Episode Transcript
[00:00:14] Speaker A: Welcome to Battle Ready. I'm Ricky Chavez. I'm the show host. All about learning about people when you're preparing for the unexpected turns in business. And the Battle Ready is all about making sure you have resources or, you know, that you can make it happen. You know, you don't know what you don't know. And we want to make sure and clarify all the right things and the right strategies. Today I'm joined by Yui Culberson, the founder and president of Culberson Resources, Inc. A Houston based recruiting firm. Over 20 years of success in connecting business businesses with top tier talent. You know, the amazing thing about this is she makes the match and helps people find their new passions. Hey, Yui. Welcome.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Thank you. Glad to be here.
[00:00:55] Speaker A: Well, I'm glad you're here too. I know that we were talking a little bit before and it's always kind of. All right, what's gonna happen today on this show? Right, so we were talking a little about your. A little bit about your background. You came to United States at a young age from Korea. You got kind of assimilated to learning about us even though you were young. I mean, it was still different, right?
[00:01:18] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. I was 10 years old and nobody spoke any English.
[00:01:22] Speaker A: Oh, Lord.
[00:01:23] Speaker B: Siblings. So we were kind of like all thrown together at the same time.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: And, and so how, how do you. I mean, you speak perfect English. I mean, probably better than me.
So tell me, how hard do you think it was for you to learn English or did you pick it up easy?
[00:01:41] Speaker B: No, I, I guess everybody assimilated differently with. I have eight sisters, so we can cut. We had a testament for everybody. But I feel like I'm the dividing line.
My sisters, I'm number five. Me and under, we assimilated pretty much to American culture. And then I have older siblings that, you know, you can definitely tell a little more accents there. But my goal at a very young age was wanting to be one of the kids because, you know, when you're, you know, young, you don't want to be different. You want to be like everybody else. So, you know, I work really hard to kind of do that.
[00:02:16] Speaker A: Well, you know, I know kids. Kids are pretty tough, right?
[00:02:19] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:02:20] Speaker A: And especially girls. I have three daughters and, oh, my God, I think they're worse than guys. Guys are pretty straightforward. I think girls are a little bit more catty, indirect and just. Oh, man, I don't even know. So it's probably pretty interesting for you, huh?
[00:02:37] Speaker B: Yeah, it was before the influence of a lot of immigrants. It was back in early 70s. So, you know, it was. It was kind of interesting. I went to Bel Air High School, which was probably like 95 white people at the time, you know, so, you know, you just kind of try to assimilate as fast as you can.
[00:02:54] Speaker A: And so you graduated Bella High School, then you went where?
[00:02:58] Speaker B: I graduated from Texas A and M. Really?
[00:03:01] Speaker A: Okay, so, so you. Are you in that, that The Texas AM vs UT thing going on all the time?
[00:03:07] Speaker B: You know, I'm not as die hard because I have siblings that went to ut. I went to A and M, you know, and I could have gone to either school, I guess, but I ended up at A and M, and so it wasn't quite as difficult to get in.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: That's too funny. So out of, out of A and M then, then where did your career take you?
[00:03:28] Speaker B: I was an accountant for five years. I graduated an accounting degree.
So I think early on when I was getting my degree, I told my mother that I think I'll take art major because I thought I could draw. But she said I had to pay for my own college. And I said, well, I guess I'll take accounting. She wanted me to find a job. So you're not going to find a job and you can draw on your own time?
Oh, I know an accounting degree and did get a job at an oil and gas company for five years before I became a recruiter.
[00:03:57] Speaker A: So she really motivated you.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, when they say Asian moms are tiger moms, I mean she definitely was. She's like, I'm not paying four years of college for you to, like, goof around with an art degree.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:04:08] Speaker B: And she was right. I wasn't really even that good. I just thought, you know, okay, I'll just be a Picasso.
[00:04:12] Speaker A: You just liked it. Hey, I. And then accountant. So, you know, as. As an HR professional back, I, you know, I hired accountants. And you have a very different personality than your. The average accountant. I mean, you're pretty, you know, outgoing. Is that how you end up in recruiting?
[00:04:32] Speaker B: Well, you know, back in the day, I mean, recruiting wasn't as big as it was today, and somebody recruited me to.
For another job. And then when they met me, they are. They're the ones who offer me an opportunity to maybe be in sales and not abandon your accounting degree. So it kind of made sense to me.
[00:04:49] Speaker A: Well, you know the interesting thing, and now that you're the owner of, of Culberson's, people don't usually get jobs and degrees that they have. I mean, lawyers, doctors, maybe engineers, but other when it comes down after that, it's like, it's like free for all, isn't it?
[00:05:08] Speaker B: Well, I think it's real hard when you're 17, 18 years, you know, old, you know, trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. They really don't have a good idea of what each job entails. Right. I mean, I, I really didn't know what I was going to be doing in accounting and, and you know, for me, I hated every minute.
You know, going to recruiting was a kind of an easy transition.
[00:05:29] Speaker A: Like, you know, you, you have a very outgoing person. So it's easy just developing the relationships, huh?
