Ambrion is fortunate enough to be celebrating its 20th birthday on August 1st, and in reflecting on the fact that Ambrion has been around for 20 years I got really philosophical. These thoughts came to me in a jumbled mess but after taking some time to reflect, I boiled it down to a few lessons I learned that might be beneficial for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Lesson Number 1: Surround yourself with exceptional people. 
When I started Ambrion, I did so with people who were honest and ethical and truly believed in the mission of Ambrion and were passionate about it. The other founders had more experience than I did and were excellent recruiters. They needed me as the catalyst to get everything going but I definitely needed them for the knowledge and experience they brought to the table. I was also young and impressionable and I was lucky to surround myself with such quality people from the get go. We started this business to better serve our clients and candidates and I think Ambrion has successfully done that for 20 years. Without initially surrounding myself with exceptional people Ambrion would not be the organization it is today.
Lesson Number 2: Make sure the organization in which you choose to invest your energy shares your values.
So, how did we make it 20 years? I believe we’ve made it 20 years because we stayed true to our culture that values ethics and honesty above all else. What that means for us today is that we hire people who share our values of Integrity, Collaboration, Optimism, and Dedication. Because all team members share these values it allows us to form the long term relationships necessary to provide exceptional results for our clients and candidates. There will always be temptation to cut corners when it comes to your values for a quick payoff but know that, though in the short term it may benefit you, in the long term you will erode your reputation and ultimately the small gain will pale in comparison to the cost. In addition, if your values are not in line with the organization you are working for you will not have the passion needed to be successful.
Lesson Number 3: Stay humble and be a lifelong learner.
When I am interviewing someone I always mention that the day I don’t feel like I can learn something from my team is the day that I will retire. This passion for learning has served me well over the years and has definitely kept me humble. In order to be open to learning you need to understand and be able to admit that you don’t know everything. To be successful, especially when working for or creating a startup, you need to be a jack of all trades Every day in a startup is different and new and you have the opportunity to learn and that’s one thing that has kept me excited over the last 20 years. As technology and industries continue to change being a lifelong learner will serve you well regardless of the line of business you are in.
In summary…
If you get the right people on board, stay true to your values and wake up everyday with an appetite for learning you increase your odds of success immensely regardless of what you are doing. According to Inc.com, the odds of a business making it 10 years is only 4%. We are very happy to say we’ve made it double that and are looking forward to another 20 years by staying true to our values and continuing to learn every day.
To those hiring managers, human resource professionals, and job seekers who have trusted us over the years, I want to say thank you. Thank you for allowing us to serve you over the last 20 years! I am humbled by the fact that you trust us to help you hire your team members or trust us to help you find the next step in your career. Please know that we take this responsibility seriously and we are always striving to find the Perfect Match! Without your trust we would not be in business.
If you have any stories about your experience with Ambrion over the last 20 years I invite you to share them in the comments below.
Thank you,
Brian Carlson