June 3, 2025 • 25 mins
What does it take to build a thriving tech recruitment company while navigating the challenges of being a female entrepreneur? Christina Lock, founder of Catch Talent, pulls back the curtain on her remarkable 10-year journey in Charleston's evolving "Silicon Harbor" ecosystem.
Starting as the second employee at software company Sparc before launching her own venture, Christina shares how she took just three days between leaving her previous role and founding Catch Talent. With refreshing candor, she describes her business as her "middle child," revealing the delicate balancing act of growing a company while expanding her family and the support systems that made it possible.
The conversation takes a fascinating turn as Christina dismantles outdated notions about workplace culture. Forget ping pong tables and beer kegs—today's top talent seeks meaningful relationships with managers, opportunities for feedback, and a genuine sense of impact. This insight comes from someone who's seen both sides of the recruitment equation, having worked both agency-side and in-house before founding her own firm.
Mount Pleasant emerges as a key player in this story. Once dismissed as merely a "bring your own job" market, the area has transformed into a vibrant hub for entrepreneurs at various stages. Christina's leadership as past chairperson of the Harbor Entrepreneur Center, which now hosts over 100 companies on its 18-acre campus, has helped fuel this evolution. She also provides valuable insights into the complementary resources offered by organizations like the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), allowing business owners to "choose their adventure" based on their growth stage.
Whether you're building a business, seeking to attract top talent, or simply curious about how Charleston became "Silicon Harbor," this conversation offers practical wisdom from someone who's been integral to the region's transformation. Subscribe to Building Business for more conversations with the entrepreneurs and leaders shaping our business community.
Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce
Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions
Production Sponsor: RMBO.co
Design Sponsor: DK Design
Committee:
Kathleen Herrmann | Host | MPCC Immediate Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Mike Compton | Co-host | Marketing Chair | RMBO.co
Rebecca Imholz | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director
Amanda Bunting Comen | Co-host | Social ABCs
Ben Nesvold | Co-host | In-coming President | Edward Jones
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi everyone, rebecca Immelt, I'm the Executive
Director of the Mount PleasantChamber of Commerce.
We're here with the BuildingBusiness Podcast sponsored by
the Mount Pleasant Chamber ofCommerce and Charleston Media
Solutions in their studio hereoff of Clements Ferry Road, so
excited to have with us todayChristina Locke.
Welcome Christina, thank youand welcome Mike oh hey, I'm
(00:23):
here too.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hey, mike, hey, how are you?
Yeah, no, we are excited tohave Christina on today of Catch
Talents, and what else are you?
You're also the chairperson ofthe Harbor Entrepreneurs.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Center Past chairperson.
Yes, but I'm still active onthe board and on the executive
committee for the Harbor, andI'm sure you're on other boards
too, aren't you?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yes, charleston tech, and then uh eo, charleston,
which is entrepreneursorganization very cool, very
cool.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Wow, busy, lady, busy , don't mess up your intro.
Rebecca, go ahead well, no, Imean great job.
This is a conversation, sogreat job, mike.
Um, I have never heard of catchtalent before, so I do want to
talk about.
I went on your website andlooked around.
It's really interesting becausewe've had conversations with
Matt Brady, with the town, andone of the areas of growth in
(01:09):
Mount Pleasant is informationtechnology and you have a firm
that brings in folks that typeof talent.
So is that what?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
did I get that right with Catch Talent?
Yes, it's sort of twofold.
We work with growing technologycompanies, so those that are
looking for great people to jointhe organization, and then
candidates that may be whetherthey're local or outside the
area that are looking to find anew career, find a new company.
And, yeah, tech isever-changing, so it's exciting
(01:43):
and that's truly what we'repassionate about is growing
companies and being sort of anextension of their team.
So the hiring process ingeneral has changed dramatically
.
Especially, we're entering our10th year at Catch 10 years, yes
.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Oh my goodness, congratulations.
Thank you, yes.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
What was it like 10 years ago, when you were
starting off?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So very different landscape, of course, you know,
I think that.
So I came, we incubated, catchat a software company actually
right down the road.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Okay, Called Spark.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Okay, which was acquired in 2015 by Booz Allen,
and whenever there's anacquisition, it's sort of like
this cascading effect that otherindividuals want to start their
own company.
You know, they saw the sort ofjourney and that's really what
inspired me to launch Catch.
I saw a gap in the market.
There was a true gap in termsof recruiters.
(02:36):
That had been on both sides.
So I've been agency andinternal and so understanding
the business behind recruiting.
So in 2015, you know, we hadorganizations like Dig South.
We had the Harbor EntrepreneurCenter was only about a year old
, so I think all these thingswere sort of budding right and
Charleston was kind of it wasfunny At the time we coined it
(02:57):
Silicon Harbor, you know it waslike Silicon Valley.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I was wondering how we're going to.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
yes, because it's very West Coast Silicon Valley
type of feel that we're growinghere, absolutely, but on a small
town with nice people, yeah,exactly.
West.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Coasters.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Whatever?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Yeah, exactly, and so I think there was like this
sort of rippling right.
Blackbaud was always a staplehere, but we were seeing more
VCs and PCs.
Take notice, pes, I should say.
But we were seeing more VCs andPCs.
Take notice, pes, I should say,of the area you know, and
actually the biggest movementthat we saw was COVID.
We had so many folks move fromChicago or New York or Boston
(03:37):
and they just didn't want thatsort of lifestyle anymore and so
moving here they, you knowwe've launched, you know, hq2,
as we like to say.
So if a company was based inBoston and they wanted to
incubate a group of 30 or 40people, they did it here in
Charleston, I love that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So I think that's the biggest shift that we've seen.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
That's really cool.
That is very cool.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I did not know that.
We wouldn't know that, right,unless we talked to
professionals that are in thisfield.
I mean, that's why we do thesepodcasts learn something new.
