New model finds the right talent on budget
By Curtis Scaplen
SeasonedPros.ca Insights Lab
I have been fortunate throughout my career to have worked across a wide variety of industries, with Fortune 500 companies, large multinationals, start-ups, scale-ups and continue to successfully manage my own business.
One common thread I’ve recognized is the importance of having the right people with the right skill set at the right time to facilitate growth and drive change.
This is why I was so excited when I started digging into my new venture with SeasonedPros.ca.
I was blown away by their model and was both surprised and optimistic that more organizations weren’t yet taking advantage of this concept.
An emergency line for talent
Think of SeasonedPros.ca as an emergency line directly to talent. Their database provides an extension of your team and a list of top free agents who are available to ramp up for your playoff run. These free agents are also the advisors and mentors you wish you had.
The model is simple yet beautiful: on-demand experienced talent (20+ years experience) ready to make an impact within days of being engaged. They provide speed and flexibility – two vital aspects for any organization going through growth or change.
Having literally been in a scenario with most of the businesses that we would engage with, I thought it would be interesting to share some examples of how this might work.
The start-up or early growth phase
You are a founder whose passion is unstoppable. You have developed a product, identified your target consumer base or niche and have even started to make significant revenue across multiple sales channels.
You may have had a successful pitch on Dragon’s Den or had some great investment from venture capitalists or angel investors.
However, there are some clear gaps you have identified, usually in one area of the business which is typically the stuff you don’t like doing or aren’t good at.
You need executive-level talent on a start-up budget
It might be that you lack the expertise in finance to guide smart decisions to protect your margin and manage your runway. Maybe you love business development but have no idea how to manage the back-end operations of the business.
You have $60-80k to spend in your budget. If you were to go through the traditional hiring process, it would take months and you will likely get someone fairly junior or fresh in their career for the money you are willing or able to spend.
Imagine hiring a fractional senior-level executive at the same cost, available immediately, and with the experience and expertise to hit the ground running. They have done it already in their career. The flexibility is extremely high and the risk is relatively low.
The scale-up or ramp-up phase
You are growing, either organically or through acquisition. In either case, things are not the same as they were – they are very different.
There may be more people to manage. You might have to blend two different cultures or even physical workspaces. You landed a huge new client and have to ramp up in a hurry and figure out everything from logistics to managing that account relationship.
In many cases, the first instinct is “we need to add bodies”, which might be the case. However, stop and think – what do I really need?
Think of bringing in a professional who has dealt with change throughout their career or a sales and marketing specialist who has gone through what you are about to do. You might only need support to get you over the hump or through the messy middle.
A project manager or fractional contracted employee might be all you need. The other beautiful thing about these folks is that they are not motivated by money, so your budget (within reason) isn’t the barrier for bringing in the right skills required to move to the next level.
The extension of your team – planning your resources
In many cases, businesses need to be flexible with resourcing. We have certainly seen this over the past few years with the pandemic. It takes a toll to be constantly going through hiring and layoffs.
Entrepreneurs and business owners have begun to think differently about how they hire and plan their resourcing. Beyond the core team, companies might plan three or four major projects throughout the year in which they will require additional resourcing.
Imagine a $100k-split amongst three leaders vs. making that one hire for a specialized role.
This is a perfect scenario where a fractional, project or interim professional can be added on demand. The scope of the projects is clear, the skill sets required are identified and reliable talent is at your fingertips.
Resource Planning is critical
One thing for certain is the future of work is changing. Flexible staffing and working conditions will be a competitive advantage and in many cases a survival mechanism for many entrepreneurs and organizations in the coming years.
I’m in your corner!
Curtis Scaplen is a strategic commercial leader, proud dad, mental health advocate, president of Action Consulting Group Limited and Business Development Leader with SeasonedPros.ca. SeasonedPros.ca is an on-demand business talent source. Clients with an immediate need for experienced talent trust us to source professionals for project, interim and part-time roles. Each professional in our national database has 20 + years of business experience. We provide our clients 2-4 four vetted professionals in 10 business days or less.