO
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UH, BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO FOLLOW THROUGH LIKE, UM, OR DIDN'T KNOW REALLY HOW TO OR WITH SOMEBODY LIKE THAT AND LET GO.UM, YOU KNOW, TO OUR DEFENSE ALSO, THE PERSON THAT WE HAD HIRED AT THAT TIME WASN'T READY TO, TO HANDLE ALL OF THAT.
AND YOU REMEMBER, UM, THAT LED, LED US TO LEGAL ISSUES AT THE END, WHICH SCORE WAS VERY, VERY HELPFUL AS WELL IN NAVIGATING, WE HAVE LAWYERS TOO, THOSE WATERS.
SO IT'S LIKE FROM A TO Z BASICALLY, UM, FOR THAT WHOLE PROCESS, WE'VE GOTTEN MUCH BETTER SINCE THEN, RIGHT? MM-HMM
RIGHT? I THINK YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE
I THINK THE IDEA THAT, UM, AND I'M LEARNING THIS NOW AS A LEADERS, THE HAVING THE ABILITY OR KNOWING THAT YOU NEED TO CONFRONT ISSUES HEAD ON YEAH.
AND NOT LET 'EM LINGER BECAUSE IT JUST DEVELOPS INTO A DISEASE BASICALLY.
SO I'M AWARE FROM OUR DISCUSSIONS EARLIER YEAH.
THAT YOU PROMOTED AN INTERNAL CANDIDATE TO A MANAGERIAL POSITION AND THERE WERE SOME PITFALLS WITH THAT.
DO YOU WANNA SHED SOME LIGHT ON THAT? SURE.
UM, I REALLY DON'T, BUT
I, I'LL TAKE YOU BACK A LITTLE BIT.
RIGHT AFTER COVID OUR, OUR BUSINESS, WHICH WAS GREAT, UH, STARTED TO EXPLODE, UM, COULDN'T FIND ENOUGH SPACE TO HANDLE ALL THE INVENTORY THAT WE WERE RECEIVING.
AND WE HAD AN E UM, WE HAD AN OPERATIONS MANAGER AT THE TIME, UM, THAT I WANTED TO PUSH INTO THAT POSITION.
AND IT WAS LIKE PUSHING A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE.
I REALIZED AFTERWARDS THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE THE SKILLSET, HE WASN'T READY, AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO DEVELOP OR EDUCATE HIM FOR THAT POSITION.
SO IT TURNED OUT TO BE VERY, UH, A BAD DECISION, UH, ON MY BEHALF.
UM, MY GUT TOLD ME HE WASN'T READY.
MY PARTNER TOLD ME HE WASN'T READY.
AND IN DOING SO, PETER, I I, I FAILED AS A LEADER.
I FAILED HIM AND I ALSO FAILED OUR ORGANIZATION.
DID HE BELIEVE THAT HE WAS READY? HE DID.
UM, HE DID BELIEVE HE WAS READY, BUT HE JUST, UH, BUT HE WASN'T.
HE DIDN'T OWN HIS STUFF, BUT, AND WHERE WE FAILED, UM, WAS IN NOT HAVING THE TOOLS FOR HIM TO DEVELOP HIM.
AND, AND REALLY WHEN WE RECRUITED THIS PERSON, WE DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD TO, UM, GIVE SO MUCH TIME TO THAT POSITION.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE LEARNING NOW.
THEY NEED TO MEET US WHERE WE'RE AT.
WE, AND BECAUSE WE KNOW, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT TIME, THE TIME TO DEVELOP RIGHT.
BUT THEY NEED TO BE, UM, HEARD, THEY NEED TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED.
AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH WHICH, WHICH WE ARE WITH LEADERSHIP, UM, PROGRAMS. YES.
SO WHAT ROLE DOES COMPANY CULTURE PLAY IN ALL OF THIS? HOW THAT HELPS YOU GO AT IT? SO YEAH.
SO WHEN, WHEN CHOOSING LEADERS, UH, COM OWNERS SET THE, THE, THE SPACE FOR COMPANY CULTURE, OF COURSE, THE WAY WE ARE IS HOW THE COMPANY WILL REACT, WILL FOLLOW.
AND SO WHEN WE PUT A PERSON, UM, LIKE THIS ONE THAT STEVEN WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT WAS AN UNQUALIFIED LEADER, ALL THE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS, THEY KNOW THEY DON'T WANNA BE LED BY SOMEBODY WHO, WHO DOESN'T KNOW THAT THAT'S WOR THAT'S TERRIBLE.
AND SO WE LOOK LIKE THEY DON'T CARE.
THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT TAKING, THEY'RE NOT MINDING THE SHOP.
SO COMPANY CULTURE FALLS APART.
THIS HAPPENED ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO.
WE'RE STILL PICKING UP THE PIECES TODAY.
HOW WE FIGURE, HOW WE BROUGHT THAT TOGETHER WAS WE HIRED FINALLY AN HR PERSON IN OUR COMPANY TO HELP US WITH THAT.
ULTIMATELY, THAT DECISION AFFECTED OUR CULTURE, AND THAT'S REALLY WORKED OUT QUITE WELL.
THAT'S GREAT INFORMATION FOR, UH, WHAT Y'ALL SHARED WITH US AROUND THE HIRING AND THE COMPANY CULTURE AND EVERYTHING.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE A SHORT BREAK NOW, AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK A AFTER THAT FOR AROUND, UH, FOR THE THIRD SECTION.
WHAT DO HOUSTON'S BEST COFFEE EXPERTS, SUSHI CHEFS, BAKERS AND BREWERS HAVE IN COMMON? YOU CAN FIND THEM ALL IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON.
THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO TASTE WHEN YOU JOIN US DOWNTOWN.
VISIT DOWNTOWN HOUSTON.ORG TO FIND YOUR NEXT DELICIOUS ADVENTURE.
WE'VE LISTENED TO THE PITFALLS ELSIE AND STEVEN HAVE ENCOUNTERED AS THEY BUILT UP FREEWAY LOGISTICS FROM STARTING THE COMPANY IN PUERTO RICO TO BEGINNING OPERATIONS IN HOUSTON.
WE'VE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
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TO LEARN ABOUT FOUNDER SYNDROME AND THE PITFALLS IT CAN HAVE ON OWNERS OF A NEW BUSINESS AND THE ISSUES THEY ENCOUNTERED WITH THE HIRING PROCESS.NOW LET'S HAVE A DISCUSSION ON LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH THE YEARS.
ELSIE, WHAT ARE THE TWO TO THREE KEY LEARNINGS YOU'VE IDENTIFIED DURING THIS JOURNEY THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR AUDIENCE? SO I, I'LL START WITH, UM, OUR, OUR BUSINESS IS ALL ABOUT SERVICE.
AND PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF THAT.
AND TREATING YOUR PEOPLE ON THE INSIDE WELL IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, GETS FELT BY OUR CUSTOMERS.
IT, IT KIND OF, IT'S THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.
AND SO, UM, DURING THIS WHOLE PROCESS THAT WE'VE GONE, ESPECIALLY NOW WITH THE TWO MARKETS BACK AND FORTH, WE'RE INVESTING MORE.
I HAD SAID BEFORE AT THE END OF OUR LAST SEGMENT HOW HR HAS BECOME A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THAT.
UM, AND BEING ABLE TO, UH, DEVELOP DIFFERENT PROGRAMS WITH HR, STAY ABREAST OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR, UM, EMPLOYEES, TRAIN THEM, DEVELOP THEM, HAVE PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES IN PLACE.
THAT'S ONE OF MY BIGGEST LEARNINGS RIGHT NOW IS TO KEEP THE CULTURE, UM, THAT WE HAD AS A SMALL COMPANY, AS WE GROW INTO THE LARGER COMPANY THAT WE WANNA BE.
AND EVEN KEEPING UP SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU DID THAT I'VE HEARD YOU DO IN PUERTO RICO, YOU ALSO DO THEM HERE IN HOUSTON WHEN YOU HAVE THE, THE DIFFERENT DAYS OF CELEBRATING AND THANKING THEM FOR, YOU KNOW, SOME OF, A LOT OF PIZZA YOU DO.
THERE'S ABSOLUTELY, WE CELEBRATE IT.
WE WE'RE IN THE, UH, THE ERA WHERE WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT, UM, OUR NEW WORK GROUP, WHICH ARE THE MANEL, THE MILLENNIALS, THEY WORK A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY FROM OUR GENERATION X PEOPLE.
AND SO WE ARE LEARNING THAT IT'S GOTTA BE A FUN ENVIRONMENT AND, AND WE LIKE HAVING FUN AT WORK.
WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN AND, AND WE DO, UH, BUT WE GET PRODUCTIVE AS WELL.
AND SO WITHIN THAT FUN, WE DEVELOP, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A TEAMS CHAT WHERE EVERYBODY GETS TO PLUG IN SOMETHING SPECIAL E EITHER BIRTHDAYS OR AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, OR THEY FINISH THE PROJECT AND THEY WANNA, UM, SHARE IT WITH EVERYBODY.
