E128 - Starting a Diverse Agency (Tracy Levesque, Yikes Inc.)

In today's episode, Allie sits down with Tracy Levesque, Co-President and Co-Founder at Yikes Inc. - the team that builds smart, effective, creative web solutions for businesses and nonprofit organizations.  Allie and Tracy talk about diversity and inclusion within the company, finding the best pool of talents, the effects of name biases, and prioritizing diversity when hiring people. Tune in and learn running a diverse agency! Episode Resources Yikes Inc - Professional WordPress Development & Design Tracy is on Twitter Visit WPAMA WP Buffs is on YouTube WP Buffs Website Tweet WP Buffs What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 00:50 Welcome Tracy Levesque of Yikes Inc. 01:34 What is Yikes Inc? 04:01 What's unique about an agency? 07:01 How do you prioritize diversity when hiring? 11:49 The best place to find a good pool of hires 14:27 What exactly is a pipeline problem? 16:50 If you need to network, go out and meet people 19:05 Men and women co-working in the WordPress space 21:06 Challenges in connecting with diverse talent during the pandemic 22:20 What is name bias? 29:02 Diversity and inclusion 41:11 Running a business during a pandemic 45:03 Things to focus on to prove you are qualified