[00:05:36] Speaker B: Yes. Well, I mean, it's. Recruiting is like any, any other business development, business owner mentalities.
I mean, you are kind of having your mini, own business know there is no support. You make it happen.
[00:05:50] Speaker A: So you, and so you find them, you make and you match them.
[00:05:54] Speaker B: Yes, yes. I mean, you know, it was very different 30 years ago when I got into the business. You just had a phone. Right.
And you make it happen. But nowadays, obviously, it's, it's a really big business.
LinkedIn recruiter. I mean, everything's AI driven and making that match. And I think in some ways for candidates it's harder, some ways it's easier. But I, you know, making, differentiating yourself is always a goal in, in any scenario.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: So all the companies out here, what would you say to these companies out here that feel like that there's no good candidate out there and they're having a struggle finding them?
[00:06:30] Speaker B: I mean, you know, even as a recruiter, we struggle with that. Right. I think it's really hard to know what the market is, but I do think clarity with companies of what they're looking for is important.
I think, you know, getting media out there on your core values and consistency, you know, those things all matter because nowadays kids do everything online, so they're going to be looking for that, you know, they're going to look for transparency, consistency, you know, core values. You know, why would we want to go to work there? And I think that's where a lot of times companies miss. They don't really put the sizzle out there. The benefit of why somebody would want to work there, because top talent is always going to be a war of getting those people and they have options.
So I think companies have to do their part to attract these people. Not your below average people, but the top talents. Right. Because they're gonna, when they go on the job market, they're gonna have several Offers.
[00:07:32] Speaker A: You just said something that I really like. Put that sizzle out there.
[00:07:35] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:37] Speaker A: We call it the whiff. And what's in it for me? Right.
Why would I want to go work here?
[00:07:41] Speaker B: Even with my recruiters? I tell them the job description is important, but you're recruiting them because they have the skills to do that job they're wanting somebody to do. Then it becomes, why would they want to go to work there? So then I talk about the opportunities and the sizzle and try to really get to know the candidate about what drives them.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: And what do you say to the companies? Right. To motivate them to put the sizzle out there or maybe to actually relook at how their platform is so. So that they can recruit?
[00:08:12] Speaker B: Well, I think talent more is always big. It's always been big.
And that's one of the reasons why, I mean, companies don't Pay, you know, 20, $30,000 because they want to pay, because they have hard time doing that. So recruiters are doing that. Right. So nowadays, you know, I will say most companies, a lot of companies have their own talent acquisition group, and, you know, it's. So they have to do their job to show out their core values and everything else as to why, you know, somebody who has options want to go to work there.
[00:08:46] Speaker A: So they have. So a lot of the companies that have even those talent acquisition groups, they look to companies like yourself for support.
[00:08:55] Speaker B: Right, right.
[00:08:57] Speaker A: And so what do you bring to that table? I mean, what.
[00:08:59] Speaker B: Hunter hunting is a very different skill set.
[00:09:01] Speaker A: No, yes.
Yes. I totally. Yeah. You know, I know. I think, you know, I think we met one time. We talked a little bit. I used to be an army recruiter. Nobody wakes up in the morning wanting to go in the army. You know, we have to find them, entice them, show them, and then make sure that there's a match. So I'm so, you know, and I did it also in court. I was with FedEx for a long time and same thing. You know, everybody thinks they want to do it, but don't necessarily have the skill set to do it. Right. So.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: Right.
It comes down to discipline.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: Yeah. So how. How do you get your recruiters to get that candidate motivated about the company?
[00:09:48] Speaker B: Well, I think, you know, part of my challenge early on when I trained my recruiters, I always, I try to identify good resume versus not so good resumes. Right.
I think the less you have to explain your resume, better off you are.
[00:10:04] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: And I always tell my candidates that because I look at every job moves they made and see if that makes an emotional intelligence decision, how they make those decisions.
[00:10:13] Speaker A: So if they bounce around, it's maybe not that smart.
[00:10:17] Speaker B: Right. I mean, nowadays the company landscape has also changed. You know, back in the day, it was big oil companies, you know, few that owned everything like the, you know, Enrons and Adarcos. But nowadays it's all private equity companies.
I don't want to say all, but a lot of it. And what that means is it's not owned by the the same group of people. It's usually people that want to turn their business and make profit within five years and either go public, sell. So it's a different landscape. So if they work for private equities, then I do give them a little more latitude about the moves.
Right. But again, you know, what I'm checking when I'm looking at these resumes is their emotional intelligence. You know, do they have a wherewithal to do the job and do they make good decisions about their next strategic move? You know, those kind of things, overcoming objections like, you know, that's what I'm looking for when I'm interviewing candidates.
[00:11:15] Speaker A: So we're going to come back and talk a little bit about resume prep and how you review it. In a few minutes, we're getting ready to go to a quick commercial.
We're here with Eubie Coberson from Coberson Resources.