AND SO BOTH MARKETS JUMP INTO THAT TEAMS AND WE BOTH KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GIVE OUR FEEDBACK TO THAT PERSON.
AND SO NOW THEY, THEY'RE SEEING, THEY'RE HEARD AND THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHAT THEY DID, AND THAT GETS MULTIPLIED.
AND THAT AND THAT, UM, CULTURE THAT YOUR EMPLOYEES SEEING HOW YOU OPERATE.
REMEMBER THE EXAMPLE WITH THE MANAGER AND IT'S LIKE, BAD MANAGER, NOT A GOOD FIT.
THAT'S, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD.
SO STEVEN, WHAT ARE YOUR KEY LEARNINGS FROM, FROM THIS? UM, GREAT QUESTION.
I'M GLAD I'M ON THIS SIDE OF YOU GUYS BECAUSE, WELL, I'VE CHANGED MY MIND OVER THE YEARS, BUT I REALLY NEVER, UH, PUT MUCH VALUE IN HR OR HR DEPARTMENT.
UM, ESPECIALLY AS WE WERE SMALL AND GROWING.
AND I THINK IT WAS ELSIE HAS ALWAYS WANTED AN HR PERSON.
AND, AND THANKS TO RICK, WE HAVE ONE NOW, UM, FOR ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS.
THE RESULTS, YOU KNOW, OUR CULTURE, OUR PEOPLE, UM, CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS AS ELSIE HAD STATED.
UM, IT'S JUST EVERYBODY'S HAPPIER.
UM, SO OUR CULTURE'S BACK, THINGS ARE, UH, RUNNING VERY WELL AND, AND THEY'RE DOING, SHE'S DOING RECRUITING, WHICH IS KEEPING THAT PIPELINE FILLED WITH GOOD TALENT COMING IN.
ANOTHER KEY TAKEAWAY FOR ME, AND IT'S BEEN UM, A LEARNING EXPERIENCE IS, UM, TO GET RID OF, AND I KNOW THAT SOUNDS HARSH, BUT TO RELEASE IS A BETTER WORD, THE B PLAYERS QUICKER.
I HAVE A TENDENCY TO HOLD ONTO PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD FIT OR NOT PRODUCTIVE.
AND USUALLY IT'S NOT ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY.
UM, THERE'S PEOPLE THAT DO HAVE THE SKILL SETS AND THE TALENT, BUT THEY'RE JUST NOT A GOOD FIT FOR OUR CULTURE.
AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US BECAUSE AS MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, HAPPY PEOPLE CREATE HAPPY CUSTOMERS.
JUST TO ADD FROM THAT, AND I'M SURE RICK HAS THE EXPERIENCE TOO, YOUR EMPLOYEES KNOW THAT BAD PERFORMER OR THE PERSON THAT'S NOT CARRYING THEIR WEIGHT, THEY KNOW IT AND THEN THEY LOOK AT YOU TWO AND GO, WHEN IS THIS PERSON LEAVING? WELL, YOU KNOW, TO THAT, TO THAT POINT, UM, WE HAD SOMEBODY IN A POSITION OF LEADERSHIP AND IT COST US THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
AND THEY LEFT OUR COMPANY, THEY LEFT MM-HMM
AND WE FOUND OUT, YOU KNOW, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO SAVE THEM 'CAUSE IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE.
AND THAT, THAT, THAT'S A WAKE UP CALL FOR US.
THE OTHER THING IS, LIKE STEVEN HAD
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MENTIONED BEFORE, WHEN YOU HANG ON TO THOSE EMPLOYEES TOO LONG, THAT'S COSTING YOU, THE LONGER YOU HANG ON TO AN EMPLOYEE WHO DOES NOT FIT.THE MORE IT'S GOING TO COST YOU.
AND THE OTHER THING IS THAT PEOPLE LIKE STRUCTURE.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, HAVING AN HR PART, DEPARTMENT OR PERSON IN, IN OUR ORGANIZATION HAS HELPED PEOPLE LIKE THE STRUCTURE.
SO IT'S BEEN, UH, IT'S BEEN AN ESSENTIAL.
SO ELSIE, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS A KEY ADVANTAGE OF SCORE DURING THE MENTOR PROCESS FOR Y'ALL? UM, HONESTLY, WHAT SCORE HAS BROUGHT TO US, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE ERA WHERE YOU CAN GET ANYTHING YOU WANT ON THE INTERNET, ANY INFORMATION, WHATEVER YOU WANT, AI WILL DO IT FOR YOU.
