Meet Takenya Warren | Business Owner & Mother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Takenya Warren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Takenya, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Early in my career I had no work life balance. My goal was to grow and progress in my career quickly as possible. I was willing to take on extra projects, worked extended hours, and travel as needed. However, as my family began to grow the need to balance my work and personal goals became very apparent. As a result, I begin to look for roles that would allow me to provide for my family financially, emotionally, and physically by providing a more balanced work environment.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets us apart from other staffing agencies is our focus on the underserved. We are advocates for non-traditional employees, such as caretakers and re-entry candidates (stay at home parents, military personnel, retirees, previously incarcerated). I am most excited about our ability to connect parents/caretakers with employment opportunities that provide work life balance. We like to say we provide part-time/temporary employees with a permanent employment mind-set. There are so many people who desire to support their families financially while balancing other responsibilities. I am most proud of our partnership with community programs that provide support and services to previously incarcerated individuals. (Little fact, Texas has one of the highest incarceration rates amongst other states). There are pockets of communities that are disproportionately impacted that require these types of services to rebuild and create a pathway forward. We proactively seek out clients who offer second chance employment opportunities.

Getting into business was definitely not easy. The biggest lessons learned is you cannot plan for everything. You can have a robust business plan, funding, vision, connections and the best intent, however challenges will still come. Last year in February we were hired to provide 50 contractors for an event. We went over all the details and logistics with a fine-tooth comb. Unfortunately, a severe winter thunderstorm occurred causing the closure of public transportation and many roads. The event was on-going, and our remedy was to quickly access the impact to our headcount and communicate with our client.

I would like the world to know that the existence of Distinctive Staffing Services TX comes from my own personal experience. I was a single parent working in Corporate America in a leadership role, who thought I had figured it all out. Then came the pandemic making my life more challenging and complex than ever. Suddenly, I found it difficult to keep up with the demands of work while caring for my 8-month-old and home schooling my 1st grader. Everything seemed so unfamiliar, and I was at a lost as to how to balance it all. I tried to stick it out hoping everything would get back to normal but eventually resigned from my director position and started my journey of stay-at-home mom. I quickly realized I was unfulfilled and searched for part-time opportunities but found none matching my interests or skills. Hence, Distinctive Staffing Services TX was born.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend happened to be in town in the area, I would take them to our State Fair. There is no place like it. I would tell them to be prepared for a lot of walking, drinking and eating. If they were in town for a weeklong trip, we would visit various locations for brunch and dinner. We would visit Soiree Coffee Bar, Brunchaholics, and the Egg Bar for brunch. We would go to Campisi’s for pizza and pasta, Kitchen+Kocktails for drinks and southern comfort food, In and Out for burgers, Ruth’s Chris for steaks, and the Sugar Factory for a casual good time,

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I had the opportunity to spend 13 years of my career at JP Morgan Chase, arguably the best bank in the world. I was able to grow in my leadership, learn about banking, mortgages, and even take on various roles and responsibilities such as capacity planning, budgeting, training, hiring, site transitions, and offshoring. I also learned there were some things that I would do differently, if given a second opportunity. Overall. working at such a large bank gave me access to an invaluable resource, great leadership.

Website: https://www.distinctivestaffing.com/

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