Out of Line with Tiffany Scott

Stepping away from a corporate career that feels like your entire identity isn't easy, but building a legacy from scratch demands a total leap of faith. In this episode, I’m sitting down with serial entrepreneur Staci Bender Epstein as she opens up about pivoting from marketing into the unpredictable world of executive staffing, managing a high-stakes business alongside her husband, and learning to stay resilient in a wildly cyclical industry. From navigating high-impact professional milestones to overcoming deep moments of imposter syndrome and personal struggles, Staci proves why staying authentic is the ultimate business superpower.In this episode of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Staci Bender Epstein breaks down the shift from metric-driven to passion-driven sales, the mechanics of scaling a modern staffing firm, and why the hybrid contingent model is redefining industry standards. We also dive deep into real strategies for flexing your ask muscle, shifting goals between your 30s and 40s, balancing professional accountability with a romantic partnership, and why we as women must take radical ownership of our value and stop apologizing in executive spaces.⏱️ CHAPTERS:00:13 — From LinkedIn Stalking to Best Friends02:57 — Transitioning from Corporate Marketing to Executive Staffing06:27 — The Dynamic Duo: Dividing Responsibilities with Your Spouse09:05 — Passion-Driven vs. Metrics-Driven Business Development12:09 — How to Scale and Find Growing Clients in an AI World15:36 — Leveraging Humor, Sora Videos, and AI in Marketing19:05 — The Shift to Hybrid Contingent Models and Vested Partnerships24:13 — Succession Planning and Looking Toward Be Group 2.032:30 — Tackling Imposter Syndrome and the "60,000 Thoughts" Trap37:00 — Hard Lessons from the Lows: Calling Off a Wedding to Rebuilding Life38:58 — Self-Awareness, Accountability, and Radical Resiliency58:23 — Moving out of Corporate: Advisory Boards and "Doing It Scared"01:02:36 — Why Women Need to Stop Apologizing and Claim the Boardroom01:07:52 — Ownership in the Workplace: Asking for the Raise You Deserve💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS:"In a world of copycats, be an original because authenticity is your superpower.""If you never ask, the answer is always no. Flex your ask muscle and ask for help.""We learn and grow by more of the tougher moments and harder things in life than the things that go right.""If we're 1% better every day, we will do good things, be successful, and come out on top."🔗 CONNECT WITH STACI BENDER EPSTEIN:🌐 Website: begroupconnects.com🔗LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shanice-ellis-617434194🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT:🌐 Website: outoflinepod.com ▶️ Subscribe:   @outoflinepod 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516 💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N#OutOfLine #TiffanyScott #StaciBenderEpstein #BeGroupStaffing #FemaleEntrepreneurs #StaffingIndustry #BusinessGrowth #WomenInBusiness #ExecutiveRecruiting #NoApologies #AuthenticLeadership

