Core Values: Building a Foundation for Your Recruitment Business with Dom Crosson

Intro [00:00:00]:

Welcome to the elite recruiter podcast with your host, Benjamin Menna, where we focus on what it takes to win in the recruiting game. We cover it all from sales, marketing, mindset, money, leadership, and placements.

Benjamin Mena [00:00:18]:

Stay tuned For the elite recruiter community launching November 1st, and also keep an eye out for, future announcements for the 2024 making it your best year yet event, Pulling together some of the amazing coaches and guests that have been on the program, in January to help you guys win And make 2024 your best year. So hope you guys enjoy this podcast. I am excited about this episode of the Elite Revere podcast. I've actually been looking forward to this episode for a while and actually interviewing this guest for a while. So excited about bringing him on. But before we get started, at the time of this recording, I just wanna say thank you to the listeners. We've put out a 100 episodes. It's been an incredible journey.

Benjamin Mena [00:01:03]:

And now we're averaging, like, over 10,000 monthly downloads, which is just insane. So I just wanna say thank you to every single one of you guys for taking the time to listen to these incredible guests. The guests are have been coming on giving and giving and giving so much Great information to the community. So thank you listeners, and thank you guests. So alright, guys. I'm excited about this. For this episode of the Elite Recruiter podcast, I have my special guest, Dom Crossan, who is the president of Spark Packaging. And the reason why I'm excited about bringing Dom on, He he's been building the this business, scaling his recruiting business, but he really builds everything on core values.

Benjamin Mena [00:01:45]:

And I wanted to bring him on to talk about the core values that he's doing, how they're scaling the business, but how they're staying true to themselves. So welcome, Dom, to the podcast. Thanks, Matt.

Dom Crosson [00:01:55]:

Thanks for having me, and thanks to listeners out there.

Benjamin Mena [00:01:58]:

And, so as we as we always get started,

Dom Crosson [00:02:01]:

How did you even end up in this wonderful world of recruiting? Yeah. So I've listened to a couple episodes, and nobody says I kinda fell into it. And I would say it's probably pretty similar. I got my start in recruiting back in September of 2020 officially, you know, but I've been blessed through my career to to be in multiple leadership with different organizations. So I've always been in involved in recruiting, in hiring, you know, but not on the the other side of it. Right? So I I think it's boded well to to having sit in the other chair to see how the similarities and the synergies kinda work together, But fully in recruiting since September of 2020.

Benjamin Mena [00:02:42]:

Which that's just insane, and we'll get into your story in a few minutes. But be for the listeners, Your company, Spark Packaging, can you talk

Dom Crosson [00:02:48]:

about that? Yeah. So we exclusively serve all things packaging. So it doesn't matter what industry it is. So if you get a box shipped to your house through Amazon, the box is being made, the tape that it's being, closed with, the containers that it's in. You walk into any grocery store. You know, I did a post recently on the favorite cereal boxes. I'm a frosted flakes kinda guy, but our clients are making those products, including the food of beverage space too.

Benjamin Mena [00:03:14]:

So your niche is just straight packaging then. Right? It is. Yep. It's all that

Dom Crosson [00:03:18]:

we do. That is so exciting. And so did your background kinda lead into that niche in recruiting? It did. It did. So I actually got my start in the industry by running an organization that was an OEM producing flexographic printing assets. So that's how I got my start in the industry, and I fell in love with it. I'm a very hands on kind of guy. So I was working with With our clients directly on machine build out, specifications, qualifications, I loved being on the plant floor with the team to see how things were built, getting out to customers to See how things are running and how they're built.

Dom Crosson [00:03:56]:

And within that business, we were strictly working with new equipment, but then We slowly started to expand into refurbishing of equipment, service calls, parts, a lot of different things just to make sure that they were available to our customer base.

Benjamin Mena [00:04:12]:

Awesome. And so how how slash win? And who convinced you? Like, how did you go from, like, that industrial space to, you know what? One day, I wanna be a recruiter.

