Humans of Staffing

First Staffing Group’s Juliana Bojorquez on How Preparation Powers Expansion

Juliana Bojorquez, CEO, transformed from a receptionist in a staffing agency to building First Staffing Group into a thriving enterprise, with five locations serving Southern California and Texas in just five years. In this episode of Humans of Staffing, she reveals how reaching a career ceiling at previous employers sparked her entrepreneurial journey, the specific methodologies behind her rigorous client qualification process, and how maintaining financial reserves helped her company navigate the volatile 2020-2024 business climate when many competitors struggled with cash flow. 
With 15 years of industry experience before launching her own agency during the pandemic, Juliana walks Sammy and TJ through her unique approach to leadership where she remains available to her team 24/7, the importance of professional presentation in an increasingly casual industry, and how her comprehensive pre-sales process includes researching X-mod ratings to eliminate high-risk prospects before making initial contact. She also shares insights on current immigration policy impacts on the labor market, particularly in agriculture where some clients have reduced operations from seven days to four due to workforce shortages.
Topics Discussed:
The challenges of maintaining staffing agency growth through rigorous client pre-qualification rather than pursuing any available opportunity, and a methodology of canvassing areas, running X-mod reports through workers' comp, and researching prospects before initial contact to eliminate high-risk accounts.
The evolution of pricing strategies in the staffing industry as unsustainable markup compression threatens stability, and the need for industry-wide standardization based on workers' comp codes while refusing to work with clients seeking only the lowest possible rates.
How strategic financial reserves function as both safety net and growth engine for staffing agencies via implementing cash policies that enable self-funding payroll when credit limits are reached.
The competitive advantage of maintaining professional standards in an increasingly casual industry, including creating immediate credibility through consistent branded attire at every client interaction, establishing clear business boundaries that lead to higher-quality relationships.
Navigating the operational impacts of immigration policy shifts across the staffing supply chain, such as produce suppliers reducing from seven-day to four-day operations due to upstream agricultural labor shortages affecting downstream logistics clients.
The implementation of targeted sales team structures where high-performing branch managers share sales responsibilities rather than dedicated representatives, allowing maintenance of growth through relationship-based selling even during economic volatility.
Using data-driven candidate sourcing strategies to overcome technology limitations, including critical inefficiencies in current platforms that lack proper qualification capabilities and waste hundreds in ad spend on fundamentally mismatched candidates for specialized roles.

MDRN Staffing's Edgar Mota on How Military Discipline Built a Blueprint for Success

Edgar Mota, Owner of MDRN Staffing immediately fell in love with staffing because he was helping people. A sense of being in service to others was something he yearned for from his time in the US Army. 
In this episode of Humans of Staffing, Edgar takes Sammy and TJ through his full journey, from hitting rock bottom after his deployment to discovering his passion for staffing, and an angel investor's unexpected offer to launch a staffing firm just before COVID. 
Military discipline became Edgar’s business superpower, including through the sobering reality of client bankruptcies and his current data-driven approach testing every sales script and content piece on rapid two-week cycles. 
Topics Discussed:
How Edgar's military deployment in Iraq and subsequent struggle to find stable employment led him to discover a passion for helping others through staffing.
Transparent communication during challenges, including how staffing agencies often disappear when they can't fill orders, whereas his team prioritizes immediate communication about shortfalls, resulting in stronger client relationships.
The shift from organic growth during COVID to a data-driven sales approach tracking specific metrics like content watch time and cold call script performance on two-week testing cycles.
How Edgar's team achieves 100 prospect touches daily through a mix of LinkedIn messages and cold calls, versus the traditional in-person approach that yielded only 10-15 daily interactions — and that seems to have become offputting.
Early adoption of AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude for sales enablement, content creation, and resume screening, with specific prompts developed and distributed to staff for consistent workflows.
Implementing systems to reduce decision fatigue in both personal and professional contexts, from wearing all-black clothing to choosing CrossFit for its pre-planned workouts, allowing mental bandwidth to focus on critical business decisions.
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Voyage Employer Services’ Daniel Beltran on Compliance as Competitive Edge

