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Kim Shepherd is the CEO of Decision Toolbox, a boutique staffing firm based in Irvine, Calif. But it doesn't really matter where Decision Toolbox is headquartered, because the company is 100 percent virtual.
Which is part of why it works. The other part is that it is build on amazing employees, Shepherd says.
Of the 100 amazing employees, 70 are women -- and 60 are moms.
"We built this company on a model that is a magnet for moms," says Shepherd who does not have children, but was raised as one of four kids of a single mom. Shepherd says she and her partners set out to build a business that -- above all else -- would be "the best place on the planet for people to work." That includes a strong focus on the ever-elusive work-life balance -- a job quality that is especially important for working moms. A 2013 survey by
"Gen Y women are really changing the workplace, demanding that they have a way to manage their entire lives, " says Shepherd.
Decision Toolbox flattened the traditional corporate hierarchy, and all of the remote workers set their own schedules with very little restrictions. There is no need to ask for hours or days off -- simply black out times you are not available on the shared calendar. The commission-based recruiters decide if they want full- or part-time employment. "We have people who only want to earn $60,000 per year and work part-time. I have other people who earn $160,000," Shepherd says. "We positioned the jobs so that they attract people with strong at-home work ethics. If you don't have it you will get killed."
For example, Shepherd (based in Southern California) says her personal assistant (based in Atlanta) starts work at 6 a.m., then takes several hours off mid-day to spend with her two daughters, returning to her professional duties later in the evening. "This way, she gets work done when her mind is clear and she is focused. I get someone available for me most of 12 hours in the day."
Does this model work? Sales don't lie. Decision Toolbox is a three-time Inc. 5,000 winner, reporting 2013 sales of $7.8 million -- 46 percent growth in three years. Shepherd expects sales of at least $9 million for 2014.
Shepherd is inspired by her mom who started as a waitress and retired as owner of famed Silicon Valley meeting ground, Bobbi's Coffee Shop. Today the entrepreneur looks to her younger sister, a professional who manages a family of three kids. "Working moms invented multi-tasking, " Shepherd says. "It doesn't matter how many things are in front of my sister -- if she has to run one kid to soccer, another to gymnastics, she does it and gets the car washed and the food cooked, and is still successful at her career. Working moms are super-human."