Dom Crosson [00:04:26]:

Yeah. That's a great question. So, you know, I had I had worked in, you know, the corporate world for for many, many years. And And one of my best friends and cofounders here, you know, Billy, who worked with me at the the OEM specifically, you know, he had went out and, in essence, Started the recruiting side, and there was always a need when we were out at these plants and facilities for people. Right. We're selling this new equipment, but it was so tough for them to find somebody who's operated or worked in the niche specifically. So the the opportunity is, For us, we saw the equipment, but you need people to run the equipment. You can't produce the product unless you have people on the floor.

Dom Crosson [00:05:06]:

You don't have the engineers to design the Product, there's so many things involved with it, so that's how we shifted into the recruiting side specifically, and that's when I came onboarded in September of 2020. So that's when I left my corporate job.

Benjamin Mena [00:05:19]:

Okay. So you corporate job, corporate leadership. He OEM packaging space. How did you quickly pick up the the dark art of

Dom Crosson [00:05:28]:

recruiting then? So a couple things. 1, I'm very, very, you know, blessed that I had a lot of Very, very good mentors in my life very early on. My dad taught me a very strong work ethic. You know, he was an entrepreneur. He was a carpenter. So at a very young age, I was out on job sites with him, whether it was remodels, tearing things out, taking out the trash. He me that if you want something, you have to work hard for it. So it's just in my blood that if if I find something, I'm gonna go all in with it.

Dom Crosson [00:05:58]:

I'm not a all I'm not a half in, half out kinda guy. So when it was time, it was time. And it's still time today that, you know, we're all in with what we're trying to accomplish. But it's the power of partnerships. You know? If you don't know and understand something you need the people in your life that have been where you've been and can show you how to do these things. So, you know, with with Billy and myself and then Aaron, you know, we had we had joined, and Aaron really took us under his wing and mentored us in the recruiting space, and it was just, The learning curve was just straight down of like, alright. Cool. We gotta figure this out, having not been in the recruiting space before.

Dom Crosson [00:06:38]:

So the power of partnerships is key.

Benjamin Mena [00:06:40]:

And we'll we'll talk about Aaron a little later on. But for the listeners, Aaron was, I think, guest on episode 7 Another Lead Recruiter podcast, way back when when I think, like, 5 people listened to it outside myself. So in here's a question that I'm I'm kinda curious about. I'm seeing a lot of people or I've been interviewing a lot of people that like, recruiting and owning a recruiting business is almost like their 2nd career. For people out there that have, like, built an entire career in 1 place, but are have to shifted into the recruiting seed and Owning a recruiting business or became a recruiter, what advice would you give to that person that's listening to this that's thinking about making a 2.0 career shift? That's a good one. So for me, you know, we we talked about core values at the top of the call. And, you know, everybody, in my opinion, has a set

Dom Crosson [00:07:31]:

of beliefs and core values within themselves. So it's important that as you build your company, your organization, it is surrounded by these core values. You know, one of my personal core values is being of service to others. And I believe that within recruiting, specifically, there is no greater way to serve Then somebody that's looking for that next opportunity and a client that is trying to fill that position, which is crucial to their operation. So to me, there's no greater way to serve. So if someone's looking to make a shift specifically, first, they have to know and understand that when you make a move, it's not gonna be ease. There's gonna be a lot of work that's gonna have to be involved. There's gonna be a lot of changes, and you have to lean into that discomfort and say, hey.

Dom Crosson [00:08:10]:

I've gotta go, and I've gotta fight away, make this work. You gotta put in the wraps. You gotta lean on tools, technology, books, mentors, whatever it is to become, for me, Obsessed with learning as much as I can in a short amount of time, which for our niche also includes packaging, so being on the forefront of what's going on in the packaging world specifically So we can be a valuable consultant to our clients. But starting anything new is also understanding why do you wanna get into it. You know, for me, it was the opportunity to serve at a much higher level. Right? And the opportunity to create a business For the people around us because the team is critical. Right? You know, we we put in the work, but because of the team, we're able to scale and grow to the balance that we have. You know, without them, it wouldn't be possible.