Welcome back to Battle Ready. If you're loving what you're watching, don't miss a moment of Battle Ready or any of the other favorite NOW Media TV shows. They're live and on demand anytime, anywhere. You can Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku iOS and Android, enjoy any of the different stations out there. You can catch up the podcast versions of the show right on NOW Media TV website, and we'll be able to have and show you everything you're looking for.
Now we're back with Yui Culberson. She's with Culberson Resources out here in Houston and she does a lot of the manpower assistance for a lot of the companies. Yui, welcome back.
[00:12:13] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:12:14] Speaker A: So we were talking about resumes and you know, you've been doing this for a minute. So resumes have been quite, quite different from when you started to now what they're looking for. So kind of tell me, if you were talking to a candidate and maybe they've never really transitioned or never even done a resume, what would you kind of point out to them?
[00:12:37] Speaker B: You know, people literally look at your resume for like one minute.
So what I would say is highlight your superpower.
And I like reverse chronological resume, so it tells a story in a minute, you know, and I like to fill all the gaps. But again, what I mentioned earlier is, is, you know, the less you have to explain your resume better it is.
And you, you want to kind of speak to that and, and also in the summary, speak to the direction you want. You might want to take your career.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: Oh, okay. And so you need to kind of explain in an interview different things on your, on your resume, correct?
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:13:28] Speaker A: Now. So it's been a while, right? Question, what's that?
[00:13:31] Speaker B: What was it? Is that a question? I'm sorry.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: No, no, no, I said, I said so you. So nowadays you have to be able to explain, you know, what you've done at the different pieces of your resume. You know what I mean?
[00:13:42] Speaker B: Right. So you want to, you want to highlight your superpower.
[00:13:45] Speaker A: Yeah. So with that, what's. Is there a good way? I remember back in the day, and that's been a long time, they used to call sar bar, you know, situation, action, result kind of thing. So what is it? Is it the same way now or is it different? How is that?
[00:13:59] Speaker B: Well, no, you know, I would say things like that has not changed. I mean, people still want to know what you can do, you know. But I think what's really incorporating now is, you know, because a lot of the resumes they hire from just the technical side, I think word they're missing is emotional intelligence, what they used to call probably business acumen.
So if I think the mistakes a lot of hiring managers make is just going off their technical ability.
But we have to kind of look at how do they handle behavioral things, what is their core values and do they embody what the company's looking for?
Sometimes it's not just what they got in school or what school they went to, but were they able to stay in a position, did they grow within that organization? Do you see a progression? And those are the kind of things that they are looking for. And also lot of behavioral questions, how they handle situations.
[00:14:56] Speaker A: Right.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: That's a big thing right now because I think even for me as a business owner, some people look great on paper. But you know, that doesn't mean they have emotional intelligence. And I think that's the big, big piece that companies are really looking at nowadays. And they ask a lot more open ended behavioral type questions to make sure they fit in a team.
[00:15:18] Speaker A: Well, I know that the culture is so much different.
I mean, even the military from when I went in the army, I went in was not the army my dad was in. The army I was in is not the army my son is in. So it's changing. And out here is probably just the same. Even when in the few years I spent in the HR world, you know, the people started changing.
[00:15:41] Speaker B: Right.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: And how you have changed and how you handle them. So, you know, just because you can do something per your resume, you have the skills, but you may have never done it, then what?
[00:15:55] Speaker B: Well, I think I always tell candidates when they're evaluating opportunities, you know, it's not just like, what is job for me today, but where can I go from here. Right?
Because I think navigating companies sometimes even harder than coming out of school. Because in school you kind of know exactly what to expect.
But in a real world, you have to create your own opportunities.
And I will say this. If you're very good at what you do, you rarely have to look for a job. They come find you because they're hard to find.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: No, sure, sure.
[00:16:29] Speaker B: And you know, recruiters look for those people.
[00:16:33] Speaker A: You know, I always told friends of mine and I get calls still now, but I tell them, you know, the best time to look for a job is when you got a job or when things ain't going right. People want to see people that are working versus people not working. Because then what? They wonder what happened.
[00:16:50] Speaker B: Well, you know, I've kind of worked with companies when they had to file chapter 11 reorganization, you know, when they have to cut out A division. This is what I do know. I mean, I'm not saying this is true with everybody because sometimes they cut out the whole division, but they're going to go through their roster and they're going to try to all their. Their might keep their A players.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: No. Yeah.
[00:17:14] Speaker B: You know, so then, you know, you kind of have to know that and the A player is going to be the last ones to go.
[00:17:19] Speaker A: You know, I. I was oil and gas for a while, and I remember 2013 ish. No, maybe 2000, 16 ish. We were going through that. And I remember going through the grading process to the point where we were laying off the worst of the best who are still better than everybody else.
[00:17:39] Speaker B: Right. And that is, you know, so, I mean, I. Sometimes it happens where they get rid of the whole division and some A players may get cut. And I get that. Sometimes they make it through like three rounds and it's like fourth round, you know, but, you know, if you keep getting laid off, then that's hard to explain.
[00:17:55] Speaker A: No, for sure. But. So how do you prepare I always tell everybody, you got to be prepared to get laid off.
