Talbott Talent Celebrates 5 Years of Transforming Nonprofits through Their People
I named my business, Talbott Talent, after my brother. When I was just out of college, Talbott and I shared an apartment. Even back then, Talbott, who later became a technology business owner, was a true entrepreneur.
I'm pretty sure he didn’t have permission to do so, but when we lived in that apartment together, Talbott ran a T1 line up the side of our apartment building so he could have the internet bandwidth he needed. At the age of 19, he was ready to start his tech business and was going to do whatever was necessary to get it done.
Back then I was much more of a rule follower. I remember being concerned about his T1 line tactic, asking him, “Are we allowed to do this?”
I’ll never forget Talbott’s response.
“Honestly, who knows. But I know I need good internet, so that’s what I'm doing unless someone tells me not to. I’m starting my business.”
His words have always stuck in my mind. He had a goal to launch his business and he took decisive action to get there.
Talbott passed away from brain cancer in late 2016. When you lose someone you’re close to, you re-examine your life. At least I did. For me, when Talbott died, I changed a lot of things. I started taking more risks and caring a lot less about what anyone else thought. I finally began diving into living the life that deep down I had always believed I was meant to live – courageous and full of purpose.
Just one month after my brother passed away, I launched Talbott Talent.
Erica Poff, Talbott Talent VP of Nonprofit Effectiveness and Heather Dilworth, VP of Talent Management
I’m so proud of the impact Talbott Talent has made on nonprofits over the last five years. We’ve recruited and placed dozens of nonprofit leaders, helped nonprofits in Indianapolis, the Midwest, and all over the country hire the right people and improved the way our nonprofit and association clients operate and hire.
I'm really excited about the future of Talbott Talent.
Kelly Gagnon, Talbott Talent VP of Strategy and Innovation, Leah York, President and Founder, and Jill Doyle, VP of Nonprofit Solutions
Right now, celebrating our 5th anniversary in business, we are uniquely positioned for our greatest impact yet. We have the right people on our team to dramatically change the way nonprofits hire. I love that, every single day, members of our team inspire one another and work together. We are a team of like-minded, principled, thought leaders. When we think of a new idea or a new way to do something, we always keep our mission at the forefront – to transform nonprofits through their people.
As I reflect and celebrate the 5th anniversary of Talbott Talent, I am so grateful for our clients who trust us with their hiring, our strong leadership team who passionately carry out our mission, my father who has shown me what it means to be a principled and heart-centered business owner, my family and friends who have supported me through everything over the past 5 years, and Talbott’s inspiration in my life and business. Thank you!
Through the process of meeting so many of my neighbors, I honed my skills on how to approach criticism. I developed a process to listen to and respond to complaints in a positive way.