Dom Crosson [00:08:58]:

But that's the additional way to serve. So for me, it's all about serving. But within these core values is how you can build the business Because it holds everybody to a specific standard. So you gotta lean to discomfort. You gotta understand what the core values are specifically for you and why you ultimately wanna do it. You gotta understand that things are gonna get tough at times, but you gotta stick with it and stick through it and remember why you got started in the 1st place.

Benjamin Mena [00:09:20]:

Awesome. Now when we talk about core values, Before we start going into them, the core values that you started with, are they the same core values that you have today, or

Dom Crosson [00:09:30]:

do they evolve over time? They are the same with 1 edition. And Okay. Yeah. We added the edition early on, and I can I can lean into this one because, You know, we had we had partnered with a client? We had a specific deadline to accomplish something, and this was very early on organization. And we didn't meet the deadline. We committed to it. So we m our value of execution as a nonnegotiable. When we agree to somebody to work on something, The expectation is internally is we only can ask you for it.

Dom Crosson [00:10:03]:

So that is one that we did add, but, you know, from the beginning to now, they've remained the same. And what are your core values? So first and foremost, serve others always. 2nd is only outcome, which Quick plug to Jocko Willock's book, Extreme Ownership, right, is what it ties to that. We have to own the outcome. Doing the right thing, be humble, crave improvement, and execution is Awesome.

Benjamin Mena [00:10:27]:

And for a recruiting leader that's looking at creating core Core values for their own team or for their own organization. What advice would you give to them on creating this kind of foundational structure for your culture?

Dom Crosson [00:10:43]:

Well, I think it should come first and foremost. I mean, this was something that we worked on very, very early on and something that we wanted to be the the shape of our organization Because it's how we're gonna service our clients. It's how we're gonna service our our candidates. It's how we're gonna ultimately build the business to the best of our ability, but then also manage the team and hold ourselves accountable. So so doing it very early on is is critical. Yeah. When it starts with What type of legacy do we wanna leave, and how do we wanna build the organization? You know? Doing the right thing is just simply doing the right thing. Like, it's that simple.

Dom Crosson [00:11:16]:

It should be what is the right thing to do in this instance. Right? And sometimes it may be We're gonna have to take a financial hit to the organization, but at the end of the day, it's the right thing to do. Right? Serving others when you walk into that interaction, Our our sole purpose there is to serve. I believe sales is serving. We have a product that we offer. And, you know, I believe, frankly, it's the best out there and the best in the industry. Right? Why? It's our obligation to go and serve, which ties to the other core values as well. But humility is really, really important.

Dom Crosson [00:11:51]:

You have to remain teachable. So you'd ask like, hey. What about somebody getting into it? Like, Humility is key. You know? Especially coming into it, man, I I didn't know a whole lot. Right? I had to be humble and understand and remain teachable at Listen. I'm gonna get this. It just may not be today, but if I keep an open mind, I can accomplish this. Awesome.

Dom Crosson [00:12:15]:

And we're gonna jump into the teachability a little bit, Kai. But wanna kind of jump into, like, scaling. So you guys started your organization. Both you guys came from, I wanna say, like, nonrecruiting backgrounds. Mhmm. But you guys have been Scaling your organization with all the growth and the success

Benjamin Mena [00:12:30]:

that you guys are having. Mhmm. Like, how are you guys scaling?

Dom Crosson [00:12:35]:

Yeah. So when it when it comes to scale, it it goes back to the core values. Right? As we continue to grow and expand, we're concert we're we're starting to serve more and more people, which in turn is we can serve more and more people internally. But our mission is massive, so the scale is directly tied to what's our mission. And our mission within our family of companies is to create a 100000 opportunities per year. It's a big undertaking. That's a big mission. Right? But it guides what we do on a daily basis.

Dom Crosson [00:13:06]:

So the question is, are we moving towards the goal or are we moving away? So in order to scale and scale quickly with efficiency, of course, and quality, is that that's the mission that we're on. And if if we're not growing, we're moving away from the mission.

