Founder’s Friday featuring Swati Garg @ Melo Associates

Please provide a brief description about your company.
Melo Associates is a small recruiting firm in Chicago focusing in Customer Success and Technology hiring. We began our consultancy in 2016 and branded as Melo Associates in 2019. Our Values are “To Listen, Be Empathetic, and Work with Integrity.” We execute our mission by giving highly-personalized attention to each client. Before embarking on a project, we ensure we understand the search specifications and company culture. Additionally, throughout our relationship, we monitor our bandwidth, ensuring we give every client the focused energy they deserve to garner results.

Two hashtags that best describe you.
#Grit #Integrity

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I consider my greatest achievement in being able to maneuver my career with intention, and ultimately start my own business.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
The feeling that in this moment, you are right where you are supposed to be.

What is your greatest fear?
To be complacent.

Whom do you most admire?
My Grandpa. I have seen him continue to grow as a person at 92 (and still going!). I love his approach of continuous learning and staying well informed (he loves his iPhone, tries to really understand the younger generations, is always current with the news, and is a great online researcher!). I hope that I continue to have a growth mindset with the world as well as he has, as I know if I make it to that age, the world will be very different.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I wish I would wake up and go to sleep at the same time everyday.

What are your top tips for balancing work and life?
Use all days of the week and hours of the day. If you need to do something during the day, allow yourself to step away, knowing you can come back to work later (unless it is urgent, and everything is not urgent). I think it is incredibly important to value your personal time and commitments for yourself and loved ones. This gives us purpose outside of work, but also re-energizes us to do a great job at the work we love.

What is something new that you learned about running a business this year?
I learned this year, despite a tough economy there are always business activities I can do to create more brand awareness, make more connections, and expand my reach. I learned there is always more you can do in a business even if the “actual work” has slowed down. All of this work will come to fruition when the time is right, and it is important to keep moving forward.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My persistence.

What is your greatest regret?
I wish I learned about how to start a business when I was much younger, so I knew it was always an option if/when I was ready.

What is your motto?
My Personal Mission: Create solutions that solve a need and inspire individuals to take tangible action for a better well being.

What is a legal mistake you wish someone warned you about?
I volunteer by coaching and conducting presentations in the career space. I realized I created a liability for myself by not providing a disclaimer at the beginning of my talks. I added that immediately to my presentations moving forward.

When running your business, what do you struggle with most?
I struggle with keeping up with business development while doing the actual work.

What advice would you give to yourself at 25 years old?
Don’t worry about following a path like everyone else, just focus on finding your own.