I love it anyways, good job,thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, the episode's over no, I have not had my
questions answered I know, Iknow I'm just kidding um as a
female entrepreneur that makesyou unique.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
there are challenges, I think, that women face.
Yes, how?
What are some of the challenges?
How obviously you'vesuccessfully addressed them, but
talk about your journey throughthat.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yeah, I think that, absolutely.
You know, females facedifferent challenges.
I mean, being an entrepreneurin general is a very hard and
lonely journey a lot of times,and I'll talk about that a
little bit of why the harbor'sbeen such an amazing support
system for not only myself butthose that have gone through the
Harbor Entrepreneur Center.
(04:54):
I wish I'd found it earlier,actually.
But yeah, I mean, I think youknow, when I started Catch, I
had one child.
So you know, going throughpregnancy and a newborn and that
whole transition to four peoplein our family was definitely
something that was probably themost life-altering time in my
(05:16):
life and not that it's not fordads, but no offense guys.
You know we go through a lot ofthe other parts of it too, and
so you know how do you balanceraising a family and also having
a growing company, and thatdefinitely pulls on you know
your heartstrings too, because Ilove what I do.
I call Catch my middle childbecause, as I said, I only had
(05:40):
one.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Wait, you call Catch, your middle child, your most
house-land's Catch.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
No, no, no, it's like my company is my middle child.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
She's nurturing that middle child.
She's nurturing and growing it.
See, he's a male, so Iunderstood that I liked it.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I liked that you did brand your kid your company name
.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
That would be a little extreme, but you know, I
think too, just having a seat atthe table has.
You know, we've come a long way, of course, especially even
since my mom was growing up inthe business world, but there is
still a lot to be done.
You know, I was one of 10executives at Spark and I was
(06:21):
the.
There were two females, so I'llgive them some credit that we
had a good percentage there.
But I think that you know youstill look at Fortune 500s and
not seeing the female at thetable, I think not to continue
to go back to COVID but a lot ofwomen, especially executives,
had to take that step back whenthere wasn't childcare or we
were going through kind of allthat.
(06:42):
So I think those uniqueobstacles I happen to have a
really supportive husband whohas been great along the way in
helping me just live out thedream- I have a very supportive
husband as well.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I love the chamber world.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I wish.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
I had found it a long time ago.
So thank you, John.
So you talked, you touched alittle bit at Spark, your role
there.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
What does that mean, Spark?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It didn't stand for anything.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It's a software.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
It was software, it was a software company and it
didn't.
It wasn't an acronym, but youknow you spark an idea.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Spark an idea.
I love that.
Yes, and you.
It grew very quickly to 300folks.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
In less than five years.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, it was right, at six years actually my gosh.
Okay, it was a wild ride Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And that helped prepare you how with Catch the
wild ride portion.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yeah, so I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, so I
think it's always been in myDNA to take that risk, take that
jump.
And so when I was the secondemployee at Spark actually, so I
shared a cubicle with thefounder- at the time the second
employee.
Yes, yes, Wow, and so I justsort of did everything.
If it was payroll accounting,which is not my forte.
(08:01):
The second employee, thisculture.
We were a government contractor, so not typically seen as
having a really strong culture,although a lot of that has
(08:22):
changed in governmentcontracting as well.
But we had dogs in the office,we had kegs, we had a beer light
.
You were ahead of the curve then, because now that's just almost
the norm it is yes, and sohaving that sort of culture and
employer brand, I mean one timea candidate delivered a cake and
that was their application, soit was like you know.
(08:43):
I would love to apply for a jobat Spark Like was it on the
icing?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Was it written Really ?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah, yeah.
So kind of unique ways to standout, so kind of unique ways to
stand out.
But I feel so fortunate to haveseen sort of the inner workings
, along with our executive teamand founder, to know what goes
in, because it's not all.
You know cakes and roses, right, there's a lot more to a
startup.
And then you know we had becomereally attractive as an
(09:14):
organization and Booz Allenwanted a bigger footprint here
in Charleston, so they acquiredus six years later, in 2015.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
And so when they acquired you, then you were
ready like OK, what's my nextthing?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Yeah, I was honestly not sure at the time.
It was very emotional for me,especially driving out of the
parking lot the last time, youknow, because I had built this
company.
I loved, I absolutely lovedwhat I did.
I mean the quote.
You know, if you love what youdo, you never work a day in your
life.
It felt like that every daywalking into Spark, and so I had
(09:49):
a lot of mentors around me thatsaid you know, if you ever
started a recruiting firm, youknow you would just crush it.
It would be.
You know, started a recruitingfirm, you know you would just
crush it.
It would be.
You know, everyone would wantto replicate what you did while
we were at Spark.
Essentially.
So, um, yeah, it was.
It was definitely one of thosemoments and and actually my, my
(10:10):
father, who is an entrepreneur,was like don't you want to like
take some time?
And you know, just be, you know, with your son and I don't know
.
I just had this momentum andfeeling that, like you got to
strike while the iron's hot, sowe took all of three days off
and three days launch catch.
Yes, I took a Friday off andlaunch catch on Monday.
In retrospect I probably shouldhave at least taken a week, but
give yourself a week somewhere.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Go to Hawaii.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Um, yeah, you know, if, if I could talk to you know
myself 10 years ago, I guessIsn't that the case?
Yes, but yeah, that was reallythe antithesis of what we wanted
to create at Catch and thentaking, you know, employer
branding and culture, just aculture of hiring, out to the
market.
That is what has been such afun journey now with Gatch.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
So what are tips for acquiring top talent and then,
almost more importantly, keepingthem?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yes, Right, yes, retention turnover is a huge
expense.
I know, yes, so everyone youknow you can claim that you're
great at recruiting as anorganization, but if you're not
retaining your talent, then,that can be devastating.
