Beau Billington With The Free Agent

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio brought to you by on pay built in Atlanta. On Pay is the top rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free at onpay. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:31] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a fun one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor on pay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories today on the Atlanta Business Radio. We have Beau Billington with the free agent. Welcome, Beau.

Beau Billington: [00:00:49] Glad to be here. Thanks for having me on.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:51] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to this. This sounds like a pretty big disruption in the industry, so please share with our folks about the free agent. How are you serving, folks?

Beau Billington: [00:01:02] Sure. And that’s that’s definitely the key in the interest here is the disruption, right? So, you know, essentially we’re we provide executive head hunting and consulting services to high growth technology companies that have a product software service. So most of our our customers have revenue somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to two hundred million. They’re growing rapidly. And the common theme with a lot of those high growth companies is personnel and the lack of access to top personnel. And that’s basically where we come to play, where we sit down with these companies, help them understand their gaps and then bring executive level individuals to the table on a full time interim or fractional basis. And lastly, we focus across really just the sales, technology, product and marketing silos.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:50] Now, what’s your back story? How did you get into this line of work?

Beau Billington: [00:01:54] Yeah, so I kind of fell into it, to be honest with you, I had already, I always aspired to be an entrepreneur. So for me, it was never a matter of if it was a matter of when and the last job that I had in corporate America. This was about four and a half five years ago, was actually a professional services company, and I had the concept of the free agent about two years prior to even starting with this company. But bottom line, we’d go in and we’d have conversations with CIOs and CTOs and sell this grandiose vision of what we can do for them the next one, three, five years and then we’d actually have to go out into the marketplace and then go find the people that we actually didn’t have on a bench. Right. And so it’s kind of a light bulb moment for me, to be honest with you that at that time, Leigh, where I was thinking, there’s got to be an easier way, right? And perhaps maybe there’s individuals that are available that are ready, and we could essentially act as broker intermediary between the companies that need them and the individuals that are actually looking for the work.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:47] Now, you know, the term free agents been around for a minute or so, but it typically applies to maybe in sports or entertainment, and it sounds like you’re trying to apply it here to the business world to have people kind of on demand available when they’re needed in the capacity that they want to to be needed. And it’s it’s any time you have this type of a marketplace, it’s kind of a chicken and an egg thing. How do you kind of maintain the bench and then maintain the opportunities and make sure that you know the matches are there when you need them?

Beau Billington: [00:03:22] You told me definitely took it in the egg, but we rewind a little bit in regards to kind of the namesake. And long story short, I was sitting in Toronto about to miss Christmas with my when my newborn kids and ESPN was playing in the background and they’re talking about so and so as a free agent, I thought to myself, How cool would it be if I myself was a free agent? And at the time I was in sales and marketing, and essentially I could plug in to an organization on my terms, and that’s kind of what spawned the concept of the free agent. And then we kind of moved that across sales, marketing, technology and product to answer your question in regards to a double sided marketplace. That’s that’s really kind of the toughest proposition proposition here, to be honest with you, because you’ve got to have enough demand to kind of ensure that the supply can eat, if you will. What we found, however, though, is that there is a tremendous amount of supply. The gig economy is real and due to the fact that the gig economy exists, there’s actually a tremendous amount of individuals in the marketplace that are looking to be independent consultants. And so part of our value prop is that we’ll look to network with those individuals, know they’ll go through our vetting process and they’re therefore become part of our bench and some are available when needed. Other times, you know, maybe they jump on to another project, but ultimately we don’t lock these individuals into our organization. They’re free to kind of do what they please.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:42] And then have you had like, what was your first kind of match in this under the free agent?

Beau Billington: [00:04:51] Chief Revenue Officer Right. So basically high growth company that you initially came to me and was interested in full time. And I hate that acronym, mind you. But they were interested in a full time chief revenue officer. And basically, after further exploration, we kind of collectively agreed that maybe that wasn’t the right move now that they’re probably about a year or two premature from meeting one of those individuals. And so ultimately, I went out into the wild, went out to the marketplace and found an individual that that was available on contract and we plug this individual in. And it was a huge success. And so we started thinking, how can we replicate this?

Lee Kantor: [00:05:27] And then what do kind of the free agents do to kind of catch your eye? What are some of the things they could be doing so that they are kind of sought after in this regard?

Beau Billington: [00:05:38] A couple of things I think, you know, because we also do executive head hunting as well as consulting as it pertains to the consulting side of the business. I think first and foremost, I think people need to choose a lane, right? Either they’re looking for full time employment, that’s kind of their shtick or they want to be a contractor and hang out their own shingle. If you’re really talking about the ladder versus the former, I think it’s highly important to create your your persona and your profile of the LinkedIn website, et cetera, that really mirrors the work that you’re trying to to accomplish. So if you’re setting out to be an independent consultant, then if somebody were to Google your name, that’s what they should really see and that should be representative of your brand.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:18] And then for the the companies that are seeking the talent is there are things they can be doing to make their opportunity that much more attractive because it seems pretty competitive nowadays.