How can a staffing agency steady itself in a Wild-West-type situation? In this episode of Humans of Staffing, Sammy and TJ dive deep with a rapidly growing staffing firm specializing in light industrial workforce management in California's challenging regulatory environment. Daniel reveals how Voyage differentiates itself in the Wild West of staffing through superior compliance protocols and workforce management technology while competitors race to the bottom on margins. 
Facing California's notoriously low markup rates, Voyage carved out a competitive advantage by helping clients navigate complex regulations while building sophisticated timekeeping and workforce technology integrations. Daniel shares candid insights on the industry's future, particularly how AI-powered recruiting automation will transform staffing economics, while offering a masterclass in the three critical metrics that have guided Voyage's growth to 800 employees and $700,000 in weekly payroll.
Topics Discussed:
The three critical metrics to track religiously: order fulfillment rates, weekly cash flow against factoring advance rates, and active claims management.
How surviving a devastating $2.3 million PAGA lawsuit became a defining moment that shaped Daniel's resilient leadership approach.
The practical implementation of AI in staffing operations, particularly in recruiting and candidate screening, to remain competitive in California's compressed margin environment.
The challenges of California's staffing landscape, where no governing agency establishes industry standards, creating an environment where compliance-focused agencies struggle to compete against price-cutting operators.
How forgiveness became Daniel's entrepreneurial superpower, enabling him to reset daily despite setbacks and maintain forward momentum when others would collapse.
The role of sales expertise in staffing entrepreneurship, and why Daniel recommends working at an established agency before launching your own company.

Dynasty Employment Solutions’ Miguel Angel Estrada Valencia on How Client Portal Analytics Cut Time-to-Fill by 40%

In this episode of Humans of Staffing, Miguel Angel Estrada Valencia, President of Dynasty Employment Solutions, provides a fresh Gen-Z perspective on modernizing the staffing industry through technology and transparency. As a tech-native leader who built his career through innovative approaches to sales and operations, Angel shares how he's leveraging social media, AI, and digital transformation to reshape traditional staffing models while maintaining the crucial human element that drives success in the industry.
The episode provides senior staffing leaders with actionable frameworks for modernizing their operations while navigating complex regulatory environments and maintaining competitive advantages through technology adoption. Humans of Staffing brings you conversations with industry professionals — from agency owners and HR leaders to experienced temp workers and industry innovators — exploring the technology, trends, and human elements shaping the future of staffing.
Topics Discussed:
An innovative approach to candidate verification that combines AI pre-screening with strategic social media outreach, resulting in 30-40% reduction in DNU candidates while maintaining a high-volume talent pipeline of 100-200 daily applications per branch.
How Dynasty's implementation of full-access client portals with real-time analytics has transformed client relationships while improving time-to-fill metrics.
Detailed strategies for maintaining compliance amid evolving immigration regulations, including specific techniques for protecting both client and worker interests through systematic E-Verify implementation and documentation processes.
A data-driven framework for AI implementation in staffing operations, with specific insights on which processes yield highest ROI for automation (candidate screening, compliance checks) versus those requiring human oversight (final evaluations, client relationships).
How Dynasty leverages platform-specific content strategies across social channels to target distinct candidate pools, including specific examples of successful TikTok campaigns that drive Gen-Z recruitment rates 3x higher than traditional job boards.
The technical architecture enabling Dynasty's multi-state expansion, including specific compliance automation tools and centralized data management systems that maintain consistency across state lines while adapting to local regulations.
A systematic approach to market differentiation through technology enablement, moving beyond traditional markup competition to demonstrate value through transparent analytics, automated compliance tracking, and integrated workforce management solutions.
Real-world examples of how integrated compliance and verification systems create competitive advantages in enterprise client acquisition, particularly in highly regulated industries and federal contract opportunities