WHAT SCORE DOES FOR US, IT'S, IT'S IN PERSON LIVE 3D FULL COLOR.
I CAN GO, I CAN, I'LL EMAIL RICK.
I, I HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE TO COME AND JOIN ME FOR AN INTERVIEW WHEN I'M UNSURE WHAT TO DO.
YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU DON'T GET THAT OFF OF AI AND YOU DON'T GET THAT OFF OF GOOGLE.
IT'S, IT'S LIKE A, YOU KNOW, ONE DIMENSIONAL VERSUS THREE DIMENSIONAL.
IT'S, I THINK AT THE IMPACT IT'S, IT'S GIVEN US.
THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS THAT THE OTHER DAY WE WANTED A INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER.
TO HELP US WITH PRICING, THE NETWORKING.
I THINK IT WAS RICK MADE A PHONE CALL.
AND, UM, NEXT WEEK WE HAVE AN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER MEETING WITH US AND THAT WILL JOIN OUR SCORE TEAM.
I MEAN, WHAT NETWORK? IT'S, IT'S AN AMAZING NETWORK.
THERE'S FIELD PEOPLE FROM ALL CAREERS AND FIELDS AND YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU TALK TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND SCORE.
AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW, HERE WE HAVE AN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS, AN EXPENSIVE PERSON TO, TO HAVE COME IN AND CONSULT WITH US AT THIS POINT OF OUR BUSINESS.
SO WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON FOR FREEWAY LOGISTICS? WELL, WE, WE CAME TO HOUSTON AND WE GREW, UM, FROM 30,000 SQUARE FEET TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FEET.
WE'D LIKE TO EXPAND OUR FOOTPRINT HERE IN HOUSTON AND, AND OTHER MARKETS GOING FORWARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I WANT TO BE, UH, OR I WANT FREEWAY LOGISTICS TO BE THE BEST POSSIBLE PROVIDER IT COULD BE IN SERVICING OUR CUSTOMERS AND BEING EXCEPTIONAL, UM, WITH, WITH THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE.
AND WE LOVE BUILDING A TEAM AND, AND HAVING PEOPLE, UH, COME AND WORK FOR US AND, AND HAVE FUN AT THAT.
NELSON, HOW ABOUT FOR YOU? I AGREE WITH STEVEN.
I THINK FOR US IT'S ABOUT GROWING, GROWING SMARTLY ALONGSIDE SCORE, HOPEFULLY FOR, UNLESS THEY FIRE US
BUT, BUT WE HAVE HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP OR GROWING SMART WITH SCORE.
WE'RE, WE'RE LEARNING HOW TO BE, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST DEVELOPING YOUR TEAM, IT'S DEVELOPING US AS WELL AS ENTREPRENEURS AND SCORES THAT, THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE ONES TRAINING US IN THAT AREA AND GIVING US THE TOOLS TO BE ALL WE CAN BE IN, IN THE FIELD THAT WE'RE IN IN OUR INDUSTRY.
SCORE IS HELPING US TO GO FROM A SMALL BUSINESS TO A MIDSIZE BUSINESS, WHICH IS WHERE WE WANT TO GO.
I, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT WE'RE ALSO VERY, VERY FORTUNATE AND LUCKY TO HAVE WON THE PRIZE.
FOR THE SBA EXPORTER WAS SURPRISE.
BUT THE SBA AWARD, UH, EXPORTER AWARD OF THE YEAR, WE'RE HONORED TO BE, UH, PART OF THAT, THAT LINEAGE OF PERSONS, PART OF THE SBA AND SCORE THAT HAVE REACHED THAT.
I'D LIKE TO THANK LC, YOU AND STEVEN FOR JOINING US TODAY FOR THIS PANEL DISCUSSION.
I WANNA, AGAIN, RECOGNIZE YOU ALL AS YOU JUST DID FOR, UH, YOUR RECENT WIN, UH, FROM THE SBA FOR BEING EXPORTER OF THE YEAR.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN REQUESTING A MENTOR FROM SCORE, GO, GO TO SCORE.ORG/HOUSTON AND REQUEST A MENTOR, COMPLETE A BRIEF INTAKE FORM AND CLICK ON SUBMIT.
AND A MENTOR WILL BE ASSIGNED TO YOU AND YOU'LL BE CONTACTED WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS.
I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THIS EPISODE OF HTV, OF, OF THE ENTREPRENEUR'S JOURNEY, UH, AND THE IMPACT OF SMALL BUSINESS WITH HUMAN RESOURCES.