Benjamin Mena [00:13:21]:

So in the gov con space, we primarily we focus on mission a lot, but it's not typically the mission of our organizations. It's the mission of the, you know, arm on the ground army soldier, People over in Afghanistan doing some work with the military, but one of the things I love tying into every single job is the mission. I love that you guys have such a big organizational mission. Can you talk about, like, maybe creating that or maybe how another organization can, like, Internalize that big mission because here's a cool thing I love about missions. You get this weird energy. It rallies the team. You know what? I'll let you talk about that.

Dom Crosson [00:14:00]:

I mean, you're you're you're spot on. You know? Everybody knows and understands what direction that you're going. And it it creates This different level of of work ethic and drive that's required to achieve the mission. Because what I believe, Right. When I look at my core values, I believe that we were all destined to do great things with our lives and to serve others. So There's no reason why we we can't accomplish it. We were put here to do amazing things in this world. So why not go and create a 100,000 opportunity? That's massive.

Dom Crosson [00:14:32]:

That's something that we can do. Right? So when it's looking at it, one of my mentors told me that you need to think bigger. Whatever you're thinking about, think bigger. Right? And thinking big is scary sometimes, and it should scare you. But that's a good thing because it forces you to stay disciplined and focus on the mission. Right? Develop those critical lists for the day and those tasks that you gotta get accomplished. Is it moving you forward, or is it moving you backwards?

Benjamin Mena [00:15:00]:

But think bigger. That'd be my feedback. Phenomenal. And I wanna get into, 2 more things before we I really jump into it. The the next part is Partnerships and mentorship. Mhmm. So cut like, coming from a nonrecruiting background, learn the ropes. I know that you guys have partnered with An incredible person.

Benjamin Mena [00:15:20]:

Mhmm. Do you wanna talk about how partnerships have helped you guys become successful, and what's your thoughts on partnerships for other people?

Dom Crosson [00:15:28]:

Yeah. Absolutely. I think that when you're looking at anything that is in your life, whether it's business, whether it's fitness, You know, whether it's your faith, find someone who's doing it and doing it well, someone that you look up to, and ask them how they did it. Now the question is, are you willing to put in that level of work to achieve the success that they've achieved? But the blueprint's there. You just gotta ask. Right? So when you look at these partnerships and it's also a two way street. You know? If if anybody's anything like me, I get a ton of joy from helping peep And not expecting anything in return. Right? So when you're serving others and you're helping them at the highest level, they go out and they do big thing.

Dom Crosson [00:16:10]:

Like, that's amazing. Right? So when you're looking at a a mentorships, what's always served me well is looking at Who's doing what I wanna do at the highest level, and then how are they doing it? And then looking internally to figure out, Am I willing to do that? Am I willing to put in the sacrifice of time, family time? Whatever it is. Right? Am I willing to make those short term sacrifices to get to the end result. Right? And that ties to the post I did on on LinkedIn recently, right, where, you know, my daughter in cross country. If you stick with it and you focus on where you're going, it's inevitable you're gonna get there. It just might not be overnight, But it'll take time, so linking her up with people that are actually running faster than she is to understand how are they doing it, how are they pacing themselves. Right? When they're heading these certain tracks, how are they doing it? How are they managing it? You don't have to reinvent the wheel. People have already been there.

Dom Crosson [00:17:09]:

So it's just a matter Seeking out the right mentors, but also with mentorship is finding like minded individuals too.

Benjamin Mena [00:17:17]:

Awesome. And, like, where did you find some of your mentors?

Dom Crosson [00:17:21]:

So when I was working in, you know, several companies that I worked within, I was very blessed to be on some national teams and and some other stuff too, so I had a lot of exposure in a good way. But I always found people that were Going out of their way to help others, but also they were in roles that that I wanted to be in at some point or learn more about. So I'll use whatever avenue is necessary, you know, whether it's a mastermind, whether it's coaching group, whether it's network, or Simply just asking. Right? I'm on a whole fitness journey right now. Right? I didn't know where to start, but I know my buddy, right, Chris. This is what he used to do, and he's an amazing man for us and, hey, who do you know? Guess what? One introduction taxed, and it was done. Right. So you just gotta use your network as well to figure out, like, who knows who to be able to help you get to where you need to get to.