After twenty-five years inside the most coveted recruiting seats in the world, including powerhouse brands like Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Nike, most people would be planning a comfortable corporate retirement. But Sheridan Hall saw a glaring, frustrating injustice that he couldn't ignore: the corporate world's massive failure to effectively translate military resumes and integrate transitioning veterans into the workforce. Chasing purpose over corporate safety, Sheridan walked away from the Big Tech net to co-found Operation Hired alongside his brother, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Hall, not just to raise awareness, but to fundamentally fix a broken hiring system for the people the corporate machine continually leaves behind.In this episode of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Sheridan Hall breaks down the intense red tape of enterprise-level corporate hiring, the critical communication gaps between military veterans and civilian hiring managers, the launch of their free AI-powered resume generator built specifically to decode military experience, and why true job security lies in the power of networking.⏱️ CHAPTERS01:42 — How Tiffany and Sheridan Met in the Staffing Sandbox03:44 — Sheridan’s Journey: From Hertz Manager Trainee to Silicon Valley Recruiter05:52 — Enterprise Hiring Secrets: The Rationale Behind the Salary Bands07:12 — The Extreme Bureaucracy of Big Tech Offers10:19 — Facebook vs. Apple: Corporate Support for Veteran Initiatives11:42 — The Pandora’s Box of Unreadable Military Resumes16:33 — The Dynamic of Running a Business with Your Brother18:00 — Harsh Startup Truths: Admitting What You Don’t Know20:10 — Rebranding "Sales" into Authentic Consultation24:08 — Navigating the Commercial and Higher Education Staffing Spaces28:07 — Creating a 100% Free AI Resume Generator for Veterans33:57 — Current Staffing Demands and Project-Based Recruiter Hiring35:48 — The 5-Year Vision and Legacy Goals for Operation Hired42:00 — The Brutal Reality of "Blending" Single-Dad Life with Entrepreneurship47:54 — Work-Life Balance Matrix: Crystal Moments vs. Rubber Moments52:40 — How to Scale a B2B Staffing Strategy Across Modern Industries59:00 — Childhood Adventures in Alaska and Adapting to Extreme Changes01:01:30 — Final Entrepreneurial Advice: The 2-Year Financial Safety Runway01:03:55 — Networking is Your Ultimate Job Security Strategy💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS• "There’s a million recruiters like me who look at military resumes, say 'I don't understand what you did,' and move on. Meanwhile, they're probably the most qualified candidates in line." • "Instead of trying to sell, it's just about having a conversation. Dive into what's going on in their world, offer free advice, and see where you can actually help." • "With AI, people are easy to find nowadays. But how do you get them to actually speak with you on the phone? That's still the human touch of recruiting." • "Life has rubber moments and crystal moments. Drop a rubber ball, it bounces back. Drop a crystal ball, it shatters forever. Balance is knowing which one you're holding." • "I have applied for one job in 15 years." — the undeniable ROI of keeping good relationships and constantly networking 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHERIDAN HALL🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanhall/🌐 Website: https://operationhired.com/🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT🎙️ Out of Line with Tiffany Scott — real conversations with leaders who don't sugarcoat it.▶️ Subscribe: @outoflinepod🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N#OutOfLinePodcast #VeteranHiring #CorporateRecruiting #OperationHired #MilitaryTransition #SkillBridge #TechHiring #StaffingAgencies #entrepreneurship #worklifebalance

He didn't come from the staffing industry. He saw friends coming out of college with no job offers and no one helping them — so he started creating WhatsApp groups to connect people with opportunities. Then it became something bigger.Steven Meisels is the Founder of SM Staffing, which now operates nationally across all 50 states. Their model is built around culture fit over credential matching, they don't charge job seekers, and they stay in touch with candidates even when a deal doesn't close. Steven also coaches recruiters and early-stage business owners 1:1 and actively writes about what companies get wrong when building teams.In this episode, we cover:How WhatsApp groups turned into a national staffing firmThe moment he realized he wasn't just doing favors — he was running a businessWhat culture fit actually means and why most firms get it wrongWhy SM Staffing doesn't charge candidates — and how that shapes everythingStaying community-first as you scale to 50 statesCoaching recruiters and giving away the playbook publiclyWhat he'd do differently if he was starting over todayConnect with Steven:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shlomo-meisels-smstaffing/Website: https://smstaffingjobs.comOut of Line with Tiffany Scott — real conversations with leaders who don't sugarcoat it.Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N

He walked into staffing with a microbiology degree, a pregnant wife, and zero industry connections — and built an Inc 5000 company that's still standing 20+ years later.In Episode 8 of Out of Line, Tiffany sits down with Ronnie Hollis, founder of Prestige Staffing, Monza Cloud, and Talinaq. Ronnie breaks down surviving the dot-com bust and the Great Recession, the real difference between being a founder and a CEO, how he picked expansion cities with a ratio formula, why he rebuilt his company culture twice, and the mindset shift that came out of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Also in this one: the Mike Willis escalator story, the "A-time / 9:30 PM" rule for founders still carrying a book, and why AI isn't replacing what great recruiters actually do.Connect with Ronnie Hollis:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-hollis-a9655815/Prestige Staffing: https://www.prestigestaffing.com/Prestige on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prestige-staffing/Out of Line with Tiffany Scott:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9NBook Tiffany: https://tiffany-scott.zohobookings.com