And also candidates talk rightLike hey, have you heard of this
company?
What's it like to work there?
And so candidates have becomevery savvy that they're now
(11:31):
doing the research whether it'sGlassdoor or people that they
know.
If I'm at a barbecue and I knowsomeone, it's a very small
market.
It's like what is it like towork at Catch?
Hopefully my employees say thatit's a great place and fair
leadership and all those sort ofthings.
But yeah, in terms ofrecruiting and retaining talent,
(11:51):
I mean it's very unique toevery organization and I found
that it shouldn't be coming fromme.
So we do a lot of activepolling of our employees.
You know what benefits do youwant?
A lot of times it's not alwaysyour traditional benefits.
It may be, hey, can we do earlyout summer Fridays, or we love
to have one-on-one time withtheir manager.
(12:13):
I mean, there's been a wholestudy that you can spend all
this money on lunch in theoffice or you know beer kegs,
whatever it is.
But it's truly the relationshipwith your manager and having
the ability to give feedback andfeel like you have a voice and
an impact.
Every day I've heard that.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
That's really great advice, because people in a
group tend to shut down.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
But if you can get them aside, Mentorship is what
they're looking for.
But they'll open up moreExactly.
They will.
I love that idea.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Yeah, it's, you know.
Of course they're also, I'msure, love the snacks in the
office and having a great, youknow environment.
But you know, I think that'sbeen outplayed a lot and it's
longer ping pong tables it is,and that's gone away.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Well, yeah, it really has.
I think it's just been sooverdone.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
It's kind of cliche.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Like we have a ping pong table.
Now we have culture.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
And I think truly, you know, if it can come from
the top down and you have theability of open communication
and sort of 360 feedback.
That goes a lot further,especially if you're a remote
company you know, and you don'tget to see the people every day
and communication is even morecrucial.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Huge yes.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Is remote work sort of an expectation now, when
somebody's Depends on the job?
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yes, I would say definitely depends on the job
and, interestingly enough,there's been a huge push for
return to office.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yeah, big time.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
And I'm sure you've seen it in the news.
So, locally, I think it's a mix.
We have some clients that havean incredible culture, they find
great people and they're fivedays a week in the office, and
then we have others that arehybrid.
So at Catch we're hybrid.
We have a hybrid schedule,which means three days in office
, two days remote, and that, Ithink, is the growing trend.
(13:59):
Like, you can get together withyour team, but you also have
some days where you're workingfrom home.
So I don't think remote is theexpectation and sometimes,
honestly, I speak withcandidates that are like I do
not want to be here with my dogin my pajamas anymore.
They're ready to get out and bein an office again and be around
people.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Which is why the Harbor is such a special place.
I knew you were going to.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Sorry, Rebecca.
Go right ahead, Mike.
Let's talk about the HarborEntrepreneur Center.
Well, I mean, it's so great tohave this in the Mount Pleasant.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
District right, I mean as a chamber, we have to
really partner with these typeof groups and we do partner with
.
We just had a single day mileparty.
Yeah, apparently you guysshared the same room, didn't
even?
Speaker 1 (14:40):
know, I know.
Well, I was co-hosting it.
I was busy of course, and myhusband was at the table helping
to check people in good, then Imust have run into both of you.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Yeah, it was a really well attended event.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
It was, um, it was a great exciting yeah, and it was
exciting for people who thechamber does a lot of network
and we do many other things, butit was nice for them to meet
other people.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
It's okay to say network, it's okay to network,
it's good, it is okay.
We're a networking group.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
We are a networking group but now that we have
office space I've been bringingsome programs in.
We have a veterans program alsorecently that quarterly
veterans program for veteran andbusinesses but anyway okay,
harbor entrepreneur center.
Love the it's beautiful, 18acres, gorgeous campus.
Love all the energy and theideas that are flowing back and
(15:27):
forth.
How did now?
How did you get involved inyour past?
Chair of the board.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Yes, okay, yes, so um , actually right around the time
of you had another kid.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
You decided to chair another thing and build another
business.
Yeah, I just can't sit still.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
You know the ADD growing up it comes out in
different ways as anentrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, so I was introduced to the Harbor
actually right around the timethat Spark was going through the
acquisition.
So I feel like I've had thislike life cycle and a lot of the
folks there helped me to bridgethat gap.
You know, like your brand is nolonger this company that you
worked for.
You're an entrepreneur, and soI was involved.
(16:05):
You know whether it was hostinga hiring group or just getting
to know the members, and therewas an event that one of the
founding members of the Harborwas like hey, if you are in this
world of being an entrepreneur,let me tell you about forum
group, and forum group is apeer-to-peer.
We meet monthly, talk abouttopics, talk about issues, and
(16:26):
you experience share, because noone's really gonna understand
what you're going through unlessyou're in that seat as an
entrepreneur and founder.
And and that was life-altering,for I mean, I made friends that
I will keep forever.
And it was also pretty uniquethat I had another female
business owner, christineOsborne.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I know her yes.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Who is?
If you know Christine, you knowher energy and passion and love
, and she also has two boys.
So seeing her 20 years, let'ssay or 25 years ahead of me was
certainly an eye opening andgreat opportunity to just maybe
figure out what my path shouldbe as a mom running a business.
(17:12):
Yeah, so long answer to yourquestion.
That's how I originally gotinvolved and then into.
When we launched the buildingGrady, our executive director
reached out along with one ofour founding members and said
hey, we have an idea.
Would you like to bechairperson of the harbor?
And you know, I took maybe like12 hours and I jumped at the
(17:37):
opportunity.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Of course.
Yeah, don't give you more thana day to do something.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah exactly and it was an incredible year I mean
leading up to the year that Iwas chairperson.
It was getting our tenants inthe building.