Benjamin Mena [00:18:18]:

And by the way, like, I've seen your fitness journey. Awesome. Incredible. Thank you. Yeah. Made me wanna go do some, have a push set ups outside my running. You and me both, brother. I'm trying.

Benjamin Mena [00:18:28]:

I'm trying. One question I wanna ask you is I know you guys have, like, been able to get access to some really high level rooms, like really high level masterminds, and I know those aren't free. But from the growth that I've seen you guys do, at least on the outside, it seems like a lot of that stuff has had huge impacts. Can you talk about getting around those higher level tables even if they're,

Dom Crosson [00:18:48]:

Hate to say this. Expensive? Yeah. Absolutely. You know, there's a there's a phrase that comes to mind is you gotta pay to play at times. Right? And, You know, I look at the you know, how we got the mentorship initially in in working with with Aaron, right, as an example. Right? When Someone has something that you're seeking and can give you the advice to shape years off your learning curve. You know, you've gotta make an investment in that. That's how I look at it as an investment.

Dom Crosson [00:19:16]:

And even with masterminds and groups and and those things, you know, I look at it as an investment. Is what's the return on investment? How is that gonna save us time in business? How is it gonna shrink down the learning curve from a recruiting standpoint? And and even with packaging. Right? I mean, there's certain things looking at right now that are specific to our industry, and those things are indispensable, right, when you when you look at it because at the end of the day, they're gonna they're gonna pay for themselves. So looking at it from the standpoint of an investment, but, you know, one of the biggest things that I've learned as well is is you have to take what you learn and implement. Right? Not going just to go because it's it's cool. Right? And you could post it on LinkedIn or Instagram or tell people about it. No. You gotta take the information and you gotta implement it.

Dom Crosson [00:20:02]:

You have to do something with it. And if you don't, You're just getting the information. You know? But that's actually how we had had gotten started was, you know, in in working with Aaron was like, hey. Teach us. And and, yes, that is something that he consulted with us on, and it it shrunk the luring curve down dramatically for us and shaped years of of worrying, you know, at least off our

Benjamin Mena [00:20:26]:

And, yeah, Aaron is a like, we'll have a link to Aaron's LinkedIn page or Or his Instagram, but he's incredible person to follow. And, you know, I love that you guys were humble enough To not try to reinvent the wheel Mhmm. Which is amazing.

Dom Crosson [00:20:45]:

Yes. I mean, you gotta remain teachable, and It's okay to say you don't know. You just gotta go find the answer.

Benjamin Mena [00:20:52]:

Well, before I we move over to the next section of the podcast, is there anything else that you would love to share?

Dom Crosson [00:20:58]:

I mean, nothing I could immediately think of. You know? I think as we continue to talk on core values and look at it, they drive the business. You gotta have a massive mission and vision. You gotta think bigger. And and looking at different ways to to get in these rooms or or a seat at the table, you know, and and being open to those things as well that, yes, it's a significant investment, Absolutely. But it's an investment, and it's an investment in your future.

Benjamin Mena [00:21:26]:

That's awesome, man. I I hate to say this. Yeah. Thinking about some of those investments and some of those seats at the table and asking for some of the advice, would you guys be where you're at now if you guys didn't do any of that stuff? No.

Dom Crosson [00:21:41]:

I think we'd get there eventually, but the the short answer is no. And it's been Indispensable, and it it's amazing the relationships and friendships that you form as a result of people that genuinely wanna see you win. It's not a transactional relationship. It's truly we wanna see each other win.

Benjamin Mena [00:22:04]:

Awesome. Well, moving over to the quick fire questions. I'm actually really excited about asking these. So I know you're hiring new recruiters Constantly. So this might be an easy question, but what advice would you give to

Dom Crosson [00:22:16]:

a listener who's actually just getting started in the recruiting industry this year? So first is, maintain level of humility. Understand that it's it's a big elephant. You gotta take it bite by bite. Understand that, you know, if you're feeling pressure of where you're at isn't far enough, you're probably exactly where you need to be. You know, if you're a high performer, you never think enough is enough. Right? So, you know, as you're looking at it, no one understand that you are on the right path. Latch on and find somebody that is doing the job at a high level And ask them how they're doing it and how they did it. And if you can do those things, it's gonna help expedite the learning curve.