Beau Billington: [00:06:30] Oh man, it’s this has been the the best year and the worst year for me. It’s been that’s been really insane. It’s funny. You mentioned that about 10 minutes ago on LinkedIn, I actually posted something in regards to employee branding, employer branding, rather as well as the importance of the candidate experience in the hiring process. And basically, I think first and foremost, companies really need to look at their online, their social footprint. Reviews on Glassdoor and what they look like to a prospective candidate and really try to kind of tighten that up across the board, as well as when they’re actually looking to attract individuals within their company and they’ve engaged with them on a one on one basis. They need to do a better job of enhancing the increasing the candidate experience. So ultimately, anybody who’s to walk away or gravitate towards that position is going to write a nice review or at least speak pleasantly about the employer. And I think that’s first and foremost critical step in the talent war that we’re currently in.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:24] And then is this something that you are free agents? Are they kind of of all demographics or is this kind of more attractive to the senior level person that maybe got laid off or is, you know, kind of going their own way for the first time? Or is this also young people that are just kind of frustrated and want to have that flexibility?

Beau Billington: [00:07:43] It’s really across the board, you know, I’d say our typical demographic is probably 40 45 to, you know, upwards of sixty five or so, but we’ve got outliers on both sides. For us, it was really important is trying to carve out a niche and not compete with the staffing agencies that are out there in the middle tier of staffing. And so for us, you know, we typically work executive head hunting side of the house, you know, in excess of base salaries, you know, one eighty five plus. And if we’re talking on the contractual side, you know, we’re talking bill rates 80 100 with our average around one hundred and twenty plus. So we do work across demographics, we do work at different age groups. But I’d say majority of individuals we do work with somewhere between forty forty five sixty five and have run teams and worked at a very, very high level at an organization typically director, VP or even higher.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:35] Now, since you’re the marketplace, are you like, who do you kind of who are you advocating for at any given time? Or are you on the side of the free agent? Or are you on the side of the business that’s looking for the free agent? How do you kind of thread that needle?

Beau Billington: [00:08:49] Yeah, I typically I’d say I do the majority of the work on the free agent side of the House, just because there’s a lot of aspiring contractors, individuals that are looking to kind of hang their own shingle. And that’s that’s where I kind of get involved and may have some one on ones with these individuals and what they can do to kind of create a better footprint, social footprint to attract more opportunity. A lot of times companies or are much more say, established as it pertains to what they also want. And so we kind of it’s a little bit less hands on, I’d say, on the company side of the house.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:22] So when you’re working with that free agent, is some of your work kind of educating them and managing their expectations because they might have come from a corporate job and had certain, you know, monetary compensation and now their free agent. And now it’s a different world. And, you know, sometimes they’re going to have to make less. So do you help them on saying, OK, you know, the value in the marketplace for what you do is X not, you know, X Times seven that it used to be great.

Beau Billington: [00:09:53] Great. Great question. Great point. And yes, life lessons, right? I mean, I think, you know, part of my role is is kind of a psychologist, if you will, managing expectations and really helping people find a path because ultimately, you know, the free agent side of the house, you know, being a freelancer or being an executive contractor, that’s not for everybody. It’s kind of like starting a business sleepless nights. It’s very tough to get started. When you can get some momentum, it can be the holy grail, but it’s really not for the faint of heart. And so ultimately, I really help these individuals, you know, from pricing their service, helping them kind of position themselves for a win and ultimately trying to create more opportunity in the gig economy and being an independent consultant.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:35] Now, in today’s world where everything or not, everything but a lot of the things are remote, is it opening up a lot more opportunities where the person, you know, maybe did get laid off or retired and, you know, was like, Hey, now I don’t have to travel the good side. I don’t have to travel five days a week like I used to. Is it possible to find opportunities wherever you are, you know, working anywhere in the world now, I would imagine.

Beau Billington: [00:11:00] Yeah. Hundred percent. I think it’s really opened up opportunities on both sides of the house because you have individuals, individuals that are more inclined to take positions maybe they wouldn’t have before because of, you know, travel requirements. Conversely, you have companies that may have had, you know, stringent in in office policies that have, you know, really lightened that up. And frankly, a lot of the companies that I work with currently that I’ve had relationships with pre-COVID may have been less inclined to have a fully remote worker. Fast forward 18 months or two years, and now they are totally fine with somebody being located in the U.S. versus Atlanta southeast or specific state that I may be working outside of Georgia

Lee Kantor: [00:11:41] Now for you. What’s been the most rewarding part of this adventure?

Beau Billington: [00:11:46] So I was I guess I was on a, you know, some sort of soul searching, if you will. And so like for me, you know, I don’t like the mundane, I don’t like doing the same thing day in and day out. And so starting a company four and a half years ago for me has been extremely fulfilling just because every single day is different, good, different, bad, different. It’s all across the board, but every day is different. And so for me, that’s been the most exciting and most fulfilling part of actually starting a company.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:13] Now you mentioned that your work is around sales and marketing and technology. Is that. I mean, that covers pretty much every industry. Is this industry agnostic or does it kind of gravitate towards health care or fintech or certain kind of niches?

