Navigating the entrepreneurial journey is a thrilling yet challenging endeavour. In this Entrepreneur Story interview, we sit down with Lauren Lewis, co-founder of StaffBuffalo, to glean insights from her experience as an entrepreneur.
What are three things every entrepreneur should know?
One of the first things I think you should know is you have to have your mindset on your goal, but also not just your immediate goal, the long-term goal. I think having a long-term view and a long-term picture about your business and where you want to see it go kind of helps you get through the tougher days.
The second thing is you need to have some grit. You need to be able to stay focused, take risks, and learn how to use your network and people around you who may be smarter than you to help you continue driving forward. And the third thing is just to have fun. If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you definitely need to have fun.
What problem does your business solve, and who are its customers?
StaffBuffalo is a recruiting organization that initially started with direct hire recruiting for professional-level jobs. As we navigated working with clients, we realized the need for a more customized approach. Organizations have different hiring needs, varying from having a well-established hiring strategy to having no process in place. Our primary focus is helping organizations navigate their hiring strategies and needs, ensuring they attract the right people. We work with small to medium-sized businesses, catering to business owners, presidents, or human resources personnel as our direct decision-makers.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
My background was in pharmaceutical sales, and the inspiration to become an entrepreneur came when I met my cousin, who is now my business partner, at Starbucks. We both shared a desire to start a business and brainstormed various ideas. Eventually, we founded StaffBuffalo, which has grown over the past almost nine years to include talent acquisition and human resources services. I’ve always admired those who started their own businesses and wanted to work for myself.
Knowing what you know now, how would you have spent a million dollars when you first started your business?
I would have spent it building out our team from the start and allocating funds for a more robust marketing budget. Building a team early on would have allowed us to handle various tasks more efficiently, and investing in professional marketing support would have accelerated our growth and branding.
What is your proudest accomplishment as an entrepreneur?
Adapting our business during the pandemic and adding different service models to meet the evolving needs of our clients. Whether it’s direct hire recruiting, talent acquisition, or human resources consulting, being able to provide tailored solutions and value to our clients has been a significant achievement.
What big goals are you looking to achieve?
We aim to continue growing and scaling our business. On the recruiting side, we want to reach out to more companies and make them realize the potential improvement in their hiring processes through our unique approach. Simultaneously, on the human resources side, we plan to navigate the growth and meet the increasing demand for HR support among our clients.
Embarking on an entrepreneurial journey requires a combination of mindset, resilience, and the ability to adapt to change. Lauren Lewis shares valuable insights from her experience, emphasizing the importance of long-term goals, having grit, finding joy in the journey, and continuously evolving to meet the needs of clients. As she looks ahead, the focus remains on growth, scalability, and making a positive impact on the hiring processes of organizations.
Looking to divulge your own entrepreneur story? We’d love to hear and share it here! Contact us today to uncover your own inspirations, triumphs, and learnings.