So you've got to build your resume or your skill set and make yourself so important to your companies. And people don't get that. I don't want to do anything extra. I don't want to do this. But I'm like, listen, you need to make sure that you take as much as you can get and deal with it, because you never know. Right. What do you think about that?
[00:18:27] Speaker B: Well, I think that it's not that you're waiting to get laid off, but again, I always think the old adage is, still works like cream, always rise to top. It's hard to find people that are. They'll do beyond their job scope. Those are the people, though. They get picked, though. You know, people recognize those people because they rise to the top. And so my thing, the young, younger generation is exactly that, you know, do more than what is asked of you, you know, And I think that's what a lot of people don't understand.
It's like, if you're really good at what you do, they'll come find you.
[00:19:00] Speaker A: No, I mean, we understand it, right? Yeah, but I know that I was talking to somebody recently and we were talking about, you know, how they would get more business.
Right. And I just basically told them, you need to start sending emails, you need to reach out to people. And they told me, that's not my job.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: Right. Well, again, that's the. To me, that's a B player. Right.
[00:19:23] Speaker A: It's not doing whatever it takes to.
[00:19:24] Speaker B: Get the job done.
[00:19:25] Speaker A: No. And. And the. The crazy thing about it is this person is amazing at what she does. She's just. When everybody finally meets her and sees her in action, I mean, she's. What was her role at the 99.
Right. Percentile?
[00:19:40] Speaker B: What was. What was her role?
[00:19:42] Speaker A: She was in escrow.
[00:19:46] Speaker B: Oh, okay. She was just good in that. That particular.
[00:19:48] Speaker A: Oh, man, she. She's good with people. She's good the business. She knows the answers. She can make it happen, you know, but then all of a sudden, it's like, okay, you know, business is kind of flat right now. What are the things that I should do? Or, you know, I said, do this, do this, and. Yeah, that's not my job. They hired this person for that. This person. And it's kind of a younger mindset. Right.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: Well, I think that she may not be good at it. Right. Everybody's got their niche, you know, and.
But, you know, not everybody's cut out to, like, just go all out to like drum up business, you know, And I get that.
[00:20:27] Speaker A: But if it makes a difference of your longevity, I think you got to step out your comfort zone. Right.
[00:20:34] Speaker B: I think most people, a lot of people, they have a lot of fears around doing something other than what they know how to do best. And I even struggle with that with recruiters that just do certain things, you know, and they have a real hard time branching out.
So I think fear plays a big, big part in that.
[00:20:53] Speaker A: I remember. So I did a few minutes in staffing. I was with Ronstadt back in the day. Right.
And at Ronstadt, they did what we call sales and service.
So you went out and knocked on the doors, you found and got the positions, and you came back and recruited the people to meet that.
And it was easy because when they.
When they called me, I knew and I was responsible for making sure that the candidate met the needs that I promised them they would. And then there's other companies that do sales and service separately. And then they would be mad because this guy promised this and then the service wasn't there. How do you feel about that world?
[00:21:33] Speaker B: Well, I think that there's a lot of mismatch of what companies want and what candidates are willing to deliver. I think companies do a better job of tightening up their job description.
So less surprised the candidate is about the role, the better it's going to be.
And every company has a different structure, different process, and being able to communicate that and be very clear on the interview process.
You know, that's part of getting the right person in the right seat.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: Is there something that you coach your team to help them with that?
[00:22:09] Speaker B: Yes. I mean, I think, you know, I come from more of the executive recruiting space, so it's not just doing executive as much as it's how we recruit. The process is very similar. We get to know the story, we know the person, what their strengths and weaknesses are, what their goals are. And so we try to make that match. And the client gets very vetted candidate. That's a very different kinds of recruiting than, let's say, staffing or transactional recruiting type work. Right.
So. And that's what we coach our clients and the candidates. And if we're ruling the A player, companies have to really step up and do their part too. So it's kind of really setting people up on a blind date.
[00:22:53] Speaker A: Real fast before we go into commercial. How would somebody out there that needs some guidance reach out to you?
[00:22:59] Speaker B: I mean, they can.
I'm very easily accessible. My information is on the website.
[00:23:04] Speaker A: All right. And what is that website?
[00:23:07] Speaker B: Culberson Resources Inc.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: Okay, so they just come out there, read over there and reach out to one of your team and maybe set up a conversation.
[00:23:17] Speaker B: Yes, yes, absolutely.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: All right, well, we look forward to talking to you some more, Yui, when we come back after this commercial.
[00:23:25] Speaker B: Sounds good.
[00:23:37] Speaker A: Hey, I'm Ricky Chavez. I'm here with Yui Culberson on Battle Ready. We're talking about, in this segment about entrepreneurs, what the focus is for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Hey, Yui. Welcome back.
[00:23:49] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:23:50] Speaker A: All right, so we've talked a lot about the resume, the workforce, the workers, companies looking. So you own your business, you're an entrepreneur.
How scary is that?
[00:24:03] Speaker B: You know, I saw my, I had a very different role model than most people. My parents came here with 10 kids.
