Today we’d like to introduce you to Leanne King.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I left home (Maine) and joined the U.S. Air Force at 18. After 10 years on active duty, six relocations and 5 degrees, it seemed like it was a good time to get out. I always say, “joining the Air Force was the best decision I ever made. Getting out was the second.”
My husband and I were both from colder climates and had no desire to return to the winter weather. Randolph Air Force Base was the last place I was stationed so this is where we stayed.
I landed a corporate HR position within days of starting terminal leave from the military. I then climbed the ladder increasing my HR experience and business savvy with each new role. It never really occurred to me to start my own company until I was “forced” to recognize my strengths were in change management, creating order in the midst of chaos/crisis and long-term planning.
SeeKing HR was founded in August 2007 and has consistently served on a regional level for more than 15 years. In 2010, our footprint expanded nationally and in 2016 we began serving clients with an international presence.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Funny, smooth isn’t was it looks like from my perspective, more like a roller coaster that never ends.
The market crash in 2008 was a blessing in disguise – it forced me to operate lean from the beginning. True story – Our massive printer was plucked from a trash bin and sent to a refurbisher for fixing. $150.00 and the darn thing is still running. Being creative, working with what you have and aspiring to be more has served us well.
The first four months of COVID was crazy. We were up to our eyeballs in daily regulatory changes. Then it hit us – over 60% of our clients went dark. Several were unable to weather the downturn and had to shutter their businesses. We spent 20 months, using our reserves and upskilling everyone in the office. As the world began to reopen, we were ready with two new lines of business (1) Community Based Programming and (2) Organizational & Workplace Assessments.
Challenges are opportunities in disguise. It’s all in the response (and attitude).
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about SeeKing HR?
SeeKing HR offers a full suite of human resource consulting services. We do NOT profess to be all things to all people, we are nimble and adaptive meeting our clients where they are at and helping them get where they want to be. The company is largely based on compliance. If companies are not compliant – they won’t be in business long-term – so we start here and then build programs that are engaging that reinforce the culture.
SeeKing HR provides clients the ability to pick and choose services on a just in time basis. We customize each agreement based on the growth pattern for the organization. We don’t subscribe to the one-size fits all mentality.
Our brand, is probably one of the things I am most proud of. We currently hold four (4) separate trademarks and have competitively ranked internationally for brand messaging.
The business has been built using our three guiding principles: faith, passion and paying it forward. Faith in God and in ourselves. Have a passion for the work the we do and the organizations we serve. Pay it forward to the communities in which we work. We let our “raving fans” carry our message and we do the same for our clients. If our clients our successful, we will be too.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I believe that individuals (and teams) step in and our of our lives exactly when they are supposed to. Over the years, there have been bright shining moments of mentors and several long-lasting advocates. As a micro-business we encourage our clients and vendors to be our raving fans. Our raving fans have really supported the business.
A few local “fan favorites” are:
Shannon Hernandez – she has helped us build our online brand and develop content for our website and social channels
Kelli Cubeta – she has provided outstanding service to our clients and in turn further strengthened the collaborative relationship
Angie Lewis – she has always been right there – supporting, inspiring me to be better, demonstrating courage
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seekinghr.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeeKingHR/
