Let’s Make Harmony

Welcome to Harmony Solutions! But, more presently, welcome to the first entry of Harmony Engine. If you’re new here, Harmony Solutions is a Nashville based staffing company with a focus around technology candidates and jobs. Harmony Engine is the accompanying founder's blog… because if there’s anything the internet needs it's another blog.  

I chose the name Harmony Engine because the thoughts and writings that come from it fuel the mechanism that drives my business philosophies. It creates my approach to the candidates and the companies I work with.  It will be filled with perspectives curated by aggregated experiences of what it's like to search for job, what it’s like to hire, general business topics and a little bit of “building in public” as my business expands *crosses fingers and toes* :). 

For today let’s just cover a couple of “why’s”.  If you are trying to figure out some “why’s” for yourself, maybe reading this can help.  

Why start a staffing company:

I’ve really only had two job searches in my professional life.  I’ve been in sales in some form or fashion since graduation.  My first venture was a prominent financial services firm.  I spent 6 years trying to build a financial planning practice.  There was a general industry standard in our firm that if you hadn’t “made it” by the fifth year you probably weren’t going to.  As I surveyed my constituents' practices in comparison to mine the findings were obvious…..I hadn’t made it.  Against better judgment I clung to my job for dear life for another year until it spit me out.  Enter job search #1.  

There’s plenty of ways to stay in finance but I was burned out on the industry.  It wasn’t the industry’s fault, I just needed something different.  But I did know the following:

1. I wanted to stay people facing

2. I wanted something with a high ceiling (for me that was sales)

3. I wanted to do something impactful 

My findings led me to staffing.  It checked all my boxes and I found a great firm to do it with.  I spent the better part of five years helping fill technology roles for companies across Tennessee and had a lot of fun doing it.  

Now you may have heard that the pandemic wasn’t exactly easy on industry, and staffing was no exception.  It was hard on the firm and it was hard on me.  However as the economy settled back in and hiring rebounded both nationally and within our firm, I did not.  Ultimately my time came to an end there and I had to find something new again.  Enter job search #2.  

The biggest difference in job search 1 and 2 was quite the light bulb.  I wanted to stay in staffing.  The execution of a filled job order is fascinating.  The hardest adjustment from financial services to recruiting was in financial services only once side of the sale has the ability to change course. In staffing there is a human on both sides of the agreement, and both sides have plenty of viable reasons to change their minds.  Candidates can rightfully pivot out of an interview process just as much as a company trying to hire them can.  It’s a great study on people and business, and every week has a brand new syllabus.  While I continued to ponder a long term plan I was able to secure a fractional contract recruiting opportunity through a startup founder who I now consider a dear friend and a mentor. 

That’s when the wheels started turning.  This contract was part time so what else could I fill my time with to make money?  Networking led me to another part time contract, and additional networking led me to some other headhunting opportunities.  I felt like a free agent.  I was having fun.  From there it was an idea I couldn’t turn off.  I wanted to start a staffing company.  I loved what I was doing but I wanted to flex a new part of my brain.  The X’s and O’s of staffing combined with my vision of growing a business.  Harmony Solutions was born there as a nights and weekend project that is now my full time passion.  

Why the Harmony Engine? 

A staffing firm can run perfectly fine without an accompanying blog to go with it.  Quite frankly, I’m also rather uncomfortable posting things on the internet.  I have a really mundane Instagram and 60 something twitter followers.  I haven’t much enjoyed putting myself out there. I’ve quietly enjoyed writing all my life but have mostly been just an avid consumer of internet content.  It almost feels like just sitting on the sidelines.  To me it’s daunting to think my thoughts are even worthy of public opinion.  I dread comment sections but I’d also be bummed if no one cared to comment.  Feels like a lose lose.  But eventually it's time to get in the game right? 

Hopefully I can accomplish three things with this blog: 

1. Participate in the online community, my way:  Tweets and posts are easy to consume (and for the sake of business, no doubt I will embrace) but long form writing takes thought, time, and research.  That’s where I will start.  

2. Help people get to know me:  Picking a staffing firm as a candidate or a company takes a lot of trust.  This is a great place to see if we’d be like-minded.  

3. Generate conversation:  One of my main principles of my business is advocacy for both parties involved, which could probably make what I write kind of boring.  I don’t take a lot of hardline opinions because I can see the merit in most arguments.  A lot of what I read today feels very black and white but there’s got to be at least a small audience for the gray area.  

As this is my first posting I’m not exactly sure what constitutes appropriate length, but this feels like a great stopping point.  I’m thoroughly excited for whatever my business and my writing brings and looking forward to sharing more with everyone in the future.  Let’s have some fun.  

-Patrick