Beau Billington: [00:12:28] Yeah, we’re industry agnostic. But for us, excuse me, we typically work with technology companies exclusively companies that have a product software service, but we don’t niche down to, say, manufacturing, health care or fintech. We do work with fintech companies. We do work with health tech companies so long as they have a technology component, then then they’re a good target for us. But we’re not going, you know, sheerly after the manufacturing vertical.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:52] And but you are as long as they have technology at the heart of their business, then you probably have somebody that might be able to help them.

Beau Billington: [00:12:59] Correct. Precisely.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:01] And then so at this stage, what do you need more of? Do you need more companies? I would imagine every company has got their hand up looking for more talent. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit.

Beau Billington: [00:13:12] Yeah, I know it’s a phenomenal question. Pre-covid there was, you know, tremendous amount of individuals looking and now it’s it’s really kind of flipped and it’s companies and companies can’t find enough personnel. And so yes, I’m definitely looking for more talent to add to and bring in to our exchange. One hundred percent.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:33] And then from the talent standpoint, you just want, are you you’re you’re it’s kind of two sides, right? You’re actively looking for them and then you want them to kind of raise their hand and and kind of join your marketplace.

Beau Billington: [00:13:46] Yeah. Correct. So we’ve got kind of a marketing strategy and outreach strategy, and we’ve professionalized that over, you know, pretty pretty recently, actually over the last one to two months. But it’s a combination. I mean, we go out and have a persona and have a profile of individuals that we believe kind of check the boxes as it pertains to our exchange, our marketplace, and we’ll actively go out into the market and reach out to those individuals and try to establish a relationship. We also networking is critical to the success of our business, not only at the company side but also in the free agent side. So we network and then also to what we’re trying to figure out just to be candidly is how we can flip the funnel and drive more of these individuals to us versus us having to go out into the marketplace and find them.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:28] And individuals are saying free agents, you want the free agents to to come to you.

Beau Billington: [00:14:33] Exactly. And then I think that’s what everybody runs into, right? It’s how do you flip the funnel on its head and have the inbound lead flow versus having to go out and grab people right?

Lee Kantor: [00:14:44] Right. So you haven’t cracked the code for that yet, but that’s where you’re working on.

Beau Billington: [00:14:48] So it’s a work in progress, right? A lot of moving parts, and I feel like I’m getting closer every day. But no, I haven’t cracked it to this point. Now that’s it.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:57] From the standpoint of the organization, the enterprise level organization, what are kind of some of the the reasons to go this free agent route rather than the more traditional route?

Beau Billington: [00:15:09] Yeah. So it really kind of depends on a lot of times the size of the company and what the initiative is, right? So if you’re talking about a smaller company, a lot of times, you know, at first too, I think that companies, you know, most individuals and most companies are knee jerk reaction is, Hey, I need a full time resource to take care of this, this this job, whatever it may be. And that’s not always the case, especially with the smaller companies. You know, ultimately, they they may be these individuals may be cost prohibitive, you know, they may not have access to the same level of talent that larger companies have. And so if you kind of flip the flip the the interest here and what you’re trying to accomplish and go out and look for a contractor that can open the doors for access to a different level of talent.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:56] And then but you just have to kind of change your mindset in terms of how you’re deploying that talent and instead of looking at it, checking a box and being done with that, you’re looking at it more on a project basis or kind of trying to achieve certain milestones.

Beau Billington: [00:16:12] Correct. So if you go back to the example I used earlier about the chief revenue officer, that company that I referred to was not if they brought a chief revenue officer in, that person wouldn’t have been set up for success ultimately. Right. And so we walked kind of through that process what they were trying to accomplish, and we realize that there’s a lot more groundwork that needed to be laid before they could bring in a successor of this contractor that then would be in a position to to really kind of take the reins and drive revenue, right? So it really depends on kind of where the company is in the lifecycle as well as where that specific department is in its lifecycle as well. And a lot of times, you know, the companies bring us in where maybe there’s a new initiative that they’re trying to stand up, something’s broken. Or frankly, maybe somebody’s key executive left and they need to stop the hemorrhaging and bring somebody in quickly on an interim basis.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:03] Well, good stuff. Congratulations on all the success. If somebody wants to connect with you or the free agent, is the website the free agent?

Beau Billington: [00:17:12] Yes. Don’t ask me how I got that URL. The websites that you know the free agent that can be found on LinkedIn at Beau Billington, B.U. Billington. Pretty, pretty easy there. And then also to. I’ve created a new website in a podcast called Finding that next year. And it’s that finding that next.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:30] Good stuff. Well, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing important work, and we appreciate you.

Beau Billington: [00:17:34] Thanks for your time. I appreciate you having me on.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:36] All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see, y’all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.