Alex Martin went from teaching 4th grade music in Harlem to running her own boutique recruiting firm in under a decade. In this episode she breaks down how she hit $1.2M in new business in 10 months as a cold start at PlanetHealthcare, why most recruiters are stuck in transactional mode, and what made her finally bet on herself and launch Amaya Staffing Consultants in June 2024.We get into the early Yankees community outreach gig, the jump into healthcare staffing sales at Barton, scaling from Account Manager to Group Manager on a $3M book, the $100K first quarter at Cura Search, and the People Matter philosophy that drives Amaya's work across healthcare, legal, executive, tech, HR, accounting and finance.If you've ever felt like the straight path wasn't built for you, this one will hit.Chapters00:00 Cold open01:30 Meet Alex Martin06:45 Teaching music at Harlem Children's Zone12:10 The Yankees pivot18:20 Breaking into healthcare staffing26:00 $1.2M in 10 months at PlanetHealthcare34:15 Why transactional recruiting is dying41:30 Launching Amaya Staffing Consultants49:00 Know your why55:20 Advice for anyone betting on themselvesGuestAlex Martin, Founder and CEO, Amaya Staffing ConsultantsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-martin-61140761/Web: https://amayastaffing.comFollow Out of Line with Tiffany ScottYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9NInstagram: TiffisoutoflineWeb: https://outofline.show#OutOfLine #TiffanyScott #AlexMartin #AmayaStaffing #HealthcareRecruiting #FoundersStory #WomenInBusiness

What does it actually take to walk away from a comfortable, stable income and managing 9-figure portfolios ... and start over? In Episode 6 of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, we sit down with Kimberly Kelly — Founder & Managing Partner of AVENNI Consulting, a talent strategy and workforce transformation firm she launched in January 2026. Before going out on her own, Kim spent 13+ years at Randstad rising to VP of Global Client Solutions, then served as EVP and Managing Director of Client Services Americas at AMS, overseeing 9-figure portfolios and advising Fortune 500 leaders across the Americas and globally. She started as a theater major at Northwestern University. She ended up running global accounts. And now she's building something of her own. In this episode, we cover: How a theater major ended up in IT recruiting — and never left What 13+ years at Randstad actually taught her about leadershipThe moment the exit came at AMS, and what she did nextWhy she paused instead of chasing the next big titleBuilding AVENNI from scratch after decades at major firmsWhat it feels like to introduce yourself without a corporate badgeThe tension of job hunting and building at the same timeConnect with Kim:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimkelly22/Email: [email protected]: https://www.avenniconsulting.com/ 🎙️ Out of Line with Tiffany Scott — real conversations with leaders who don't sugarcoat it.▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Lnrene...❤️ iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-o...Follow Out of Line:🌐 Website: https://outoflinepod.com📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffisoutof...💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/outo...#OutOfLine #KimberlyKelly #AVENNI #StaffingIndustry #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #BetOnYourself #WomenInLeadership #TalentStrategy #WorkforceTransformation #Randstad #AMS #Fortune500 #CareerPivot #StartingOver #PodcastInterview #TiffanyScott #ExecutiveLeadership #Recruiting #HRTech

What does it actually take to build a staffing company from two people and zero dollars to 40 branches, 8 states, and damn near $200 million in annual revenue? Ryan J.Q. Clark did it and this conversation doesn't skip the hard parts.Ryan co-founded PeopleShare in 2005 out of King of Prussia, PA with nothing but a bet on themselves. He was Co-CEO from day one - he was also recruiter, sales guy, receptionist, accountant, and customer service -- you name it, he did it while they built. They survived the 2008 recession, scaled to one of the fastest-growing staffing companies in Pennsylvania, won Best Places to Work from the Philadelphia Business Journal every year since their first year of eligibility — and then sold the company to a international staffing company in 2023.In this episode, we cover:Starting with nothing — two people, self-funded, first office in "KOP" - King of PrussiaWhat almost killed it early on, and how they survived 2008The moment "survival mode" became something realGoing from one office to 40 — what broke and what had to be rebuiltPrivate equity, the acquisition, and what it felt likeWhat Ryan knows now that he wishes he knew in 2005Connect with Ryan:🔗 LinkedIn:   / ryanjqclark  🎙️ Out of Line with Tiffany Scott — real conversations with leaders who don't sugarcoat it.▶️ Subscribe:    / @outoflinepod  🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Lnrene...#OutOfLine #RyanClark #StaffingIndustry #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #BuildingABusiness #podcaster