It was maturing our acceleratorprogram, which are for,
basically, companies that havenot yet hit a certain revenue
threshold but they're learninghow to do sales and marketing
(18:02):
and rev ops, so it kind ofcatapults them.
But it's a 14-week programalong with mentors that they get
to work with.
So that's another one of theprograms at the Harbor that
we're really proud of.
And yeah, during that time itwas just incredible to see this
you know sort of pillar withinthe Mount Pleasant community
grow.
(18:23):
We had incredible support frommany organizations and I think
Matt Brady mentioned we haveover 100 companies as residents
now.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
And we have many pillars in the Mount Pleasant
community that support economicgrowth.
I love that pillars, I lovethat terminology and the town
definitely, you know, help HEC,which it should, because we want
to be a place where people lookand say it looks like a great
place to live.
But can I actually have a wayto sustain my life in Mount
(18:56):
Pleasant?
if they're not ready to retire,and some folks are retired, but
they're looking at the next bestphase of their lives, right,
they come here and they're likeokay, now I'm ready to follow my
passion that I was alwaysinterested in.
So the Harbor EntrepreneurCenter is a great way for them
to get started.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Yes, I would agree.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
It really is, and I've heard um not pleasant be
described.
Actually, stanfield gray saidthis um to me, uh, in his
podcast episode.
It was uh, mount pleasant ismore of a um byoj market, bring
your own job.
Yes, you heard him say that toono, I was just like jay.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
What would that stand ?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
for.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
I'm thinking journey, but you're right, bring your
own job?
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Yeah, I love that, so what?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
we're trying to do here at the chamber is spread
that.
That's not necessarily the case.
There's a lot of economy,there's a lot of growth.
It's not just a sleepy town.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
No, not at all.
I mean, um, so catch isheadquartered in Mount Pleasant
as well.
Um, I should say, and we lovebeing in Bell Hall and kind of
at the center of if I need to goto the airport, it's 10 minutes
away If.
I need to go downtown.
It's 15 minutes away and wehave a lot of young
professionals that work for us,so it was honestly the most
perfect place that we could find.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
But the Chamber has a young professionals group.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Oh, that's great, and they Catch needs to be a
sponsor of that, I think, andthey have been working with Dr
Troy Hall.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I love Dr Hall.
Good drop there, Rebecca Nice.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
And so I love the fact that we have a young
professionals group.
We have a women's group.
We have a group for veterans,so I'm really excited about that
as a chamber and being part ofa community and part of uh HEC,
and meeting women like you whoare successful entrepreneurs,
and um your journey to thispoint with catch.
Thank you, it's been a greatconversation, mike yeah, eo
(20:47):
would be up next, eo that's.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I've dug into EO a little bit.
I don't know that much about ithonestly.
Can you tell her back a littlebit, because they were?
Speaker 1 (20:55):
there.
Yeah, the other, um, when wedid that uh networking event and
I'm like I'm co-hosting it witha, yeah, but I don't know much
about it.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Yes, like uh.
Ben jamin's a part of.
Yes, jessica monday's a part of.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
There's a few jason um tompkins was our past
president oh sorry your cause.
Yes, all right, so so we um,especially um that I should have
mentioned.
While I was chairperson, youknow, jessica, and I sat down I
said how do we create thispartnership so that
entrepreneurs have a place ineither organization?
(21:28):
So I'm part of both.
I'm part of the Harbor and I'mpart of EO.
So, depending on where you arein your journey, you can kind of
choose your adventure, you know, and what EO offers is more of
a global perspective.
So they are um in in india,they're in venezuela, like
you'll find an eo chapter allover what does it stand for?
(21:51):
yeah, it stands forentrepreneurs organization I
knew that?
Speaker 1 (21:54):
yeah, so it could be.
I didn't realize it hadchapters all over.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Yes, okay, and so I think that's the power with eo
is we had um, our east coastsummit, and it was in Atlanta,
and so I met people from allover the East Coast, but you can
go to their global and it wasin Hawaii.
So I think you know like a lotof different opportunities to
meet entrepreneurs in differentaspects.
They're hosting it's a virtualevent, but Martha Stewart is
(22:21):
speaking to all of EO so you canjoin and hear her story, and so
that's just.
The difference is that.
EO just has a broader and moreglobal but not everybody can
join EO.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
There is a revenue threshold yes, that's pretty
cool, though, talk about that.
I like how that is.
Yes, because you know you'reworking with entrepreneurs that
are successful.
Because of this, they'reestablished.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Is everyone at?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
EO more of an established entrepreneur Because
of this threshold.
It is more of an establishedNow.
Eo does have an accelerator aswell, which is a lower threshold
in terms of revenue, but inorder to be a part of EO, I
believe it's $2 million inrevenue.
Don't quote me on that.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
I thought it was one, but it could be two now.
Maybe it is one.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Yeah, I had joined about 18 months ago, so it's
kind of crossing over at thispoint, but I can fact check,
Sure no problem.
And yeah, so it's entrepreneursthat have revenue, they have an
established business andthey're coming in and growing
and learning and similarly, wehave forum and different
opportunities to partner, and sothe forums that you offer is
(23:28):
that for that buddingentrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
So it's sort of a mentorship too, or they can just
Sounds like that's anaccelerator yeah, so forums are
more of the peer-to-peer of theexperienced entrepreneurs.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
An accelerator is more of that 13, 14-week program
where mentors are guiding themthrough, kind of a curriculum.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
So where do we find all of this?
Yes, Because you've given us alot of great information so much
.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Christina.
So, Harbor is harborecorg, andthen you can just look up
eocharlestonorg, harborecorg andeocharlestonorg.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
eocharlestonorg.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Thankorecorg and eocharlestonorg.
Thank you, I love that.
I thought I did a lot.
I thought I was a joiner, butnow I've got goals now.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Christina thank you, careful, what you wish for
totally get that too well.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
I wished for this to happen and it did look at that.
