Grit and golden treatment service, has seen sisters and Datafin co-owners, build one of the country’s top Recruitment Agencies
Hearing the latest social media term “Delulu” (aka delusional), a broken convection oven in need of repair and a newly acquired pet – a chameleon named “Stick”. These revelations emerge in a Monday morning MS Teams meeting. This, after a quick check-in with members of the all-women team managed by Datafin Recruitment bosses and sisters, Lindy Sollinger and Bev Sollinger. But amidst malfunctioning cooking devices and recounting having to Facetime the grandkid to show that “Stick” is indeed still alive and well – runs a well-oiled Recruitment Agency – a top contender in the SA landscape.
Celebrating Women’s Month this August, I wanted to find out if the Sollinger duo always envisioned having a business, how it transformed into a staff compliment of women only and the secret ingredients to Datafin’s success.
Initially starting out working for a Recruitment company herself, Lindy soon learnt the ropes and decided this was something she could pursue independently.
“I always knew that I wanted to run my own business, but my heart became set on it when working for bosses in a recruitment company and realizing I could do this on my own,” she explained.
Both sisters agreed that they always had their sights set on running their own business.
“Yes, I always thought I would be running a business someday, I just had no idea what it would have been,” recalled Bev.
Throughout the years, the Datafin staff compliment has mainly been comprised of women only. The sisters explained that it was never an intentional strategic decision. Rather, how the company naturally evolved and that having an all-women team has only proven beneficial in the long run.
“It’s kind of worked out that way, also we found that in a very male dominated industry it works well to be female in this role,” said Lindy.
Bev said they found women had the right mix of administrative capabilities, sales, people skills and high EQ which they wanted their Recruitment Consultants to possess.
She added that” So once we experienced this, we did unintentionally only really entertain the thought of having woman on the team – it evolved into this naturally and we are happy about it.”
Both women agree that their gender specifically, has never proven an obstacle in operating a business in Recruitment. Instead, they have learnt valuable lessons along the way of how to sustain a business and using “femininity” to make candidates feel comfortable and secure when making decisions about their next career move.
“…what I have learnt is that we can use our femininity as an advantage by being in a space of letting things happen in their own way as opposed to pushing candidate(s) to take offers to make targets, we have a philosophy of letting the candidates decide what to do once they have explored all the avenues with them,” Lindy expressed.
Added to that, Bev said it remains critical to have the administrative part of your house in order, to ensure you avoid unnecessary issues and for the most part, maintain a seamless operation.
“Lessons learnt would be to make sure you have your administrative documents prepared and sorted, if you are running a business there are a lot of logistical aspects that need to be sorted out and if these are not covered you can land up in a bit of a predicament.”
During the span of the company’s now, 25th year in operation, the business co-owners both became Mothers. The juggle between the two roles they say requires making those necessary sacrifices while getting the balancing act between work and your personal life just “right”.
“I have always worked and raised three kids while working so it’s the norm to me, it sounds so cliched but it’s all about getting the work/life balance right and realizing that sometimes there are sacrifices to make along the way. The trick is to not feel guilty about those small sacrifices and be present when I’m with the kids or at work,” advised Lindy.
Bev shared her sister’s sentiment and advised that young women entering the workforce, who plan to start a family but continue working fulltime, should find a company who supports and understands the demands of a working Mom.
“It is very important to have a work life balance. It does really help once the kid goes to school as then you can plan your day around that. I only have one child, so it is really pretty easy for me to navigate around his schedule and fit in a full day’s work. Advice I would give to other mothers is to try work for a company that understands you and understands the demands of having a job and being a mother so that you can work and get fulfillment out of being a career woman, as well as nurture your kids. Children actually seem to prefer a mother that is not always 100% available, it teaches them boundaries and respect,” Bev explained.
Raising kids while growing Datafin – a now reputable Recruitment Agency “go-to” - specifically in the fast-paced and ever-evolving realm of IT, it’s undoubtedly been a challenging journey at times. Datafin has faced tough economic climates during the Recession and more recently, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lindy and Bev believe their drive and giving their clients and candidates the level of care, honesty and professionalism they deserve, has owed to the Recruitment Agency’s success and staying power.
“It’s all about putting in the hours, patience, persistence and the defining factor is the level of grit that you can apply to your work!” highlighted Lindy.
Bev added: “Start small, and then grow. Take your time to get to know your clients/candidates – they are golden, and a good understanding of them certainly helps the business to flourish. Be completely open, honest and transparent in every single thing that you do. Ethics and morals go a really long way to repeat business and success.”
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