Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Lloyd-Gordon
Samantha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My career started as a Personal Assistant/Estate Manager working in the homes of celebrities and UHNW (ultra-high net worth) principals, supporting their personal needs, and helping to hire staff for the households. Many of the people I worked for required multiple staff members and wanted to keep their search discreet.
I took the initiative and asked my principals to let me find them Housekeepers, Nannies, Chefs, and other ad hoc personnel. The clients liked the way I sourced for “talent” and interviewed them, and I was asked many times to take over the staffing searches.
It felt very natural, and I enjoyed putting together teams and training them to the preferences of the principals – which is not an easy task. Combining my assistant and management experience with overseeing the hiring, I found myself leaning into the staffing more and enjoying that part of my job as it gave me a great feeling to help my principals but also, to help someone find a position.
One of the celebrity couples I was supporting was going through a divorce, they let me know that they would be moving separately to other states and that my job with them as their Estate Manager and Personal Assistant, would be coming to an end shortly. This was in 2013.
In a panic, I reached out to a recruiter in NYC and asked if they had an office in Los Angeles and if there were any jobs. They didn’t have a LA branch and were considering opening one up after the summer. They asked if I would ever consider becoming a recruiter myself, and if I had any interest in starting up an office in LA for their staffing agency.
My husband is always cheerleading me on to take risks and suggested that I should at least meet them. The owner of the company flew out from the UK, with the NYC recruiter, and met me in Los Angeles for an interview. They recognized how valuable my background was and the experience I had, and that I came with an impressive network of candidates. The next day they reached out and offered me the position! Three weeks later, I had rented an office space in Hollywood, bought office supplies and opened the doors. I was in business!
I recognized that with all of my years of working with people – the principals, the other staff, assistants – that time had prepared me for this new journey. I had found my calling. It felt like “ahhh, right, this is it!”
When that company was sold, I took the leap and said hello to becoming a business owner and opened up The SLG Group staffing agency in 2018.
I always say to my candidates before their interviews, “now is not the time to be shy about what you do well, talk about yourself, let the clients know why they should work with you, and why they need to hire you, it’s because you are the best at what you do. You need to own your special sauce!” And that’s how I feel about owning my agency, and being a recruiter, I really am exceptional at staffing – sourcing, and matching the right candidates with clients. I take the time to get to know the client and the candidates, and they know they are being heard.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Certainly, there were some hiccups along the way, but nothing that has ever stopped the company’s momentum. I would say the pandemic was a unique challenge, but we were still able to work with clients helping them to find staff to live-in and become part of the “pod” with the principals and their families – including Governesses who moved in to assist the children and parents with navigating the at-home schooling, and keeping the children motivated despite the situation.
We also found Housekeepers and Personal Assistants to move in with clients and provide them with support, This was a benefit to candidates who were looking for a safe place so they could remain healthy. It was a scary time, no doubt, but I truly feel that we were able to help people to continue working and to give our clients the support they needed.
We were able to pivot and be highly successful and I am really grateful to the clients and candidates who trusted us.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The SLG Group is a nationwide staffing agency with a base office in Los Angeles and an office in New York that supports UHNW, celebrities, tech industry, executives, politicians, entertainment and other creatives, in any and all industries, through to families, and individuals.
We specialize in providing highly qualified, experienced and vetted candidates for our clients, placing staff in the positions of: Chief of Staff, Director of Residences, Estate and House Managers, Personal and Executive Assistants, Housekeepers and Housemen, Chefs, Nannies/Mannies and Governesses, Security Teams, any staffing needed we can assist with. We have helped to find ski instructors, meditation teachers, and swim coaches! Our network of candidates is vast, and we are constantly expanding and interviewing for new unfound talent, so we are able to offer multiple options when staffing.
Most of our placement requests come from client referrals, and our amazing repeat clients, something I am very proud of. Our clients trust us, and that means a lot to me. Many of our clients are very well-known, and they appreciate the discreet way in which we work.
What sets us apart from the competition is that I have worked in the UHNW world in those households and truly understand the intricacies of what those clients need on a very firsthand, in-depth level. And the candidates really trust me knowing I was once one of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://slggroupstaffing.com
- Instagram: theslggroup
- Facebook: theslggroup
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