From HR to CEO: Dawn Lively-Jenkin's Journey in the Startup Industry

In this episode, Dawn Lively-Jenkins, chief executive officer and co-founder of Fullstack, walks us through her over 11 years of experience in the human resources industry. She started her career working for a third-party management company that oversaw assisted living and nursing homes in Indiana. She then moved on to work for a professional employer organization (PEO), where she worked her way up to a co-director position. In 2016, Dawn joined Developer Town as their HR lead, and in 2017, she started laying the groundwork for Fullstack PEO. Dawn is passionate about creating a positive and transparent work culture and helping businesses navigate the complexities of HR. Our guest emphasizes the importance of culture and development in an organization and highlights the unique perspective that an HR background brings to the role of CEO. She also provides insights on managing HR during periods of rapid growth and offers tips for effective employee recognition and professional development. Show Highlights: 00:42 Dawn's background 03:26 Becoming a CEO was not in her plan 13:20 What is a professional employer organization (PEO) 17:18 What a company should look for in a PEO 20:27 Managing human resources and the onboarding process 27:40 Getting to a certain mass before you have a culture to rely upon 31:14 Mixing friendship with business 34:06 The mistake she made as a PEO 38:28 Not everybody is meant to be a mentor 47:47 A proper approach to achieving continuous learning and professional development in a start-up business 53:53 Getting involved is essential LINKS MENTIONED Connect with Dawn Lively-Jenkins on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-lively-jenkins-she-her-hers-9558b08/ Website: www.fullstackpeo.com Connect with Grayson Faircloth on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nosyarg/ Email: [email protected] Connect with Crystal Bell on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-bell-ms-eit/