We met with Christina Locke ofCatch Talent.
Thank you so much for your timetoday.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Thank you.
It's an honor to be here andI'm really excited about the
growth in Mount Pleasant andsupporting that growth in any
way that we can through theHarbor or bringing great people
to town.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Thank you, I enjoyed the conversation very much.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I think we learned a lot.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
I learned a lot.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
I think we did.
I.
I think we learned a lot.
I learned a lot, I think we did.
I took a bunch of notes.
That's very good.
Well, thanks, listeners.
Again, thank you, christinaLocke.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Rebecca, you did a great job, of course.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Mike Radio voice.
And all this is Mike Compton.
We've been listening to theBuilding Business powered by the
Mount Pleasant Chamber ofCommerce, sponsored by the
Charleston Marketing no, no,Charleston Media Solutions Big
sponsors.
Also, thank you to DK Designfor our branding.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Thank you, Darius, Thank you yeah buddy.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Thanks, listeners, we'll talk to you next time.
Hi everyone, rebecca Immelt, I'm the Executive
Director of the Mount PleasantChamber of Commerce.
We're here with the BuildingBusiness Podcast sponsored by
the Mount Pleasant Chamber ofCommerce and Charleston Media
Solutions in their studio hereoff of Clements Ferry Road, so
excited to have with us todayChristina Locke.
Welcome Christina, thank youand welcome Mike oh hey, I'm
(00:23):
here too.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hey, mike, hey, how are you?
Yeah, no, we are excited tohave Christina on today of Catch
Talents, and what else are you?
You're also the chairperson ofthe Harbor Entrepreneurs.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Center Past chairperson.
Yes, but I'm still active onthe board and on the executive
committee for the Harbor, andI'm sure you're on other boards
too, aren't you?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yes, charleston tech, and then uh eo, charleston,
which is entrepreneursorganization very cool, very
cool.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Wow, busy, lady, busy , don't mess up your intro.
Rebecca, go ahead well, no, Imean great job.
This is a conversation, sogreat job, mike.
Um, I have never heard of catchtalent before, so I do want to
talk about.
I went on your website andlooked around.
It's really interesting becausewe've had conversations with
Matt Brady, with the town, andone of the areas of growth in
(01:09):
Mount Pleasant is informationtechnology and you have a firm
that brings in folks that typeof talent.
So is that what?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
did I get that right with Catch Talent?
Yes, it's sort of twofold.
We work with growing technologycompanies, so those that are
looking for great people to jointhe organization, and then
candidates that may be whetherthey're local or outside the
area that are looking to find anew career, find a new company.
And, yeah, tech isever-changing, so it's exciting
(01:43):
and that's truly what we'repassionate about is growing
companies and being sort of anextension of their team.
So the hiring process ingeneral has changed dramatically
.
Especially, we're entering our10th year at Catch 10 years, yes
.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Oh my goodness, congratulations.
Thank you, yes.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
What was it like 10 years ago, when you were
starting off?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So very different landscape, of course, you know,
I think that.
So I came, we incubated, catchat a software company actually
right down the road.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Okay, Called Spark.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Okay, which was acquired in 2015 by Booz Allen,
and whenever there's anacquisition, it's sort of like
this cascading effect that otherindividuals want to start their
own company.
You know, they saw the sort ofjourney and that's really what
inspired me to launch Catch.
I saw a gap in the market.
There was a true gap in termsof recruiters.
(02:36):
That had been on both sides.
So I've been agency andinternal and so understanding
the business behind recruiting.
So in 2015, you know, we hadorganizations like Dig South.
We had the Harbor EntrepreneurCenter was only about a year old
, so I think all these thingswere sort of budding right and
Charleston was kind of it wasfunny At the time we coined it
(02:57):
Silicon Harbor, you know it waslike Silicon Valley.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I was wondering how we're going to.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
yes, because it's very West Coast Silicon Valley
type of feel that we're growinghere, absolutely, but on a small
town with nice people, yeah,exactly.
West.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Coasters.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Whatever?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Yeah, exactly, and so I think there was like this
sort of rippling right.
Blackbaud was always a staplehere, but we were seeing more
VCs and PCs.
Take notice, pes, I should say.
But we were seeing more VCs andPCs.
Take notice, pes, I should say,of the area you know, and
actually the biggest movementthat we saw was COVID.
We had so many folks move fromChicago or New York or Boston
(03:37):
and they just didn't want thatsort of lifestyle anymore and so
moving here they, you knowwe've launched, you know, hq2,
as we like to say.
So if a company was based inBoston and they wanted to
incubate a group of 30 or 40people, they did it here in
Charleston, I love that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So I think that's the biggest shift that we've seen.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
That's really cool.
That is very cool.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I did not know that.
We wouldn't know that, right,unless we talked to
professionals that are in thisfield.
I mean, that's why we do thesepodcasts learn something new.
I love it anyways, good job,thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, the episode's over no, I have not had my
questions answered I know, Iknow I'm just kidding um as a
female entrepreneur that makesyou unique.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
there are challenges, I think, that women face.
Yes, how?
What are some of the challenges?
How obviously you'vesuccessfully addressed them, but
talk about your journey throughthat.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yeah, I think that, absolutely.
You know, females facedifferent challenges.
I mean, being an entrepreneurin general is a very hard and
lonely journey a lot of times,and I'll talk about that a
little bit of why the harbor'sbeen such an amazing support
system for not only myself butthose that have gone through the
Harbor Entrepreneur Center.
(04:54):
I wish I'd found it earlier,actually.
But yeah, I mean, I think youknow, when I started Catch, I
had one child.
So you know, going throughpregnancy and a newborn and that
whole transition to four peoplein our family was definitely
something that was probably themost life-altering time in my
(05:16):
life and not that it's not fordads, but no offense guys.