[00:24:12] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:24:13] Speaker B: Nobody spoke English. And what I saw her accomplish without even speaking the language, sending us to college, you know, living in a very upper middle class home. There was just no reason I couldn't succeed on my, you know what I mean, with me going to school here, speaking the language.
And so she was my role model, so maybe I had a little bit of an advantage as far as that goes.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: And tell me what she did.
[00:24:37] Speaker B: So, you know, we left everything behind. It was early 70s and you know, when you don't speak the language yet, it was really heart wrenching looking back. What they had to give everything up, their real estate, their business in Korea to come here.
And you know, she started cleaning hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn. And that was very hard time for my parents. It was, you know, they were just trying to survive.
[00:25:01] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:25:01] Speaker B: And they, they pull their money and then they bought their first gas station and that's how. And they worked 18 hour days and they really grew that. And helped my other siblings get their stations and kind of grew from there. And then they were, you know, we, we kind of all pulled our money together. Even when I was 16, I worked, I gave her my money because. But then, you know, it was kind of a.
But when I turned 18, I got a car and I was able to go to Texas A and M. So, you know, we kind of all work together as far as that goes. It wasn't like your money or my money.
[00:25:35] Speaker A: No. And that's, that's pretty amazing. And, and I think you, and I think in your culture, it's like, it's, it's no big deal. I mean, it's like you're there for the family core, right?
[00:25:47] Speaker B: Yes, yes, that was.
And you know, we were all struggling, so it didn't it wasn't like somebody said, I don't want to do it. You know, everybody was in it.
[00:25:56] Speaker A: Nice. And so you work for some other companies before you did this?
[00:26:03] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:26:05] Speaker A: So what talk to me about the conversation you had within yourself about, okay, I'm working for somebody else now, I'm going to step out on my own.
[00:26:17] Speaker B: You know, I was very naive.
I was, I was a pretty good recruiter, you know, because my old firm, I mean it was, you know, back in the day when you're a recruiter, it was kind of like dog eat dog world, right? Glingy Grim Ross kind of environment and they put your six month average on top. So you never wanted to fall below kind of thing. But.
And I made more money than I ever thought I would actually. And so the January, looking at the blank screen, I thought I can't do this one more year, I need to do something different. So for me it was a growth thing.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: Okay, then doing.
[00:26:51] Speaker B: Because I was there, I was, I worked for like 10 years for a firm and really I do think, I do believe you have to really good at your craft before you open your own business. Okay, but to be a really good student.
[00:27:03] Speaker A: Okay, so, but no fear, you just jumped out with both hands and went at it.
[00:27:11] Speaker B: Well, you know, so I was in the executive recruiting space and this is what we worked as a team. But really you had your own mini business. I mean you found you had the candidate, you had the clients and you kind of had your mini business where you had a support of your back office. So I, that's why I said I think I might have, yes, there was fear, but I might have been very naive about what I could do on my own because you know, you can.
[00:27:35] Speaker A: Take on the world. It's no big deal.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: Yeah, but you know, I didn't really struggle when I was working by myself. It's really when I try to scale, everything went upside down because that's a holder from ball game.
[00:27:48] Speaker A: So how long were you in business before you started to scale or did you do that right away?
[00:27:53] Speaker B: No, I waited about three years.
I wanted to make sure I had some leverage, you know, the money and just, just the thing, fundamentals. Getting my name out there on my own so that whatever mistake I made, you know, it's smaller when you do it on your own and if you have like one of everything else going, you know.
[00:28:15] Speaker A: No, that's actually very, very smart thought. I mean I never thought about like that, you know, they're on smaller scale. So after three years, so Was there like a routine or something you went through to help you feel more confident and this is the time to scale or did. There was just a rush of business. What happened?
[00:28:36] Speaker B: Well, I think, you know, I was getting a couple of really big clients at the time. You know, like, let's say Lyndale was one of my clients, and I just couldn't do it all on my own.
So then you hire your first recruiter to just do the candidate side. Right.
And then you hire another recruiter to kind of help you business development and fill the positions. And so I did one at a time.
[00:28:59] Speaker A: Okay, and where are you at now?
[00:29:02] Speaker B: Well, you know, another scaling.
I don't want to say it's a mistake or growth is. I wanted to get more into the transactional recruiting versus just executive recruiting because the training for executive recruiting was so difficult. It probably takes about two or three years for somebody to really get it under their belt.
[00:29:22] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: Because it's really more of a consultant role rather than just getting a job description. And you know what I mean? So kind of changing the model.
That was probably where my biggest hurdle came because I didn't grow up in that. So what it looks like from afar is very different than, you know, actually hands on in it actually hands on because, you know, I really didn't know the space. And so, you know, you're kind of a trial and error kind of thing.
[00:29:51] Speaker A: Is there any one thing, if you're open to share, what was one thing that just made you doubt yourself? Was there ever any situation?
[00:30:02] Speaker B: Oh, a lot. A lot. I think this is what I would say after 20 years of business, if you. Probably my biggest obstacle was me.
[00:30:11] Speaker A: What do you mean?
