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Small Business Spotlight , Island Staffing

Every high school has one. The spunky kid who decides to go into business for himself before he can even earn a diploma.

E.J. Conrad was that kid.

Conrad is founder and chief executive officer of Island Staffing, an Oceanside agency providing workers in fields ranging from technology to mortgage banking. But not so long ago, the 42-year-old father of three was peddling screen-printed T-shirts between study hall and algebra.

“I always knew I’d own a business, I just didn’t know what it’d be,” said Conrad, who laughs as he admits to not making as much money on his T-shirt business as he had hoped.

Conrad, whose career goal is to retire comfortably as the owner of small local surf shop, generated $460,000 in revenues last year. This year, he expects to break million dollars.

Although the entrepreneurial spirit has been alive and well inside Conrad since youth, his venture into the staffing industry was as unplanned as they come.

As a young 20-something, Conrad said realized he needed to get a good job to support a family of his own after he married. He said he “fell into” the staffing business when his skills met that of a staffing firm looking to take on a new employee. The rest, as Conrad says, is history.

It would be years , 13 to be exact , before Conrad mustered up the capital and courage to start his own staffing firm. Leaving behind the comforts and security of a corporate job wasn’t easy, but well worth it, he said.


VITALS

Name: E.J. Conrad.

Title: Founder/CEO.

Company: Island Staffing.

Company address: 4061 Oceanside Blvd., Suite A, Oceanside 92056.

Company phone: (760) 295-0486.

Year founded: 2002.

Prior business experience: 13 years of technical staffing experience.

Average hours worked weekly: 55.

Source of startup capital: Savings.

2005 revenue: $460,000.

2004 revenue: $370,000.

Number of employees: Three full-time, one part-time.

Web site: www.islandstaffing.us.


BACKGROUND

Birthplace: Lorain, Ohio.

Education: Associate degree.

Age: 42.

Current Residence: Oceanside.

Family: Wife, Annette; children, Cassie, 15; Cory, 13; and Niki, 12.

Hobbies: Basketball, surfing, tennis and hanging with my kids.


JUDGMENT CALLS

Reason for getting into business: Tired of making money for other people who didn’t have the same ethics and desire to satisfy our customers and candidates.

How I plan to grow the business: To continue to reinvest our profits back into the company and add the right internal staff.

Biggest plus of business ownership: The ability to make the right decisions quickly without waiting for corporate and the freedom to adjust my work schedule when the family calls.

Biggest drawback: Not having enough funds to grow the company at a fast pace.

Biggest business strength: Understanding this industry. I had 15 years’ experience prior to starting Island Staffing.

Biggest business weakness: A bit weak on the accounting side but learning more and more each week.

Biggest risk: Leveraging the family’s cash/assets to start Island Staffing.

Smartest business decisions: Depends who you ask. One that sticks out was trusting industry people to consult with on business decisions that I didn’t fully understand, and running the company according to the budget without incurring too much debt.

Biggest business mistake: Not starting the business five or 10 years earlier.

Toughest career decision: Was leaving the corporate world with all its security and starting a new company where the only thing I could hang my hat on wash my unwavering belief that Island Staffing will reach what I envisioned.

Biggest ongoing challenge: Like everyone else, deciding when and how much to go in debt to grow.

The most important part of my business: Is exceeding my customers’/candidates’ expectations and making Island Staffing a great place to work for my staff.

My business works best when: When a customer finally sees the value of our services and trusts the outstanding recruiting staff that we have.

Best way to stay competitive: Keep talking to your customers and find out what they want and then give it to them. Challenge the staff to push the envelop on offering a better service.

How I measure success: With each placement. When our customers/candidates contact us to provide our services. When the staff reaches their professional goals. By surpassing the plan that was established at the beginning of the year. With each new person we add to the internal Island Staffing team.


GOALS

Goals yet to be achieved: To have additional offices in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.

My five-year business plan: Is to open two more offices in Southern California.

I would sell my business only if: When someone makes me an offer I can’t refuse. Just kidding, only when it would be best for the business and the internal team.

Guiding principles I will continue to follow: What I live my professional life by: don’t lie, cheat, steal or misrepresent, and take care of our customers, our candidates and our company and Island Staffing will take care of us.

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