Hello! We’re back with the third episode of Life In Private Staffing season 2 and I’m joined by the founder and CEO of Staffing Properties, Sam Palmer.
As we welcome spring and the gradual easing of lockdown in the UK, I’m delighted to bring you episode three of the second season of Life in Private Staffing, where I chat to Sam Palmer. Sam is the founder of Staffing Properties and his route into the world of private household recruitment is a little different to the norm, so he has a fresh and insightful perspective for us.
Currently residing in Monaco with his family (including a new baby!), Sam launched Staffing Properties from his LA base in January 2020. That means the 12 months have been totally shaped by Covid-19 and its impact on every area of our lives, but it hasn’t curtailed Sam’s ambitions for the brand.
Let’s dive in and learn more about Sam’s background, how he came to be involved in private staffing and what he thinks will happen in 2021:
“I really loved my first ever recruitment job. I worked in an agency in Australia dedicated to legal support staff and, at the time, I was totally driven by money and beating my colleagues. I threw myself into in with a determination to win. After just 5 years I had reached the top and was billing over a million dollars a year for them. I was technically a temp consultant but billed more than the dedicated perm consultants too!”
Sam met his now fiancé whilst working in Australia, something that would steer both his life and his career in a totally new direction. Sam was soon packing his bags and jetting off to sunny LA, where he set up home with her in one of the most famous houses in the US.
“I was totally taken aback, not just at the size of the house we were living in (it has 16,000 square feet of living space!), but also at what it took to run that house. I became a partner there and learnt everything about how private households are run. Sadly, it became apparent that she was being taken advantage of on price, not only for recruitment but also other services.”
That gave Sam the idea to start Staffing Properties, combining his extensive knowledge of recruitment with a new passion for helping high net worth individuals find staff. He also says that starting his own business has shifted his idea of what’s important about recruitment.
“I used to openly say it was all about the money. It was absolutely what drove me, and it makes me feel strange saying it out loud now. But when I started my own business my focus totally changed. It’s all about people now – making sure clients have the right people in their household to support them and ensuring candidates get amazing opportunities”.
I completely agree – you need happy and satisfied people on both sides of the recruitment equation to ensure longevity and success! But what happens when you have a brilliant idea and put the wheels in motion just before the world is turned upside down by a pandemic?! Sam says he’s actually lucky with his timing…
“Because we were newly launched, Staffing Properties didn’t have huge overheads and lots of staff. I took on enough roles to pay the bills and was lucky that the US market stayed active as people relocate from say New York to LA, or from LA to Florida or Texas. But aside from ensuring the business washed its face, I focused on brand growth and not money. That’s how I’ve met the biggest business people in the world with multiple properties, secured excellent press coverage and really got our name out there!”
That’s advice that Sam says applies to candidates as well as agencies. If you’re in a role or location which is stagnant, make sure you stay professional and positive. By being visible, vocal and at the front of recruiters’ minds, you’ll be set for success when the world opens up. And we’re in agreement that private staff recruitment is going to get very busy when that happens.
“Not only will staff who have been sitting tight during Covid move roles, I think we’ll see those households existing with skeleton staff levels (to minimise the risk of contact with the virus) start to recruit too. People will want to be cared for in their own homes more than before, so if you have been waiting for their perfect role, hang on a bit longer. It’s coming.”
Interested in those roles? Sam shares his most exciting new positions with his Instagram followers on his personal account and on both Sam’s and Staffing Properties’ LinkedIn feeds, so if you’re keen to learn more and hear about roles in LA and Monaco, make sure you take a look.
Watch the full episode and learn more about Sam’s career
We covered lots more in my chat with Sam, and he offered so much insight into his experience of private staffing, so make sure you go and listen to the full podcast episode on Spotify, Apple podcast or YouTube. It’s inspirational stuff whether you want to work in private staffing or you do but need a morale boost at this tricky time
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