[00:30:12] Speaker B: And I think most owners feel that way, especially if you come from the trade, is that letting go okay?
You know, like, you try to do everything perfectly the way you always have done it. And problem is, you can't scale that way. You have to be the visionary.
You have to be a mentor. And even if they don't do it 100%, you have to be okay with letting that go.
I probably struggle with that the most.
[00:30:39] Speaker A: I think the one word that I get a lot of times when I talk to women professionals, right.
My wife, I say, this can't delegate. You just want to do it all yourself. By the time. And this is what she says to me, by the time I explain to somebody else this, I'll have it done already.
[00:30:56] Speaker B: So that was my old adage, but you're never going to grow beyond your reach, Right.
So I was, you Know, financially, very stable on my own. But it was a kind of a dream to create an organization. Right.
And it. Yes, it does take a lot of patience. You have to.
You have to grow as a person, I think so. Grow as a person.
[00:31:19] Speaker A: So talk to me. Talk to me about that real quick. Grow as a person.
What was the thing, if you were being perfectly honest? Look in the mirror. If you could talk to the young Yui, what is it that you had the biggest struggle with going on?
[00:31:37] Speaker B: That you don't have to be the smartest person in the room.
[00:31:40] Speaker A: Okay, and so how did you work that out?
[00:31:45] Speaker B: Well, even now I'm with my staff calls a closer. They do all the legwork. And if something has to be closed, I come in because I have 30 years of experience. Not because, you know, I'm smarter or anything. I just have more experience. But I think I would say letting go and being a mentor is very critical of scaling some your business and working on. On the business and not in it. And I was in it and I couldn't let it go.
[00:32:12] Speaker A: So what do you mean by on the business?
[00:32:14] Speaker B: Because, you know, my contacts when I was a young recruiter, they became CFOs. Right. So they don't want anybody but UE.
[00:32:21] Speaker A: Okay, okay.
[00:32:23] Speaker B: But I had to really separate, you know, ue from Culbertson and allow my team to grow. And even like when you say, you know, how do they get a hold of you? Because I think my staff is good. They can get a hold of anybody, and we'll give you the answers they need.
[00:32:36] Speaker A: You know, what is. Tell me about what is the core values of your company.
[00:32:44] Speaker B: In it to win it committed, greater good.
And you have to be fun.
[00:32:55] Speaker A: I like the last one for sure.
[00:32:57] Speaker B: Yes.
I think you have to laugh at all the mistakes you made. I mean, you know what I love about people? They never still cease to amaze me. That's what makes this job fun and not fun.
[00:33:09] Speaker A: I bet. So what? Tell me, tell me. Listen, we got time for a minute. So tell me a story about the crazy candidate that is like, I can't even believe we just went through that. Have you ever had one?
[00:33:20] Speaker B: Oh, God. I mean, this is kind of going back when I was younger. I had this Asian candidate.
He had a skill set my client wanted, and they were going to move him. And I guess he just wanted everything online. And he said, well, there's no one to mow the lawn, so the company paid what.
[00:33:42] Speaker A: For him to.
[00:33:42] Speaker B: I want to eat that bad.
[00:33:44] Speaker A: That is pretty cool.
[00:33:46] Speaker B: So you Know the good question? I challenge my recruiters. Who do you press more, client or the candidate? You know what the answer is?
[00:33:53] Speaker A: What?
[00:33:54] Speaker B: It's whoever wants the other one more.
You know, that's the true answer.
[00:33:58] Speaker A: No. And that, that's, you know, that. That's a really good point. I think I just went through a.
A negotiation with one of my clients, and I'm in real estate now, and went back and forth with the other agent. We had a great conversation and we asked for something and the other agent came back, was like, no, they're not going to do it.
You know, And I was like, okay, so how bad does my client want the house? And how bad does the other client want to sell the house?
Right.
So my client told me, basically, look, I don't care. I want the house.
If they don't do it, I don't care. And then I went back to the other agent. I'm like, look, I think we're so close.
Why don't we split it?
I know you can do this. You know, you and me, we can split it. I mean, that are. Your client will win. My client will. Well, I don't know. I said, why don't you check it out? So she goes back and the thing about it is, is you don't know what your client's going to say. It's like you said earlier, right?
So she's like, well, I'll call you back. So she, she calls me back, she's all excited. They'll. He's gonna split it.
And I call my client back. I'm like, they're giving you half. He's like, what? I'm like, hey, we're good. So everybody was happy as a win win, right?
[00:35:15] Speaker B: It was a win win. You came up with a win win solution.
[00:35:18] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, but it's funny, but you're.
[00:35:20] Speaker B: I think if you can like, take your ego away a lot of times, you know.
[00:35:24] Speaker A: Oh, yes. Kind of close a lot more deals, right?
[00:35:28] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:35:28] Speaker A: On your side.
[00:35:29] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:35:30] Speaker A: So much the same. I tell, I tell my team, get your personal ideas out of it. It's not you.
There's no. We're not gonna do it. We're your client, the company. Right?
[00:35:42] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:35:43] Speaker A: Okay, that's great. Well, listen, we'll come right back with Yui Culberson after this commercial.
