Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Wayne Nemeroff, CEO of PsyMax Solutions, located in Akron, OH, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
PsyMax Solutions' focus and passion have been on developing online tests that accurately measure a person's soft skills. Our Work Style Matcher™ helps companies take better control of their hiring process by using objective data to accurately determine which candidates are the best fit for their company and the right match for specific job requirements. We work with a large variety of companies all over the U.S. and Canada.
Tell us about yourself
With more than 25 years of consulting experience in executive assessments, coaching and development, I have been committed to helping businesses maximize their effectiveness by matching the right leaders to the right jobs. I help companies gain insight and understanding about the specific strengths and weaknesses of both candidates and incumbents relative to a company's critical success factors, mission, and values.
I received my Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and have devoted my consulting to developing selection and hiring systems, assessments, coaching and developing employees and managers, and working with top executives and leaders in many different businesses of all sizes, including small companies to very large organizations.
My passion is to help smaller companies hire and develop people who are the right match for their companies. We began to develop online tests that accurately measure a person's soft people skills. Soft skills are non-technical personal people qualities such as personality traits and work behaviors that have been shown to have a significant impact on a person's success or failure in any job.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I started a company from scratch and grew it into a successful business. It took fortitude and resiliency that I didn't know I had. I have helped people decide what jobs they are best suited for. I help them decide on the right job in the right company. It is important for people to choose jobs that meet not only their financial goals but also their personal needs. Sometimes I feel like a marriage counselor arranging marriages between people and companies. Too many people today find themselves in jobs that are not personally satisfying or rewarding. I really enjoy helping people get married to the "right" company and find a job that is the right match to meet their values and needs.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I left a good-paying job to start my own business. I had to travel quite a lot at first while I had a daughter who was fighting a brainstem tumor. Personally, it was not easy for either my wife or me. In the beginning, the client rejections were not easy for me to handle. I was desperate and trying too hard. I once had a client tell me to be less of a salesperson and more of a psychologist. This was difficult for me to hear, but it was the best feedback I could have received at the time. It woke me up. Even when you are concerned about money, you cannot let the stress move you off your game plan or change who you are.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Understand that you have to continue to sell and market your business, even when you are very busy.
- Perseverance is a must. You need to be able to overcome certain of your own shortcomings as a function of a persistent and tenacious style.
- Capacity to work through challenges abide by the notion that nearly any goal can be met if one is willing to persist and work diligently until you succeed.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Most companies do a competent job of analyzing technical skills and abilities. However, not all companies are effective in evaluating soft people skills. Knowing the soft skill characteristics and work behaviors that differentiate successful from unsuccessful candidates is essential in today's competitive job market. Employers are increasingly evaluating a person's soft skills because these skills play a very important role in determining a person's job performance and their probability of future retention. Not knowing which soft skills are most important – and failing to measure those skills accurately – can lead to costly hiring mistakes. I want to help companies hire people who are the best match for a particular job in a company. Just as important, I want to help people avoid getting into jobs they will find not a good fit.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.workstylematcher.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PsyMaxSolutions
Twitter: https://twitter.com/workstylematch
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.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.