Dom Crosson [00:22:56]:

But, You know, understanding that, hey. Am I putting in the work on a daily basis? If I am, I'm gonna continue doing those things, I'm gonna be okay. You know, but sometimes just taking a step back too and asking for feedback. Ask your leader, asking the business, you know, that does hey. How am I doing? And then being humble enough to take the feedback and make the implementations.

Benjamin Mena [00:23:18]:

Be humble and help them out. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well and this is gonna be the same question, and I'd I would love your perspective on this. Like, one, you're you you're a newer Recruiter, you're newer in the recruiting space, so I think your answer might not be as I hate to say this as jaded as somebody that's been around the block for 2 decades. Mhmm. But what would be your advice to a seasoned recruiter that's looking at either becoming successful or trying to continue their success?

Dom Crosson [00:23:50]:

Yeah. It's an interesting question, you know, and as, as you mentioned, I was thinking about, like, my leadership career because I I started leadership when I was 23. So I was always the the youngest guy leading teams. Right? So understanding, like, how do you work with people that have a lot more experience than you? You know, so from a, a recruiter standpoint, somebody who's more seasoned, who's seeing success in doing these things is, do you think you could be doing more? Is there a little bit more that you could be doing to get a little bit better? So expanding your mind and your knowledge. Are there different things that you could be doing? Right? So as you look at the printing and packaging industry, there's different associations. Right? Are you within those associations? Are you involved in those So that's the other piece too is, what are things you can get involved with? Whether it's within your your local community, like here in Michigan, there's an entrepreneurial network for young entrepreneurs here. Are you getting involved in those type Right? So continuing to expand your portfolio and your experience in your network, is is gonna be key. But one of the things too that I would recommend is, who are you mentoring right now? You know, if you're if you're good at what you do and and you've been in the industry, Who are you taking under your wing to show them the ropes? You know? If you're doing well, leave it for the next generation too.

Dom Crosson [00:25:04]:

Show them what you're doing so they can be successful. Keep the legacy of recruiting going. I love that.

Benjamin Mena [00:25:11]:

It is phenomenal. Next question is, has there been a book that's had a huge impact on your career?

Dom Crosson [00:25:18]:

Absolutely. My all time hands down favorite book that I read and reread is Relentless by Tim Grover. Hands down, my favorite book. And for for anybody that doesn't know, you know, Tim Tim Grover was the the performance coach for Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant sort of tap into the minds of arguably the 2 of the best athletes that ever lived, and to get into their mindset and understand how they operate It's on a completely different level, but that book also forces you to really do an honest evaluation to say, okay. Am I really doing my best? Am I really giving it my all? Right? Am I a cleaner like the book says, or do I just think that I am? Right? But what are the habits and rituals to to move into that type of role in areas of your life? But that book, hands down, is one of my all time favorites.

Benjamin Mena [00:26:08]:

If you want a good laugh, I actually picked that up and started reading it last night. Did you? Awesome. You're gonna love it. You're gonna love it. It's amazing. I I read his one of his other books a few years back, and, it's I think this is gonna sound stupid, but, you know, And maybe the 1st, like, 10 years of my recruiting career, I was like, if the person hasn't done it, they can't teach me, and they can't be a coach. But then I I read you know, I started seeing people like Tim Grover. I'm like, well, technically, Tim Grover was not a Michael Jordan or a Kobe Bryant or a LeBron James, But he's done such a good job learning the space, learning everything that he is such a phenomenal coach to some of the Best athletes in the world.

Benjamin Mena [00:26:48]:

So maybe, like, reevaluate I hate to say this, coaches.

