Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Grace Marlin, Co-Founder of DG Recruit, located in New York, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
DG Recruit is the recruiting agency I co-founded with my business partner Dandan Zhu, and we are focused exclusively on recruiting recruiters within the agency recruitment sector. Agency recruitment, also known as staffing, is a sub-sector of sales careers that offers a robust and attractive path to create generational wealth at an early stage in recruiters' jobs.
Although we're primarily focused on helping top-performing agency recruitment professionals optimize their careers at DG Recruit, we also co-founded Recruiter Prep which is a course and group coaching product that teaches people from all walks of life about how to break into the recruitment industry. The graduates of Recruiter Prep fully understand the industry, what it takes to be successful, and how to set their future careers up for success by getting off on the right foot.
Coming off a very strong post-Covid job market in 2021/2022, recruiters are in higher demand than ever, and the opportunity within this career path is extremely strong! Some of the biggest first and second-year success stories of people in our network feature people are frequently coming close to or breaking six figures in year 1, with some people cracking $500k in total earnings in their second year in the industry.
Although this career path is not for everyone because it is very demanding and has a steep learning curve, for people who are not afraid to hustle and grind, are highly money-motivated, and enjoy working closely with people every single day, agency recruitment can provide an unmatched opportunity to build wealth for people in their 20s and 30s. This is why we are so passionate about sharing how this career path has changed our lives and the lives of so many people in our network!
Tell us about yourself
Coming out of college, I went into Corporate America in healthcare finance consulting for 4.5 years. Although I was a strong performer in consulting, I strongly disliked the fact that I was on a fixed salary - whether I worked super hard or slacked off, my pay remained the same. I always felt overworked and underpaid because my salary was capped out at $68,000, which was okay but didn't stretch too far in the San Francisco Bay Area. I wanted more for myself and knew I wasn't even starting to tap into my full potential.
After being unhappy and stuck in that career for years, I thought that all my problems could be solved by moving abroad and living a simpler life, so I sold all my belongings, quit my job, sold my car, packed my whole life in 2 suitcases, and moved to Panamá for a relationship. After the relationship didn't work out, I came back to the Bay Area and was in a heavy seeking mode for what my next move would be. I wanted a career path that matched my ambition level, which has always been extremely high. I wanted to be able to make a ton of money with uncapped earning potential, to feel like my work was important, and to put myself in a position to achieve financial independence in the future.
In learning everything I could about financial independence, I came across a podcast interview with my now business partner, Dandan. In her interview, she shared how she got into agency recruitment at 23 years old, made close to $90k in her first year, and went on to have very high earning years (cracking $215k) that allowed her to start aggressively investing in real estate which enabled her to achieve a work optional/financially independent status at age 28. She was so charismatic, driven, and had a very strong personality which jived really well with my approach to life. I knew I had to get to know her, so I reached out to her to potentially work with her, and the rest is history. She taught me the business, and a few years later, we became full business partners.
Through agency recruitment, I've been able to pay off my student loans, become debt free, and start aggressively investing and building my net worth. I also have moved across the country to my dream city and now live in the middle of New York City, which is a lifestyle I could never afford without recruitment. Through the money I make in recruiting, I've been able to start seeding and funding new business ventures and side hustles that I am building as passion projects. Agency recruitment has truly changed my life and opened up so many doors for me, which is why I am so passionate about spreading the word about this career path.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The thing that I am the proudest of every day is that I have not given up. We have encountered many challenges in business, including all of our team in Covid, parting ways with a previous business partner, and navigating hiring freezes and market challenges due to Covid. In every obstacle that I've encountered, I have figured it out. Not only have I figured it out, but I have found a way to have a business and a life. I am very happy and fulfilled on a day-to-day basis which is a huge accomplishment and not the case for many business owners.
Through my entrepreneurial journey, I have learned that I am created for entrepreneurship. I have never felt more freedom, enthusiasm, and fulfillment as I have been an entrepreneur, even in the toughest times. I wouldn't trade it for anything! This is giving me the confidence to launch new businesses that I am going to build and run concurrently with DG Recruit and Recruiter Prep, and I know that all the actions I take are accumulating to build my legacy while touching many others' lives.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Being an entrepreneur and business owner is not an easy path. The rewards are amazing, but they come at a cost that many are not willing or able to pay. One of the biggest mental shifts I had to navigate is that there is no rule book, especially for people who are revolutionizing and re-imagining an industry like Dandan and I are. In corporate, there was a rule book and policy and procedure for everything under the sun, which is completely the opposite in entrepreneurship.
Although this can be exciting at times, there are other times you don't know if you're doing the right thing or making the right decision which can be challenging. As I touched on previously, we've experienced many challenges and rebirths of the business that have all led us to be in a very solid and great place to continue building from. I'm grateful for the challenges we've experienced because they have tested my commitment to the business, which has proven to me that I am here for the long haul and has also taught me that I can truly get through pretty much anything.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Buckle up for the ride!
The biggest gift that you can give to yourself is being CONSISTENT. When you're first getting started, the excitement and motivation are really strong, which can carry you for a while. Inevitably, you're going to run into challenges and roadblocks, or life happens, which can kill your momentum. Getting started again from a standstill is incredibly grueling, so the thing that can mitigate that happening is to be as consistent as possible. If you're starting your business off as a side hustle while you're working a 9-5, just work on 1-2 tasks per day so that way building your business is always top of mind and you're able to keep making progress, even if it is small.
Beyond being consistent, working on your mindset is imperative. Getting your business off the ground takes a ton of work, and not everyone is going to be on board with you doing this immediately. That's why you need to work on training your brain to be bulletproof. Not taking things too personally, being committed to your path, and consistently investing in yourself by surrounding yourself with positive messages, podcasts, books, etc. helps you stay the course even when there are naysayers or you're getting a lot of no's from potential customers.
This is a tip that I am just starting to implement in my own life, but I wish I had done it earlier. I've recently started investing in building my personal team of professionals around me - I've hired a personal trainer, found a therapist I like working with, bankers to help with my banking needs, and hired a business coach for one of my new businesses to help me get it off the ground.
Outside of family and friends (most of whom are not entrepreneurs and therefore can't fully relate), having a team of people that have a professional background and credentials in the areas I need help in has been a major help. I am picky in who I work with, so I've only chosen to work with people who are exceptional at what they do, and they have provided a tremendous impact and return on investment for the time and money I've invested with them.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I'm excited to connect and network with like-minded individuals and entrepreneurs, so please feel free to reach out to me and say hi!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.dgrecruit.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dgrecruit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracemarlin_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gracemarlin_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dgrecruit/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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