Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: We are based in Chicago but work across the country and around the globe. We provide recruiting research and candidate development services for talent acquisition departments at Fortune 500 companies, executive search firms, and beyond.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in both Political Science and Theatre & Drama, I moved to Chicago and discovered the world of executive search. I was hired to head research efforts at a boutique executive search firm and soon after was recruited away to join Heidrick & Struggles, one of the largest and most prestigious executive search firms in the world. It was there where I decided to launch Corporate Navigators – a recruiting research firm.
Q 3. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: I saw that we could carve out a unique niche in the recruiting research world; one focused on quality, accuracy, speed, and client service. Many other firms offering these services at this time were more interested in “running up the hours” so they can send that invoice than in building client relationships and partnerships. We also knew that turnaround time for results was key, and devised a way to provide results to our clients in two business days compared to our competitors whose turnaround time was more like two weeks on average.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Nothing happens overnight – be patient and put in the time. If your product or service is of value, it will find a customer base.
2. Do good work today – clients only remember the most recent work performed. Don’t rest on your laurels.
3. Rethink what you do and how you do it. Ask questions like ‘Are we doing it this way because it is the best way or just because it is the way it has always been done?’.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: 1. Flexibility
2. Self-Starter
3. Diplomatic
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: 8-10 hours
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Aggressive marketing efforts combined with consistently good work. As well as “owning it” when the work wasn’t as good as it should have been.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Lots of cold calls into corporate recruiting departments, with regular follow-up via email and LinkedIn. This is paired with quarterly e-newsletters and a solid online presence with our website and social media.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: N/A – Our overhead is fairly low for the most part, as we don’t need excessive equipment or materials to provide our services.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Keep your doors open, even if that means pairing back your team and expenses. Grow organically and gradually, but don’t be afraid to invest in the business and take calculated risks.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: Continuing to provide our core service offerings at the same level of quality, detail, and accuracy, while finding new and inventive ways to partner with our clients. Expand our research services into an interactive digital platform.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: Starbucks – for their charitable and community based efforts.
Google – for their constant innovation and their corporate mantra of “Don’t be Evil”
Company Detail:
Company : Corporate Navigators, LLC
Contact : Mitch Golob
Address : 1929 W. Belmont Avenue, Suite 1
City : Chicago
State : IL
Zip : 60657
Phone : 312-751-2100
Email : info@corpnav.com