What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry?

Funny story: I was actually interviewing for a job that didn’t technically exist. An old boss had introduced me to a woman running her own recruitment firm and suggested that we meet because he thought she could benefit from having someone like me in her firm.
Halfway through, she asked why I wasn’t running my own company based on my skill set, and I didn’t have an answer for her. So she told me to take the weekend to think about it and then send her my thoughts for a follow up meeting the following Monday. I spent the weekend sketching out what I would do - and was a little surprised at how quickly the idea flowed - and her feedback was, “This is needed. I needed this a year ago when I was setting up my operations in Toronto and couldn’t find someone like you anywhere. Do it.”  From that day forward, I set out to build Waithe.

How did you overcome the biggest challenge you faced in building your business/advancing your career?

Balancing my work and personal lives was definitely the biggest challenge in year one. I made the classic SMB owner mistake: Working. All. The. Time. I was fortunate enough to receive referrals right out of the gate, but that meant I hit the ground running before the ink had even dried on my business plan. I quickly realized that it wasn’t realistic or productive to work at the pace I was working at.

I took some time to pivot and developed a series of best practices. I also decided that the “work/life balance” thing was a myth and I would leave that thinking behind. You have to have balance in both. My services allow my clients to have balance in their work life, which means work doesn’t bleed into their home lives. I like to say that if a small business owner has 24 hours in a day, I’m their 25th. I also balance out my work life so that I have time to enjoy life with my friends and family. I have more balance now being a one-woman show than I ever did working in a company. 

What is one key factor behind your company’s success?

I take inspiration from various and sometimes unexpected sources for my approach to work. One of my favourite examples to use when coaching clients is to use Prince as an example for process and workflow. He’s my favourite music artist, and one of the reasons his shows were always so well executed was that he rehearsed with his band constantly. They knew the ins and outs of every song on the playlist and even ones that weren’t. This meant that whenever he wanted to change direction midway through a show or even a song, they were ready and could switch it up so seamlessly that the audience didn’t even realize it. If you know how your company flows, you can change and adapt on the fly whenever you need to. 

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?

I’ve always found it easy to motivate myself to do something better than I did the last time.  I’m constantly looking for ways to improve. I’m excited by a job well done and I take great satisfaction in seeing a plan come together. I also plan and schedule backwards: start with the end goal and break down the tasks that I’ll need to do in order to reach that goal. Balance is also important. That lesson I learned about overworking in year one? Sure, you can grind 24/7 but you’re not giving your best and you’re not focused. Taking a step back allows you to see things more clearly and from a different perspective.

What advice would you give to young professionals starting out in their careers or entrepreneurial endeavors?

Nothing is written in stone. We are often told to have things like a five year “plan”, and I think we’ve all learned over the last five years how quickly things can change overnight. So you will need to be prepared for - and not be afraid of - changing. Make a five year roadmap instead, and  make sure to include alternate routes. Strategic and financial planning can run year to year and be a part of the bigger organization plan.