May 25, 2020
Jennifer Menard’s life has been about reinvention, regardless of
her circumstance. She openly shares her life story growing up in a
broken home but perseveres to become a successful entrepreneur. She
found her path through a mentor who employed her and then
subsequently encouraged her to buy the business she helped
build. She rebrands, brings in a partner and Staff Shop is now staffing events
across North America and even the Caribbean. Her business is guided
by purpose and all is promising until COVID-19 cancels every
event.
Listen to how Jennifer responds by pivoting her business, earning
the admiration and advice from Stephen
Shaw who has produced for the Rolling Stones and Oprah Winfrey;
Joe Jackman
who has helped some of the worlds largest brands pivot and Kiruba Sankar,
Global Leader, Global Procurement - Corporate Social
Responsibility, RBC.
Small Business Matters series, presented by RBC.
A troubled
start (01:04)
Jennifer shares her story growing up in a troubled home. The chaos
and trauma impacted her personally but by surrounding herself with
the right people and the right resources, she managed to survive.
Leaving home in northern Ontario at 18, Jennifer moves to Toronto,
lands a job at MLSE and begins
to rebuild her life.
From strength
to strength (03:51)
Two years later Jennifer connects with Geoff Bagg and
joins his company, The Bagg
Group. Her path to entrepreneurship and success begins when
Jennifer is given an opportunity to start a hospitality and event
division at The Bagg Group, eventually buying the division to start
Staff Shop. She builds a
successful business, staffing events across North America.
Making the
pivot (07:45)
Then COD-19 hits but Jennifer is not deterred. Although events are
shut down, cutting off the lid blood of her business, she rapidly
pivots to focus on staffing for essential services. Considering the
future of Staff Shop, Jennifer has some fundamental questions she
needs answered: how much does she pivot, how far, how fast and for
how long?
The experts
weigh in (12:20)
Joe Jackman: “Be really good at not only selling your proposition
but executing it and getting credit for what makes you different.”
In order to grow her business, Stephen Shaw advises Jennifer to
pinpoint growth industries and land a key client. Kiruba Sankar
from RBC acknowledges Jennifer's certifications allows her access
to opportunities, but those with the best method win
Tony’s closing
thoughts (25:51)
Tony believes clients will indeed pay a premium for Jennifers offer
of full-time versus contract staff. Competing on price is a race to
zero but competing with a premium offer is where you'll find a
higher purpose, better employees and better clients.
Links and
References
Jennifer Menard - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-menard-56276812/
Website - http://staffshop.ca
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StaffShop.ca/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/staffshop.ca/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/staffshop/people/
Stephen Shaw, Principal, Round Room Live - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-shaw-98170019/
Website - https://roundroomlive.com
Joe Jackman, Founder | CEO, Jackman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-jackman/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearejackman/
Kiruba Sankar, Global Leader, Global Procurement - Corporate
Social Responsibility, RBC
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sankarkiruba/
Supplier Diversity - https://www.rbc.com/sourcing/supplier_diversity.html
RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html
RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html
Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html
Follow Tony Chapman
Website - https://tonychapmanreactions.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Chatter-that-Matters-111890333544575