The following is a case study of how
Rehr Consulting has conducted strategy consulting.
Audience: Small business owners, and business leaders who want to articulate their strategy to meet ambition, creatively address their business interests, and provide for their customers.
The Challenge: How does a community group scale its business model, and expand its base and geographical footprint while keeping to its values, ambition and brand?
The Solution:
The Results: We thought of a framework to leverage associations. Together, all parties discovered alignment with one another’s sense of standards and material interests – that created more value than any one of those involved could provide on their own.
With support from partners, other organizations and sponsors, the community group was able to
▶︎ Preserve the co-founders’ ambition, vision and strategy.
▶︎ Keep programming free of charge.
▶︎ Dramatically increase services and value to members old and new.
▶︎ Expand territory served from Vancouver, WA into West-Portland, OR.
In support of the Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare) community group, Lead Organizer, Max Crismon, and I have been working hard at answering the question:
How can Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare) provide more value to its members?
The key to answering the above was simple: support Max’s ambition and goal.
Ambition
Providing meaningful services–and value–with community programming that generates a network of advocates – a community that supports the business and a magnitude of systemic goodwill.
Goal
Bring community to industry, and industry to the community.
Primary Goal
Expand offerings and accessibility of programming.
| Parameters/Criteria | Actions | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Free for members. 2. $0 budget. | Scale Up: Base all growth and scale on exchanges of value – that create more value than any one contributor could provide alone. | Established a framework for and against which all future dealings will be prescribed. |
Goal #2
Establish programming in West-Portland
(e.g. Hillsboro, OR and Beaverton, OR area).
| Parameters/Criteria | Actions | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Market-driving, total solution. 2. Consistency with ongoing programming (Vancouver, WA). | Scale Out: Leveraged network of contacts to create value that was not previously available to any individual or entity in a different geographical location. | 1. Adopted an existing area group to be rebranded Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare) and anchor continued expansion in West-Portland. 2. A space to hold free events. 3. Negotiated sponsorship in the area to provide benefits to Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare) members and new partners in the area. |
Goal #3
Create community-driven resources
that reinforce member benefits.
| Parameters/Criteria | Actions | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Establishes if not reinforces competitive advantage (among other job seeking groups). 2. Cannot be easily copied. 3. Compelling programming. | Reviewed interesting groups in the area that, if rebranded, would suffice. Also evaluated developing an ‘in-house’ solution. | Developed a training concept for existing members and local university faculty. |
About Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare)
Co-founded by Max Crismon and Jacob Miller, Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare) is a community group based in Vancouver, Washington. The group’s purpose is to educate job seekers to get hired in the technology and healthcare industries. Its identity continues to rapidly mature with a membership that has grown and grown.
Meanwhile, the group operates on $0 budget, and there is neither a charge to be a member, nor to attend events. Guest speakers volunteer their time, as do Max, Jacob, and the other group co-leaders: Brandi Sander, Sean Moore, Alex Pavlenko, and me. I was asked to join the leadership team in April 2019.
History
Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare) has been in existence since December 2017 when it was called Get Hired in Tech. In April 2019 healthcare was added and so the group was rebranded Get Hired (Tech and Healthcare). In May 2019 the group folded in VanCoffee, an existing, local networking group that is still led by Alex Pavlenko.
Technology and healthcare, in particular, are two of the largest industries in Vancouver, WA and the broader region. The initial attempt to reach out to a broader audience was two-fold.
Stats
About Danny
An expert at informational interviewing, my name is Danny Rehr of Rehr Consulting. I am a Genuine Consultant who supports the ambitions of others to meet promise and potential. My MBA is concentrated in Strategy. I have 20 years of work experience, most of which is in the field of organization development. Additionally, I informationally interview local professionals and write research-backed articles about their ambition. Rounding out my activities, I give talks on How and Why To Conduct Informational Interviews (for job seekers, networking and professional development), contribute guest blog posts, and I volunteer in the community. I love coffee and fountain pens!
**Seeking Immediate Work in Rockville, MD area** 