You know we go through a lot ofthe other parts of it too, and
so you know how do you balanceraising a family and also having
a growing company, and thatdefinitely pulls on you know
your heartstrings too, because Ilove what I do.
I call Catch my middle childbecause, as I said, I only had
(05:40):
one.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Wait, you call Catch, your middle child, your most
house-land's Catch.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
No, no, no, it's like my company is my middle child.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
She's nurturing that middle child.
She's nurturing and growing it.
See, he's a male, so Iunderstood that I liked it.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I liked that you did brand your kid your company name
.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
That would be a little extreme, but you know, I
think too, just having a seat atthe table has.
You know, we've come a long way, of course, especially even
since my mom was growing up inthe business world, but there is
still a lot to be done.
You know, I was one of 10executives at Spark and I was
(06:21):
the.
There were two females, so I'llgive them some credit that we
had a good percentage there.
But I think that you know youstill look at Fortune 500s and
not seeing the female at thetable, I think not to continue
to go back to COVID but a lot ofwomen, especially executives,
had to take that step back whenthere wasn't childcare or we
were going through kind of allthat.
(06:42):
So I think those uniqueobstacles I happen to have a
really supportive husband whohas been great along the way in
helping me just live out thedream- I have a very supportive
husband as well.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I love the chamber world.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I wish.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
I had found it a long time ago.
So thank you, John.
So you talked, you touched alittle bit at Spark, your role
there.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
What does that mean, Spark?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It didn't stand for anything.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It's a software.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
It was software, it was a software company and it
didn't.
It wasn't an acronym, but youknow you spark an idea.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Spark an idea.
I love that.
Yes, and you.
It grew very quickly to 300folks.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
In less than five years.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, it was right, at six years actually my gosh.
Okay, it was a wild ride Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And that helped prepare you how with Catch the
wild ride portion.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yeah, so I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, so I
think it's always been in myDNA to take that risk, take that
jump.
And so when I was the secondemployee at Spark actually, so I
shared a cubicle with thefounder- at the time the second
employee.
Yes, yes, Wow, and so I justsort of did everything.
If it was payroll accounting,which is not my forte.
(08:01):
The second employee, thisculture.
We were a government contractor, so not typically seen as
having a really strong culture,although a lot of that has
(08:22):
changed in governmentcontracting as well.
But we had dogs in the office,we had kegs, we had a beer light
.
You were ahead of the curve then, because now that's just almost
the norm it is yes, and sohaving that sort of culture and
employer brand, I mean one timea candidate delivered a cake and
that was their application, soit was like you know.
(08:43):
I would love to apply for a jobat Spark Like was it on the
icing?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Was it written Really ?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah, yeah.
So kind of unique ways to standout, so kind of unique ways to
stand out.
But I feel so fortunate to haveseen sort of the inner workings
, along with our executive teamand founder, to know what goes
in, because it's not all.
You know cakes and roses, right, there's a lot more to a
startup.
And then you know we had becomereally attractive as an
(09:14):
organization and Booz Allenwanted a bigger footprint here
in Charleston, so they acquiredus six years later, in 2015.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
And so when they acquired you, then you were
ready like OK, what's my nextthing?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Yeah, I was honestly not sure at the time.
It was very emotional for me,especially driving out of the
parking lot the last time, youknow, because I had built this
company.
I loved, I absolutely lovedwhat I did.
I mean the quote.
You know, if you love what youdo, you never work a day in your
life.
It felt like that every daywalking into Spark, and so I had
(09:49):
a lot of mentors around me thatsaid you know, if you ever
started a recruiting firm, youknow you would just crush it.
It would be.
You know, started a recruitingfirm, you know you would just
crush it.
It would be.
You know, everyone would wantto replicate what you did while
we were at Spark.
Essentially.
So, um, yeah, it was.
It was definitely one of thosemoments and and actually my, my
(10:10):
father, who is an entrepreneur,was like don't you want to like
take some time?
And you know, just be, you know, with your son and I don't know
.
I just had this momentum andfeeling that, like you got to
strike while the iron's hot, sowe took all of three days off
and three days launch catch.
Yes, I took a Friday off andlaunch catch on Monday.
In retrospect I probably shouldhave at least taken a week, but
give yourself a week somewhere.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Go to Hawaii.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Um, yeah, you know, if, if I could talk to you know
myself 10 years ago, I guessIsn't that the case?
Yes, but yeah, that was reallythe antithesis of what we wanted
to create at Catch and thentaking, you know, employer
branding and culture, just aculture of hiring, out to the
market.
That is what has been such afun journey now with Gatch.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
So what are tips for acquiring top talent and then,
almost more importantly, keepingthem?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yes, Right, yes, retention turnover is a huge
expense.
I know, yes, so everyone youknow you can claim that you're
great at recruiting as anorganization, but if you're not
retaining your talent, then,that can be devastating.
And also candidates talk rightLike hey, have you heard of this
company?
What's it like to work there?
And so candidates have becomevery savvy that they're now
(11:31):
doing the research whether it'sGlassdoor or people that they
know.
If I'm at a barbecue and I knowsomeone, it's a very small
market.
It's like what is it like towork at Catch?
Hopefully my employees say thatit's a great place and fair
leadership and all those sort ofthings.
But yeah, in terms ofrecruiting and retaining talent,
(11:51):
I mean it's very unique toevery organization and I found
that it shouldn't be coming fromme.
So we do a lot of activepolling of our employees.
You know what benefits do youwant?
A lot of times it's not alwaysyour traditional benefits.
It may be, hey, can we do earlyout summer Fridays, or we love
to have one-on-one time withtheir manager.
(12:13):
I mean, there's been a wholestudy that you can spend all
this money on lunch in theoffice or you know beer kegs,
whatever it is.
But it's truly the relationshipwith your manager and having
the ability to give feedback andfeel like you have a voice and
an impact.