Dom Crosson [00:26:53]:

It's true. I So I agree with you. And, you know, there's some coaches out there that may not be a good fit for you, right, or or somebody, but, You know, it's finding that right one that that fits, but they can also push you. And when they push you, it's all along and and knowing that you have more to give.

Benjamin Mena [00:27:10]:

Awesome. So what's your thoughts about Artificial intelligence in recruiting and the future of recruiting.

Dom Crosson [00:27:16]:

It's it's interesting. Right? I'm still I'm still getting my arms on AI and and how it impacts, you know, the recruiting space and just industries in general. Right? I definitely think that there's a lot of compliments To what we do on the recruiting side specifically. But one of the things that I I believe is is that people love human to human interaction. You know? So, You know, I don't know about about you, but when I get an email or something, I know it's AI junk because you could just tell it's copy and paste it. Right? So How I feel about it is if you're gonna use the tool, right, leave a little bit of human interaction news. Make it your own, right, would be my 1 piece of advice, but I'm really interested to see how it's gonna continue to to evolve and change because it's Just the growth of it's been insane at least from what I've seen over the past 12 months. Do you have a favorite, like, recruiting tech tool that you love at the moment? I love LinkedIn.

Dom Crosson [00:28:17]:

It's it's hands down one of my favorite tools. You get to connect with so many people. You get to get to know them more on a personal level as well, which is really, really cool, and you get to see what their companies are doing. So, you know, if a company has a like, one of our clients say just posted about an annual, employee appreciation. Right? Like, that's so cool to see, you know, those type of things, and they're actually doing it. But you could stay on the forefront of all this stuff with articles and information, and it's one of the largest networks because we work on a lot of professional level roles as well. So it's it's by far one of the the largest professional networks out there.

Benjamin Mena [00:28:53]:

You can't beat it. Every time we talk about, like, What might be the LinkedIn killer? LinkedIn destroys everything.

Dom Crosson [00:29:00]:

Ab absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. I love it.

Benjamin Mena [00:29:02]:

I love it. What do you think has been a major part of your own personal success? Yeah.

Dom Crosson [00:29:11]:

Well, 1, amazing mentors, has been a huge part of it. You know, the the other part of it too is is not shutting my mind off to other possibilities. Meaning, is there a better way of doing it? Is the way that I'm thinking about this maybe not right? Is there an easier or better way to do this? And so having an open mind has been key. And, You know, for me, I have a a relentless pursuit of of the result, you know, of what our mission is. So I am laser focused and locked in on that on a daily basis. And it doesn't matter what area of my life it is. Whether it's business, family, faith, Fitness, whatever that goal is of what I'm trying to accomplish and the standards that I hold myself to, is key. The disciplines carry over on the days when frankly you don't wanna do some of the things that you to do because it's necessary.

Benjamin Mena [00:30:01]:

So and this question this this next question, I'm gonna ask it 2 ways. Mhmm. I'm gonna ask it from the very beginning of your career, and then I'm gonna reask it again at the very beginning of your recruitment career. Mhmm. So with everything that you know now, all the experiences, the ups and the downs, if you could sit down and have a cup of coffee with yourself When you're just starting off your career, like, you know, maybe getting out of college, what advice would you sit down and give yourself?

Dom Crosson [00:30:29]:

Man, that's a good one. If I were to go back and have coffee with myself, I would tell myself to keep doing exactly what you're doing, And everything's gonna work out just the way it's supposed to. You know? Because there's times early on in my career where I started my career working in a warehouse driving a forklift. You know, I was working 3 jobs to put myself through school. There's times when it got really, really tough. Right? And there's times when I wanted to give up Early in my career and say, nah. I need to go a different direction. I was premed when I started college, by the way.

Dom Crosson [00:31:00]:

So I went from premed to business Like that. Right? So I would tell myself, listen. Just trust the process. Everything's gonna work out just the way it's supposed to, you're gonna do great things, man. I truly believe we're all gonna do great things with our lives.

Benjamin Mena [00:31:16]:

Awesome. And same question, but think about it from Your 1st day as in the recruiting chair, the 1st day that you like, president of your organization, if you can go back with everything that you've learned And talk to yourself and give yourself advice. What would you tell yourself?

