One Year Rogue

“Are you going to do it?” I whispered into the phone, voice almost silenced by the gravity of what we were about to do.

Aubrie’s tone echoed my giddy excitement–with a tinge of fear. “Yes…are you?”

“Yes.”

With a quick intake of breath, I clicked ‘update.’ 

It’s unbelievable that that conversation was one year ago.

With that click, Aubrie Hosie and I updated our LinkedIn to announce the start of Rogue Recruitment. We held our breath…and waited, anxiously watching our phones for the inevitable messages. Not only were we letting everyone know about a new company; we were shouting the arrival of the anti-staffing staffing company that was going to rub a lot of people the wrong way. Rogue was going to be different. And it was time to let everyone know.

We had jumped off the ledge in faith there would be a landing spot.

And, boy, has there been.

The joke all along has been that we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing. Our goal has always been to approach recruitment differently, be a company that celebrates risks, and create a culture removed from the typical high-stress staffing world.

This past year has been the most humbling experience. The way our community has rallied behind our GO ROGUE battle cry has been incredible. Before we got Rogue started, one of our biggest concerns was that people wouldn’t take us seriously. And why should they? We were a scrappy little start-up with limited resources. All we truly had was a massive vision and the (perhaps na?ve) confidence that we would figure the rest out.

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been hiccups along the way. Receiving our first Cease & Desist wasn’t exactly fun–but, looking back, it’s funny now; it brought us even closer together. We bit off more than we could chew and had to purposefully scale back on new business so we could fulfill our commitments. We hired someone who we couldn’t provide the resources to be successful, no matter how desperately we wanted her to be.

But, on top of all of that, we’ve had more success than I could have ever imagined and/or hoped for. We were able to convert everyone to full-time on February 1st, we started offering health insurance on June 1st, and we are now up to six employees with our seventh starting in July!

And where we’re going? It’s somehow even more exciting.

Rogue was lucky enough to attend the Qualtrics X4 Experience Management Conference in March where we listened to amazing speakers, such as Sir Richard Branson, President Obama, and Oprah. Branson spoke about how, as a leader at a company, you have a responsibility to use your entrepreneurial skills to tackle issues in your community. Obama discussed all the talent in the private sector who view issues in their community as “not their problem.” Then, Oprah came up and declared, “the world is waiting on your unique contribution!” 

Needless to say, Brandon and I left that conference ridiculously inspired. That’s where the idea for Rogue Response came from. This is our non-profit sister organization excessively passionate about enhancing our community. Our first event, #TenForTulsa, is on August 3rd at Guthrie Green. This will be a community block party with local bands and comedians performing.

I can’t accurately articulate how excited we are for what’s to come…including the opportunity to take more risks, make more mistakes, but, ultimately, have fun shaking up the staffing industry. And, more importantly, how grateful we are for everyone who has helped us survive our first year.

This is my long-winded way of saying THANK YOU to everyone who has been a part of our journey, supported us (from near and far), and GONE ROGUE with us. Rogue wouldn’t have gotten to this point without each and every one of you. 

Thank you.