Every day I've heard that.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
That's really great advice, because people in a
group tend to shut down.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
But if you can get them aside, Mentorship is what
they're looking for.
But they'll open up moreExactly.
They will.
I love that idea.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Yeah, it's, you know.
Of course they're also, I'msure, love the snacks in the
office and having a great, youknow environment.
But you know, I think that'sbeen outplayed a lot and it's
longer ping pong tables it is,and that's gone away.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Well, yeah, it really has.
I think it's just been sooverdone.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
It's kind of cliche.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Like we have a ping pong table.
Now we have culture.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
And I think truly, you know, if it can come from
the top down and you have theability of open communication
and sort of 360 feedback.
That goes a lot further,especially if you're a remote
company you know, and you don'tget to see the people every day
and communication is even morecrucial.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Huge yes.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Is remote work sort of an expectation now, when
somebody's Depends on the job?
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yes, I would say definitely depends on the job
and, interestingly enough,there's been a huge push for
return to office.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yeah, big time.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
And I'm sure you've seen it in the news.
So, locally, I think it's a mix.
We have some clients that havean incredible culture, they find
great people and they're fivedays a week in the office, and
then we have others that arehybrid.
So at Catch we're hybrid.
We have a hybrid schedule,which means three days in office
, two days remote, and that, Ithink, is the growing trend.
(13:59):
Like, you can get together withyour team, but you also have
some days where you're workingfrom home.
So I don't think remote is theexpectation and sometimes,
honestly, I speak withcandidates that are like I do
not want to be here with my dogin my pajamas anymore.
They're ready to get out and bein an office again and be around
people.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Which is why the Harbor is such a special place.
I knew you were going to.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Sorry, Rebecca.
Go right ahead, Mike.
Let's talk about the HarborEntrepreneur Center.
Well, I mean, it's so great tohave this in the Mount Pleasant.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
District right, I mean as a chamber, we have to
really partner with these typeof groups and we do partner with
.
We just had a single day mileparty.
Yeah, apparently you guysshared the same room, didn't
even?
Speaker 1 (14:40):
know, I know.
Well, I was co-hosting it.
I was busy of course, and myhusband was at the table helping
to check people in good, then Imust have run into both of you.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Yeah, it was a really well attended event.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
It was, um, it was a great exciting yeah, and it was
exciting for people who thechamber does a lot of network
and we do many other things, butit was nice for them to meet
other people.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
It's okay to say network, it's okay to network,
it's good, it is okay.
We're a networking group.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
We are a networking group but now that we have
office space I've been bringingsome programs in.
We have a veterans program alsorecently that quarterly
veterans program for veteran andbusinesses but anyway okay,
harbor entrepreneur center.
Love the it's beautiful, 18acres, gorgeous campus.
Love all the energy and theideas that are flowing back and
(15:27):
forth.
How did now?
How did you get involved inyour past?
Chair of the board.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Yes, okay, yes, so um , actually right around the time
of you had another kid.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
You decided to chair another thing and build another
business.
Yeah, I just can't sit still.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
You know the ADD growing up it comes out in
different ways as anentrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, so I was introduced to the Harbor
actually right around the timethat Spark was going through the
acquisition.
So I feel like I've had thislike life cycle and a lot of the
folks there helped me to bridgethat gap.
You know, like your brand is nolonger this company that you
worked for.
You're an entrepreneur, and soI was involved.
(16:05):
You know whether it was hostinga hiring group or just getting
to know the members, and therewas an event that one of the
founding members of the Harborwas like hey, if you are in this
world of being an entrepreneur,let me tell you about forum
group, and forum group is apeer-to-peer.
We meet monthly, talk abouttopics, talk about issues, and
(16:26):
you experience share, because noone's really gonna understand
what you're going through unlessyou're in that seat as an
entrepreneur and founder.
And and that was life-altering,for I mean, I made friends that
I will keep forever.
And it was also pretty uniquethat I had another female
business owner, christineOsborne.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I know her yes.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Who is?
If you know Christine, you knowher energy and passion and love
, and she also has two boys.
So seeing her 20 years, let'ssay or 25 years ahead of me was
certainly an eye opening andgreat opportunity to just maybe
figure out what my path shouldbe as a mom running a business.
(17:12):
Yeah, so long answer to yourquestion.
That's how I originally gotinvolved and then into.
When we launched the buildingGrady, our executive director
reached out along with one ofour founding members and said
hey, we have an idea.
Would you like to bechairperson of the harbor?
And you know, I took maybe like12 hours and I jumped at the
(17:37):
opportunity.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Of course.
Yeah, don't give you more thana day to do something.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah exactly and it was an incredible year I mean
leading up to the year that Iwas chairperson.
It was getting our tenants inthe building.
It was maturing our acceleratorprogram, which are for,
basically, companies that havenot yet hit a certain revenue
threshold but they're learninghow to do sales and marketing
(18:02):
and rev ops, so it kind ofcatapults them.
But it's a 14-week programalong with mentors that they get
to work with.
So that's another one of theprograms at the Harbor that
we're really proud of.
And yeah, during that time itwas just incredible to see this
you know sort of pillar withinthe Mount Pleasant community
grow.
(18:23):
We had incredible support frommany organizations and I think
Matt Brady mentioned we haveover 100 companies as residents
now.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
And we have many pillars in the Mount Pleasant
community that support economicgrowth.
I love that pillars, I lovethat terminology and the town
definitely, you know, help HEC,which it should, because we want
to be a place where people lookand say it looks like a great
place to live.
But can I actually have a wayto sustain my life in Mount
(18:56):
Pleasant?
if they're not ready to retire,and some folks are retired, but
they're looking at the next bestphase of their lives, right,
they come here and they're likeokay, now I'm ready to follow my
passion that I was alwaysinterested in.