Welcome back to Battle ready. If you're loving what you're watching, don't miss a moment of battle ready and any of your other favorite now media TV shows, live or in demand, anytime, anywhere. You can Download them free on Now Media TV or the app on Roku or iOS. You can also go to Now Media the TV and actually listen to them as a podcast. We look forward to hearing from you and we look forward to seeing you. Right back with Huey Culberson with Culberson Resources. Hey, Yui, last segment.
Yes, this has been pretty fun. I know when we talk about that you were a little worried. Oh my God, there's so many questions. And I wish I was a better. I wish I was better at following that, but I much like the conversation.
[00:36:37] Speaker B: No, I like the whole conversation. Yes.
[00:36:39] Speaker A: You know, and, and I think the conversation we had in the break, we're gonna play with that a little bit. So. Okay, you talked about scaling up and your biggest challenge was letting go.
And now you've been the owner for quite a long time.
How much? What would you say to the new entrepreneur that was that individual contributor, very good at what they do, but now it's time for them to go forward and multiply.
[00:37:09] Speaker B: Well, you know, I was part of the Vistage group for like 10 years, and that's a CEO roundtable.
And part of the reason we're in it because we're trying to help each other be able to scale and grow. Right.
So I would say the goal is ultimately as a business owner, is for you to work on the strategy and on the business, not in it as much.
So whatever you need to do to prepare yourself to get to that point, you know, the business, the goal is a business should run without you.
[00:37:36] Speaker A: No. 100%. No. I mean, that's kind of our military philosophy. Right.
You know, you have to go down to the last person to get the mission done. Everybody needs to know the mission. And if something happens, that last person needs to be able to accomplish the mission. And it can't if you hold it all so deep to your heart.
[00:37:56] Speaker B: Right, right.
[00:37:57] Speaker A: But the other piece of it is this out here. In one of my other shows, we talked about, you know, the mentorship that you're talking about, you had in your group. A lot of people are scared to mentor people to their level because then they're afraid that they might mentor themselves out of a position. What do you think about that?
[00:38:16] Speaker B: I think that's a very small mindedness.
[00:38:21] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:38:22] Speaker B: Yeah, I do, I do think, you know, people always grow and I don't think they can ever take away who you are and what you can bring, how you can contribute, because they're the next generation. Right, right. And, and you know, I mean, fear is a big Thing, But I do think it's mainly made up in our own heads, right? It's. It's a fear of the unknown. It's. It's really things that really don't even exist, but we have to give back. That's how we grow.
I mean, you'll. You'll take a different type of position, you know, when they start doing some of the little things that you're giving.
[00:39:00] Speaker A: Giving them to do, you know, I just spoke with a good friend of mine, and he was the president of a company, and when I talked to him on Friday, he said, we've split ways, and on my last day's on Monday, and I'm like, how do you feel about that? It's like things happen for a reason.
And now I'm able to pursue something that I've always wanted to but didn't want to leave, my comfortability. What are your thoughts about that?
[00:39:31] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. I. Absolutely. I think for me, the beauty of aging is really, really, really knowing myself.
And I think when I was a young person, I identify everything with my business. But if it all went away today, I have no problem just running a desk or not even running a desk, and just really, just really knowing who I am and what I'm good at. You know what I mean? And so it's just another path. But I do think that as a leader, knowing who you are kind of helps you, you know, deal with the fears of unknown, you know, all that.
[00:40:15] Speaker A: I think fear is definitely a big thing, but I do believe that one door closes, many open, not just one. There's so many opportunities, because then you become more open to the other things that are out there. I mean, what do you think?
[00:40:32] Speaker B: I think Chris Rock said this, and, you know, that comedian, and I to this day, I love quoting that because he was getting ready to go on Broadway and they said you were already known as a really good comedian. Why would you take a chance of failing?
And his. He's. To this day, I thought one of the best answers, you know, being rich is not having a lot of money in the bank, but having options.
[00:40:55] Speaker A: Oh, that. That's definitely true. That's definitely.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: Yes. And I feel like where I am, I have options, you know, like, oh, so you're rich. I can go corporate. I can bring a lot of value in recruiting, right?
[00:41:06] Speaker A: Oh, sure.
[00:41:07] Speaker B: But so when you kind of invest in yourself like that, I think you're a lot more giving because you don't have fear of losing something that's not even real.
[00:41:19] Speaker A: So what do you say? To the people that are, you know, a little bit senior in age and probably have the things to actually retire and are just sitting there and maybe unhappy, what would you tell them? What kind of guidance as a mentor would you help them with?
[00:41:37] Speaker B: What do you mean? Unhappy about being tired?
[00:41:40] Speaker A: Always unhappy about being tired, but. But just unhappy. Being tired with the job, ready. Ready to make a change, but scared to make the change. Just. I mean, is there something or some direction you would point them in to maybe. I don't want to say go find themselves, but maybe show other. See other opportunities.
[00:41:56] Speaker B: You're talking about a retirement age person or what age are we talking about?
