Robin Chapekis Solopreneur, Transformational HR

Introduction and Interview by David Wagstaff

This interview with Robin is one of the first in a series of articles from entrepreneurs, compiled with the goal of providing other business owners and soon-to-be business owners with a realistic view of what it takes to run a business and some of the challenges commonly faced. Robin’s LinkedIn profile caught my attention. In her intro she starts with these words: “As a hardworking, ethical, HR Professional who likes to enjoy work. . . .” Each of those are attributes that I admire and that resound with me as qualities of a successful entrepreneur. In my experience working with hundreds of entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs work very hard, yet for many of us the work we do is not work but a passion and fun. Entrepreneurs unlike employees get . to choose which services we offer, and we even get to choose the kinds of customers with whom we work. because We choose our business model based on the sort of customers we wish to serve. Ethics are often mentioned when someone in business operates unethically. In my experience, most successful small business owners operate with a high degree of ethics. They care about their customers, they care about their employees and they try to do what they believe is the right thing to do. In my interview with Robin, I love her passion and fierce commitment to just being herself and not having to conform to a standard. I love that her ambition is to be the primary source of income for her family. And I believe her challenges will speak to many entrepreneurs, especially those just starting out.

 

1. What led you to become an entrepreneur?

I didn’t want to be a change agent, individual contributor, or an associate. I am an advisor, a learner, a strategic thinker. I’m also passionate; I use colorful language, gesticulate like an Italian, and tell it like it is. Not exactly a poster professional for corporate conference calls. As an entrepreneur, I get to do all of the things I find great in my field without getting bogged down by HR transactions. Besides, I’ve done too many somber termination meetings and thought how much fun it would be if I ever had to fire myself! ‘You can’t fire me, I am me!’ ‘Without me, there’s no business! Literally. I am the business.’ I can’t fail myself; I can only learn, adjust and move on.

2. Give us a brief description of your business, and what your aspirations are for it.

SVELTE HR transforms human resources into a competitive advantage. Talent is our most valuable asset, yet we still approach talent like a commodity, and with stupid, rigid rules. I work with organizations to align their employer brand with their customer brand, create consistency across values, policies and leadership style, and then develop people systems to support the employee experience. I also lead a community of HR professionals who help each other solve real HR problems. My aspiration is to turn Detroit into a leader in HR Transformation. Also, to be successful enough that my husband doesn’t need to work.

3. What have you done with your business that you are proud of, or that has worked really well?

At this point, three months into it, I am proud to have had several paying clients to have discovered my salable product/service, and that I haven’t given up and just gotten a W-2 job. What’s working really well is building my network by volunteering to help with events, supporting local HR groups, and just meeting with as many people as possible. This gives me a platform for testing my ideas and collecting market research data on my product. (Anthropology degree finally put to use!)

4. What were some of your biggest challenges along the way?

The biggest challenge has been translating a hodgepodge of ideas and experiences into a workable model. The first iteration was a mouthful, but a mouthful of salad, not meat and potatoes. The second iteration was too feely, ‘thoughtful’ and just not working with the rest of the business model. By the third iteration, I had discovered which points to assess in current state and on what to focus in future state. Now the model was sticky and I could move on to developing the product and marketing the service.

5. Have you overcome the challenges? If so, how?

Time. And Diet Coke. I gave myself the luxury of not chasing after the money at the expense of staying true to being an advisor, a learner, and a strategic thinker. Have I taken jobs that are transactional for a line of AR in my budget? Yup. But I haven’t let that consume my time and energy.

6. What have you learned and what would you like to share with other entrepreneurs?

WD40 took 39 tries. We may never get it right, but if we keep at it, we can find a formula that is workable, that excites us, and that others want to pay for!

 

 

 

About Robin Chapekis, HR Transformation

Website:  https://sveltehr.com/

 

Robin holds a Master of Science in Human Resources and Organizational Development, is a SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She is a management consultant and provides strategic, value-added, effective, lean, and transformation thinking about Human Resources.

About The Entrepreneur’s Network

Websites: https://entrepreneursnet.net/ & https://www.linkedin.com/groups/91749/

The Entrepreneur’s Network offers the opportunity for entrepreneurs and business owners to get to know one another.

We offer small group networking through our PeerConnect, LeadsConnect and MentorConnect Groups.   We offer a membership directory when members can get to know other Entrepreneur’s and Aspiring Entrepreneurs from around the global.  We provide stories of Entrepreneurship as you have read here and Expert Articles and Webinars.

The Entrepreneur’s Network started as a LinkedIn group for entrepreneurs to meet and share business ideas, questions, challenges, and successes. Over the past few years, it has grown to more than 55,000 members, adding about 25 to 50 new members every day.

The group is sponsored by Clarity FI.

We hope you enjoy these articles. If you have a story that you think is worth telling, or advice for founders and business owners, please feel free to send us a request at info@entrepreneursNet.net.

This Industry Insight was brought to you by Clarity Fi, Small Business Financial Management and Business Consulting. Clarity Fi helps business owners scale profitably, through done-for-you business financial management, accounting, invoicing, accounts payable, bookkeeping services and business consulting.

Companies achieve profitable growth by looking at key components of revenue, expense, cash flow and identifying where the opportunities for growth lie. Clarity Fi is based in the Greater Philadelphia, PA area, Marlton, NJ and Grand Rapids MI.  Financial Consulting Services and virtual bookkeeping are available all of the major markets.