happy 15th birthday, risesmart
Over the weekend we celebrated our 15th year anniversary here at RiseSmart, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect on our journey, and most importantly thank everyone who has been on this journey with us.
In many ways, it seems like just yesterday that Sanjay Sathe was sharing his original vision for the company with me (and simultaneously talking me out of heading down a different, less meaningful path). While the two of us got RiseSmart officially going by incorporating on 20th February 2007, it would only be successful through the hard work, dedication, creativity, and commitment from so many that would join us along the way.
There are too many to name here, but so many people have played an important role in our success including employees that joined us in the beginning, those that have come and gone, and those that have joined us later in the journey, and of course the investors that have helped us build RiseSmart what it is today. A huge thanks must go to our parent company, Randstad, who has continued to invest in our growth and expansion to help us become the global leader we are today.
from humble beginnings
We have always been ambitious at RiseSmart, but back in 2007, I’m not sure even we saw the company providing the range of coaching, career development, and outplacement solutions we offer today – and especially doing so in 100 countries around the world. It’s why many so proudly shared the recent Everest Peak Matrix Assessment that showed RiseSmart as not only a global leader in our industry, but #1 in vision and capability. We've known this to be true for a while, but it's great to get external validation. And of course great to see us ahead of so many strong competitors, most of whom had a 30+ year head start!
making a business successful
If I reflect on the key things that have made the company successful, a few things come to mind. I’m not sure I could put these in any particular order, but the first one I’ll call out is our culture. Those that know us well, know this is a super-power for the company. There’s just something special about this place, the people that work here, and how we all work together to achieve success.
Next, is our commitment to a “wow” experience. We use that word a lot around here, but the concept is that for every interaction – whether you are working with a colleague, a participant, or a client – the reaction should be “Wow”. It’s a key reason I believe we have the industry’s highest Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Then, it’s our commitment to innovation. We disrupted the industry when we arrived, but we didn't stop. We kept at it consistently over the years. It’s been a key factor in our ability to deliver the industry’s best experiences and best outcomes.
And finally, it’s resiliency. From keeping the lights on in the early start-up days, dealing with the inevitable ups and downs of our industry, or working through the highs and lows of the last couple of years – RiseSmart is a train that won’t stop climbing up the mountain.
meaningful work, every day
Perhaps more important than our growth and expansion is the impact that the company has had on so many people over the past 15 years.
From our inception, we’ve been in the business of creating “new beginnings” for people – people who have found themselves in a difficult career spot. Our job is to get them pointed in the right direction, into a more rewarding career path or a new job. We’ve helped 100’s of thousands of people find that new path – creating new opportunities for themselves and their families.
One of our original taglines captured it well “Transitioning Talent, Changing Lives”. So in addition to all the RiseSmarters out there who played an important role in this meaningful work, I want to thank all of the participants who let us into their lives and join them on this journey. And of course, it wouldn’t be possible without the trust and support from our very loyal corporate customers – who bring us on board to do what we do for their valued employees.
Thanks for bearing with me on this somewhat braggy post. Obviously, I’m proud to have been on this journey with so many incredible people at RiseSmart and proud of the impact we’ve had in a relatively short amount of time. Thank you to our customers, our participants, and all RiseSmarters around the globe.
Happy 15th anniversary, RiseSmart, here’s to more great years ahead.
Dan