Kelli Christina spent 25 years building a career in medical staffing then watched it all collapse after she chose to speak up. In this episode, Kelli shares what it was really like to launch KD-Staffing right before the 2008 recession, survive it, and then lose everything including facing homelessness when lawsuits hit the medical staffing industry in 2010. She didn't walk away. She rebuilt.Her book, In Good Faith, is an international bestseller and a firsthand account of corruption inside the medical staffing industry: the fraud, the cover-ups, and the cost of refusing to look the other way. In this conversation, Kelli gets raw about what it actually took to blow the whistle, what it cost her, and why she'd do it again.She's the founder and CEO of KD-Staffing, a public speaker, a business coach, and host of The Kelli Christina Show. She believes recruitment is an art and she's living proof that integrity is a non-negotiable, even when it's expensive.Preorder In Good Faith here! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-g... ⁨Connect with Kelli:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kelli-dennehey-christina-326ba12aBlog: kellichristinaauthor.comCompany: kellidenneheychristina.comKD Staffing: kdstaffing.orgYouTube: @kellichristina7804⁩

Cary Daniel has been in the staffing industry for 30 years, built a company to over $100M in revenue, led three separate businesses to the Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 lists, and has been involved in over two dozen M&A transactions. He's also one of the most self-aware people I've had the pleasure of sitting across from.In this episode we get into all of it - how he and his co-founder James have run a business together for three decades without a single blowup, why he completely rebuilt the NEXTAFF franchise model from the ground up, what it really costs to trade a W-2 for freedom, and why most people walk out of a keynote fired up and retain nothing by lunch.Cary also shares the story behind the Be LegenDary Landon Daniel Foundation and how he turned one of the hardest moments of his life into something that keeps giving. This one is worth your time.CONNECT WITH CARY DANIEL🌐 Website: https://www.carydaniel.com💼 LinkedIn:   / carydaniel  🏢 NEXTAFF: https://www.nextaff.comBE LEGENDARY LANDON DANIEL FOUNDATION🌐 Website: https://belegendaryfoundation.org📘 Facebook:   / belegendaryld  LISTEN OR WATCH ON YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORM▶️ YouTube:    / @outoflinepod  🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Lnrene...

Tiffany Scott sits down with serial entrepreneur, author, and multi-industry leader Thomas Sephakis. Moving past the standard corporate narrative, Tom brings a refreshing, unfiltered perspective on what it truly takes to pursue what you want, build businesses from the ground up, and navigate the complexities of a career that refuses to fit into a single box.Throughout the conversation, Tom dives into his multifaceted journey - from his deep-rooted passion for the staffing industry to his creative pursuits as an actor and screenwriter. He pulls back the curtain on the grit required to pivot between industries, the reality of being a perpetual builder in a volatile market, and why maintaining authenticity is the most powerful tool in any leader’s arsenal.Whether he is discussing the nuances of business ownership or the lessons learned from his diverse professional experiences, Thomas offers actionable insights for anyone ready to challenge the status quo. Join us for a raw, honest look at the unconventional path to success and the drive required to stay in the game, no matter the industry.

In this episode of Out of Line, Tiffany Scott sits down with Gene Rice, Co Founder and Chairman of Rice Cohen International, one of North America’s most respected executive search firms. With more than 1,000 retained searches and over 200 C suite placements throughout his career, Gene has played a major role in shaping the executive recruiting industry.During the conversation, Gene shares insights from decades in executive search, leadership, and entrepreneurship. He also opens up about parts of his personal journey, the lessons he learned building a successful recruiting firm, and what it really takes to develop long term success in the search industry.Beyond his professional accomplishments, Gene is also the Co Founder of the Plant a Seed Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping children from underserved communities pursue their dreams through scholarships, mentorship, and support programs.Gene is also the co author of Grad to Grown, a book he wrote with his daughter Courtney Bejgrowicz that helps young professionals transition from college into the real world with practical guidance on career growth, mindset, and professional development.To Learn More or to Donate to Plant a Seed foundation: https://plantaseedfoundation.org/Grab a copy of Grad to Grown on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3P0OnuR