[00:42:00] Speaker A: So it could be any age. I mean, at this time, so many people have done so well financially, and there's a lot of people out there that can do what they want. Just talking about a person that's at a crossroads.
[00:42:13] Speaker B: Well, I mean, everybody's got a different way of looking at things. And if money doesn't matter, I ask myself that all the time, would I be doing this? Would I be doing something different? Only thing that I would do differently now is, you know, where I'm working toward is having flexibility to be able to do slow travels, right?
And I think kind of, I guess they're the biggest driver and where they want to be in life, right?
And it may sound fundamental, but I. I do this with even my senior clients or candidates, is that, you know, write down all the things that are good and bad in your life. You know, write it down, be a physical exercise, and figure out, you know, if the money doesn't matter, what will you be doing?
[00:42:57] Speaker A: You know, I talked to my. Somewhere, you know, I talked to my brother a lot. My brother, very, very successful MIT graduate, Bachelor's and master's in chemical engineering. He retired from Conoco. Now he's ran a refinery here in Houston, ran one in St. Paul. He's with a company, and he gets the handovers call all the time. And he sends me a message like, hey, Matt, just got this offer or this opportunity. My question to him is always, why would you do it? Why do you want to do it? Huh?
[00:43:28] Speaker B: What's his answer?
[00:43:30] Speaker A: He's like, I'm just bored.
He's just bored. You know, he gets in there, he fixes stuff up, and then he's ready to do something else. So I just. I always marvel that. But he says he looks a lot. He finally told me in April that he's gonna retire and go to Europe for a year because his son's in the military and he's going to Germany, so he's gonna go live there for a year, just hang out.
[00:43:48] Speaker B: Well, good. I mean, I started my business because I was bored after 10 years of battling it out as a recruiter. I wanted to, I mean, I wasn't.
I just didn't want to do the same thing. You know, it's not like I was going to retire, but I wanted a different challenge. Now, I will say be careful what you ask for because it was bigger challenge than I expected.
[00:44:06] Speaker A: And so now how do you feel.
[00:44:08] Speaker B: About it, running a business? Whether you're good or bad, I mean, you know, it's right there because, you know you're making it happen. Right?
[00:44:15] Speaker A: So, sure, sure. And so what do you, how do you feel about the move now? I mean, how long have you been doing this now? You said over 20 years. So where's the next thing for Yue?
[00:44:26] Speaker B: I think that I'm trying to get my senior managers to take on. I'm trying to get to the point where I don't have to be here. I mean, maybe I'll still be here, but I want the challenge of creating a company that runs without me because I knew that was my ultimate goal. And that's, believe me, that's much harder than most people think.
[00:44:45] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:44:46] Speaker B: That's creating process, you know, getting feedback, I mean, everything. Hiring the right people.
And I, I, I, that was probably the biggest mist as a recruiter. I was able to source candidates for my clients, but I didn't do the best job hiring me for me.
[00:45:01] Speaker A: Why do you think that is?
[00:45:04] Speaker B: I think, you know, maybe I didn't give myself enough credit. I, I was an accountant that got into stumble into this business and I had a very strong success.
[00:45:12] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:45:12] Speaker B: So I really gave everybody an opportunity. I thought it was that easy because it was really my natural talent. I mean, there's a lot of things I'm not good at, but I was good at that. Right.
[00:45:20] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:45:21] Speaker B: So I hired just different people. And what I realized, they didn't have discipline, nor do they want it, you know, just all that. But I was just. It took me a while to figure all that out.
[00:45:31] Speaker A: And so now before we go, we're getting close.
How do people get a hold of you?
[00:45:38] Speaker B: Okay, so my email is ueeulbersonresources.com anybody can get a hold of me. Or you can go to our website and get a hold of somebody to get a hold of me.
[00:45:49] Speaker A: In the last few minutes of our show, what would you say to the company that is looking for a provider for them to help them get that job filled.
[00:46:04] Speaker B: Are you, are you talking about getting a hold of us or just how do they market themselves? Is that what you're asking?
[00:46:09] Speaker A: No, more or less. How would you describe to them what you can bring to them?
[00:46:15] Speaker B: Oh, well, I mean, you know, I think everybody's got their talent. Ours is really, truly understand the culture of the company and it's not just the resume, but it goes down to their core values. And not only can they do this job, but, you know, a lot of times when they hire us, it's for the next managers, right? People that strategic that can groom to be their next senior manager or manager. So that alleviates a lot of the, the, the things they don't have the manpower to do.
[00:46:41] Speaker A: And you can teach them how to do that. Sizzle, right?
[00:46:44] Speaker B: Yes, sizzle.
The consistency and all that, right? Exactly.
[00:46:50] Speaker A: Well, listen, it's been such a pleasure, it's been a pleasure having you on today. I look forward to talking to you. If you need somebody out there and you're looking for a manager or, or if you're a manager out there looking for a position, you need to reach out to Coberson Resources. You can see them on our website. And Yui, she's there to help you and she knows a lot of people that can mentor you. This is Ricky Chavez, and until next time, stay strong, stay focused and stay battle ready.