So the Harbor EntrepreneurCenter is a great way for them
to get started.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Yes, I would agree.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
It really is, and I've heard um not pleasant be
described.
Actually, stanfield gray saidthis um to me, uh, in his
podcast episode.
It was uh, mount pleasant ismore of a um byoj market, bring
your own job.
Yes, you heard him say that toono, I was just like jay.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
What would that stand ?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
for.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
I'm thinking journey, but you're right, bring your
own job?
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Yeah, I love that, so what?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
we're trying to do here at the chamber is spread
that.
That's not necessarily the case.
There's a lot of economy,there's a lot of growth.
It's not just a sleepy town.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
No, not at all.
I mean, um, so catch isheadquartered in Mount Pleasant
as well.
Um, I should say, and we lovebeing in Bell Hall and kind of
at the center of if I need to goto the airport, it's 10 minutes
away If.
I need to go downtown.
It's 15 minutes away and wehave a lot of young
professionals that work for us,so it was honestly the most
perfect place that we could find.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
But the Chamber has a young professionals group.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Oh, that's great, and they Catch needs to be a
sponsor of that, I think, andthey have been working with Dr
Troy Hall.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I love Dr Hall.
Good drop there, Rebecca Nice.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
And so I love the fact that we have a young
professionals group.
We have a women's group.
We have a group for veterans,so I'm really excited about that
as a chamber and being part ofa community and part of uh HEC,
and meeting women like you whoare successful entrepreneurs,
and um your journey to thispoint with catch.
Thank you, it's been a greatconversation, mike yeah, eo
(20:47):
would be up next, eo that's.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I've dug into EO a little bit.
I don't know that much about ithonestly.
Can you tell her back a littlebit, because they were?
Speaker 1 (20:55):
there.
Yeah, the other, um, when wedid that uh networking event and
I'm like I'm co-hosting it witha, yeah, but I don't know much
about it.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Yes, like uh.
Ben jamin's a part of.
Yes, jessica monday's a part of.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
There's a few jason um tompkins was our past
president oh sorry your cause.
Yes, all right, so so we um,especially um that I should have
mentioned.
While I was chairperson, youknow, jessica, and I sat down I
said how do we create thispartnership so that
entrepreneurs have a place ineither organization?
(21:28):
So I'm part of both.
I'm part of the Harbor and I'mpart of EO.
So, depending on where you arein your journey, you can kind of
choose your adventure, you know, and what EO offers is more of
a global perspective.
So they are um in in india,they're in venezuela, like
you'll find an eo chapter allover what does it stand for?
(21:51):
yeah, it stands forentrepreneurs organization I
knew that?
Speaker 1 (21:54):
yeah, so it could be.
I didn't realize it hadchapters all over.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Yes, okay, and so I think that's the power with eo
is we had um, our east coastsummit, and it was in Atlanta,
and so I met people from allover the East Coast, but you can
go to their global and it wasin Hawaii.
So I think you know like a lotof different opportunities to
meet entrepreneurs in differentaspects.
They're hosting it's a virtualevent, but Martha Stewart is
(22:21):
speaking to all of EO so you canjoin and hear her story, and so
that's just.
The difference is that.
EO just has a broader and moreglobal but not everybody can
join EO.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
There is a revenue threshold yes, that's pretty
cool, though, talk about that.
I like how that is.
Yes, because you know you'reworking with entrepreneurs that
are successful.
Because of this, they'reestablished.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Is everyone at?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
EO more of an established entrepreneur Because
of this threshold.
It is more of an establishedNow.
Eo does have an accelerator aswell, which is a lower threshold
in terms of revenue, but inorder to be a part of EO, I
believe it's $2 million inrevenue.
Don't quote me on that.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
I thought it was one, but it could be two now.
Maybe it is one.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Yeah, I had joined about 18 months ago, so it's
kind of crossing over at thispoint, but I can fact check,
Sure no problem.
And yeah, so it's entrepreneursthat have revenue, they have an
established business andthey're coming in and growing
and learning and similarly, wehave forum and different
opportunities to partner, and sothe forums that you offer is
(23:28):
that for that buddingentrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
So it's sort of a mentorship too, or they can just
Sounds like that's anaccelerator yeah, so forums are
more of the peer-to-peer of theexperienced entrepreneurs.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
An accelerator is more of that 13, 14-week program
where mentors are guiding themthrough, kind of a curriculum.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
So where do we find all of this?
Yes, Because you've given us alot of great information so much
.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Christina.
So, Harbor is harborecorg, andthen you can just look up
eocharlestonorg, harborecorg andeocharlestonorg.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
eocharlestonorg.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Thankorecorg and eocharlestonorg.
Thank you, I love that.
I thought I did a lot.
I thought I was a joiner, butnow I've got goals now.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
Christina thank you, careful, what you wish for
totally get that too well.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
I wished for this to happen and it did look at that.
We met with Christina Locke ofCatch Talent.
Thank you so much for your timetoday.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Thank you.
It's an honor to be here andI'm really excited about the
growth in Mount Pleasant andsupporting that growth in any
way that we can through theHarbor or bringing great people
to town.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Thank you, I enjoyed the conversation very much.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I think we learned a lot.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
I learned a lot.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
I think we did.
I.
I think we learned a lot.
I learned a lot, I think we did.
I took a bunch of notes.
That's very good.
Well, thanks, listeners.
Again, thank you, christinaLocke.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Rebecca, you did a great job, of course.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Mike Radio voice.
And all this is Mike Compton.
We've been listening to theBuilding Business powered by the
Mount Pleasant Chamber ofCommerce, sponsored by the
Charleston Marketing no, no,Charleston Media Solutions Big
sponsors.
Also, thank you to DK Designfor our branding.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Thank you, Darius, Thank you yeah buddy.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Thanks, listeners, we'll talk to you next time.
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