We sat down with Swell’s founder Cari Gatto to discuss why she started Swell, what keeps her motivated, and why she can’t wait to see where this journey takes her team.

I saw more and more people wanting to work in a more flexible way. Some wanted to work part-time hours, but still wanted to leverage their vast experience and contribute to organizational goals. Others wanted to be able to work for a few months and then take some time off. We had one consultant who would work for six months, then travel for six months. With the success of the matches we were making for temporary assignments, our customers began asking us to help them fill permanent positions. Then they wanted us to work with them on team building and team engagement. So over time our business expanded to meet our clients’ needs.

Seeing our client teams succeed–exceeding their goals and functioning in a way that creates a positive team dynamic. Also, seeing the candidates we place excel in their roles and continue to build their personal and professional brand.

From experience I know that people are their best when they are operating in a positive environment both personally and professionally. Creating a space where there is no fear of failure, where people are not afraid to make mistakes empowers the team and increases the quantity and quality of their contributions. Similarly, when you focus on what people are doing right rather than what they are doing wrong, not only do people feel better about themselves, they start to repeat those positive behaviors. They are happy and motivated, which makes them great team players and drives business results. Science has proven that happy people are less stressed and more productive.

Honestly? The happiness that we create–on our team, in our work and within our clients’ organizations.

Oh, that’s a big question. I can probably write a book on this, but I think the key is finding your purpose and uncovering your core values. When you use these things as your “north star” to guide your decisions and your priorities, everything else falls into place. I worked with a coach to help me discover these things when I first started Swell. The experience was so profound that I completed the training to become a certified coach. I lead workshops to help others uncover their purpose and core values. It’s something that I find deeply satisfying.

We have some great aspirations for the future of Swell, ideas that will disrupt the talent industry! We have always pivoted to provide our clients with the services they need and we will continue to do that. Anything that supports our vision to create a world of happy work people and happy workplaces is possible!