Raissa Chacon learned one of her greatest leadership lessons by watching someone who was doing it wrong. Seeing what not to do can be important to setting the right path for yourself and others.
“One individual was a textbook bully and not a good leader, teacher or mentor,” Chacon said. “I saw firsthand how people were treated with lack of respect, harsh communication and no teaching, just demanding, and few ethics. The result was many people left the organization, including myself. The lesson learned was how NOT to treat people and how to create a culture that encourages participation, inclusion, and an environment of learning, leading and having fun doing it.”
Chacon is CEO at AimHire, a recruiting and staffing firm offering temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire services. The firm supports a range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, com mercial real estate, mortgage, insurance, oil and gas, start-ups and other emerging and growing companies. Founded in 2010, AimHire is committed to creating a culture of compassion, trust and growth for its employees in the Denver and Nashville communities, the company said.
Chacon grew up in an entrepreneurial family, and through watching her father run his gas station, she learned the meaning of teamwork, ded ication and grit. Customers always came first, then customers became friends and then the ultimate was when they became loyal customers who trusted THE CHACON service station. When she got the chance, co-founding AimHire was a natural progression for Chacon.
AimHire recently expanded into Nashville, Tennessee, and it will use that move as a blueprint for future expansion efforts. The company intends to open three new offices in the next five years, and its goal is to increase gross profit margin by 15% in 2022, reaching $10 million in total sales in five years and growing to 100 employees or more.
“To remain an industry leader you need to establish goals, plan and most importantly, execute by getting results,” Chacon said. “To run a success ful business you need satisfied clients, jobseekers and employees. This is achieved by having great partners and a solid team working together toward the same goals, and I have that at AimHire.”
In 2016, AimHire launched AimHireInAction, a philanthropic division to reflect the company values of compassion, trust and growth in the local community. The mission is to help others, and employees are encouraged to do so during work hours. A volunteer committee selects activities based on employees’ passions, research and input. The goal is to help make a difference in the community.
“Developing a capacity for giving back, showing gratitude, having respect and growing stronger as a team are all part of the adventure for AimHire,” Chacon’s team said.
