NFIB

Career Change Suits Colorado Small Business Owner
05/01/2002

Following her dreams has taken Karla Collins Friar down a long and winding road.

As a girl, Friar wanted to become a dancer. Yet, a summer waiting tables in New York convinced her to change her major to historic preservation and business. After graduation, she took a job with an accounting firm on the advice of her father, but soon found she wasn't satisfied.

Frustrated with her job, Friar turned to a headhunter in hopes of landing a different accounting position. But rather than placing her in the job she'd asked for, he spent an hour on the phone convincing her she'd be better suited to a career in recruiting. The rest, as they say, is history.

Friar spent the next nine years learning the staffing business at two national firms. In 1998, she formed Aegis Staffing, which specializes in providing temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct hire placement of accounting, administrative and clerical personnel. Today, Aegis boasts two office locations, six full-time employees and an army of more than 200 temporary employees that it works to place within a network of local businesses.

"I've never looked back or had any regrets," says Friar. "To this day, I am still excited to come to work every morning. I thoroughly enjoy the people I have met and continue to meet, and the challenges I face every day.

Friar soon discovered that many of these challenges came from the government. She joined NFIB after being asked by its Colorado office to testify against a proposal that would have forced her to report the hiring statistics of her clients to the government, creating more paperwork and potentially interfering with client relationships.

"I was so glad to learn about NFIB and its mission and goals," she remembers. "It really seemed like a perfect fit for me. I jumped right in and I've been involved ever since."

Today, Friar is active on a number of fronts. In addition to keeping a close eye on employment laws that affect her business, she campaigns for tort reform and health care issues on behalf of small business.

Quick Facts:
Name: Aegis Staffing Services Inc., www.temporarywork.com
Locations: Offices in Boulder and Denver
Founded: 1998
Number of employees: Six

Interesting changes in Aegis Staffing's business life:
The staffing industry is one of the fastest growing industries today. It provides companies and individuals with a wide range of employment options and flexibility. In the past thirteen years I've watched this industry grow from "temporary work" being for moms or people in between jobs to an industry of professionals who make their careers as contract employees in accounting, engineering, information technology and healthcare. An individual can have a rewarding career as a "contract worker" in today's economy.

The staffing industry has endured numerous recent attempts at unionization, and sales tax laws have been passed in many states that apply to service firms' revenues -- although thankfully not in Colorado.

Why did you join NFIB?
I joined NFIB because federal and state employment laws have such a dramatic impact on my business. I felt that NFIB would be a good means to have a greater voice in the legislative process.

How did you become involved in NFIB grassroots activism?
Last year, Tim Jackson, NFIB's state director for Colorado, asked me to testify against two bills that had the potential to complicate employment across the state of Colorado.

One bill would have required businesses to report themselves when they paid women less than men. All of the women that we place are paid according to their experience level, not their gender. I felt very strongly that government intervention and additional paperwork were not the answers to this perceived problem. I think my testimony made a difference in making sure this legislation never made it out of committee, and that was a great feeling.

What have you done through NFIB to help the cause of small business?
I have testified before numerous committees on proposed legislation ranging from "living wage" issues to the pay-gender gap in Colorado. I have corresponded with federal and state legislators on proposed health care and OSHA legislation. I currently serve as the NFIB liaison to a committee working on tort reform issues in Colorado and as a focus group member on health care issues affecting employers in Colorado.

Why do you like being a small business owner?
You have the opportunity to learn and grow and expand in so many areas. You have to learn every minute detail of your business and push yourself to the limit of your abilities. It's an incredible challenge that I wouldn't trade for the world. I believe that everyone should try it!