Dom Crosson [00:31:35]:

That's a really good one. A really, really good one. You know? Because I think then, You know, we've we've truly operated by our core values. You know, we we've Expanded our team as a result. You know? You know, and I think as we continue to to look at it if I first, you know, got Started into it because, you know, there's times when you're starting a business where things get really, really rough. You know? And if if I had to go back and just tell myself one thing, it's Keep going. Just keep moving. Keep that level of humility.

Dom Crosson [00:32:12]:

Work with the people that you have right now, because our our, you know, our founding team is is amazing, and we all get along so so well. We have our own different skills. And that, hey, we're we're going to go out and we're gonna accomplish this mission. Right? But if I had to go back and tell myself anything, And just be like, listen, man. It's not gonna be easy, but it's gonna be worth it. And

Benjamin Mena [00:32:37]:

1 last question I have is for the people out there that have, I I like, recruiting is their 2nd career. Mhmm. What advice would you give to them on honing down on your background to become the niche that you are mastering.

Dom Crosson [00:32:54]:

You know, I think it just depends too because I've been blessed to have worked in, you know, different areas and different roles Within in leadership and then just also looking at so it's got a pretty diverse experience portfolio with different things. So I guess I'll tie it back to to myself and then hopefully this this helps others. But, you know, understanding how does your experience complement what you're trying to what you're trying to do. Right? So having looking at, and conversing with, let's say, a plant manager as an example. I've been there. Right? I manage the UNT, so I can relate to what someone may be going through in that particular instance. So from my perspective, it's really tapping into your experience and flipping it in a way of, like, hey. How can I use this to serve this person in this instance? And really, really trust in the fact that you can bring value because at times we walk into or, like, I really don't know if I can bring value here.

Dom Crosson [00:33:51]:

I don't know. I walk into this room. I've never been around these people before. Right? That's okay. We're there for a reason. You can't do it. Right? See, understanding how does your experience what you're trying to do ultimately. And in that case, right, it's a little bit easier for me to talk somebody because I've been in their shoes in that particular instance.

Dom Crosson [00:34:10]:

Right? And it's no different than if you have a recruiting team. We've all started out in positions too. We know what it's like. We know the things that you go through. It just may have been a little bit earlier in our careers, But it's no different than today. Right? So understanding, okay, what is my background? How is it comp sometimes it may not just be, like, the intangible skills. And maybe the fact that you have leadership qualities that you've never been able to deploy in a true leadership capacity in your previous organization. Cool.

Dom Crosson [00:34:39]:

You have a great opportunity to do it now. So understanding what are your strengths and and using those, as you continue on the path to where we're going.

Benjamin Mena [00:34:48]:

Awesome. Phenomenal. Well, Dom, before I let you go, is there anything else that you would love to share with the listeners?

Dom Crosson [00:34:56]:

Nothing I could think of. I thought the the questions were absolutely amazing. I absolutely love, Dan, what you're doing. You know, congratulations on So as well, I mean, that's huge. And and it's a blessing that we have people people like you that live the mission, go out there, And and are just looking to help others, and it's it's amazing. So, I'd recommend if you haven't listened to the hour, so it's that you go do that.

Benjamin Mena [00:35:24]:

Awesome. Well, Dom, definitely thank you for coming on. Excited to share. Yeah. It's one of the things that I think, like, a lot of times I'm I'm just gonna tell my story of myself. Like, we started with some of these core missions. We started with some of these values. We started with this this mission, this idea.

Benjamin Mena [00:35:40]:

But listening to Dom talk about this, it's a great, like, rejuvenation to, like, go back and, like, okay. This was this This is some of the things that I was chasing. This is some of the core values that I was building my company on. So for the listeners, I hope you're doing the exact same thing. So, Dom, thank you for joining me on the podcast. And for the listeners, keep crushing it, guys. One placement can change your life.

Intro [00:36:02]:

Thanks for listening to this episode of the elite recruiter podcast asked with Benjamin Menna. If you enjoyed, hit subscribe and leave a rating.