New Venture Lab: Equipping Christian Entrepreneurs

19-Year-Old Entrepreneur Launches His Own Recruiting Business

This profile features Nolan Manteufel and his recruiting business.  Nolan is a recent graduate of the New Venture Lab Apprentice program.

Name:

Nolan Manteufel

Family Description:

I am a 19-year-old homeschool graduate that is in the process of being launched into life.  From a very early age God has made himself the desire of my heart, and my life is a race for the incorruptible crown of eternal life with Him.  I am striving to love the LORD my God with all my heart - by wholly seeking Him above everything else, with all of my soul - by blessing Him with all that is in me, and with all of my mind - by serving and magnifying Him with my life. 

Over the past three years God has changed my discernment from that of a boy to that of a man, given me a vision for how I can serve him with my life and has been launching me on the path of seeking him through the pursuit of that vision. 

I am currently living with my Father and Mother and am praying that God would allow me to start my own household at the same time that I leave them. 

Business Name:

SureHire USA

Business Description:

SureHire USA is a recruiting agency for the Community Association Property Management industry.  Right now, it consists of myself and my sister.  I have ideas for either expanding the current operations or adapting to a more web based career-services business model. 

Location:

San Antonio, TX

Formal education/training:

I was in a private church school through the sixth grade and completed my formal education through high school at home (Home Education). 

Prior work experience:

Shortly after turning 18 years old, I worked at a recruiting agency near our home and received extensive training during the six months leading up to my internship with New Venture Lab. 

Forming the Idea:

While working with the recruiting agency I realized that recruiting had an attractive business model (with it's "virtual presence" via the phone and internet) and the potential to be very lucrative. 

For example, during the last month of my employment God allowed me to generate between $30 and 40K in revenue for my employer - which allowed me to leave with a clear conscience knowing that I truly benefited his company.  There are few business models in which an 18 year old, who has never met either the Job Seekers or Hiring Managers (located in companies far across the state) in person can create that amount of value.  Recruiting is one of them.

How you got started:

During the internship with New Venture Lab I was given the recruiting responsibilities at a property management firm and was able to start SureHire USA by continuing those responsibilities on a contract basis from San Antonio.

What was it like in the beginning:

SureHire USA is still in its beginning stages.  We are refining our services and evaluating where to expand next. 

What stage the business is at now:

"Humble Beginnings" stage.  God has blessed our operations, but we are still in the beginnings stage.

The biggest challenge you’ve faced:

The biggest challenge I have faced has been maintaining consistent communication with all of my clients and setting the standard below what we plan to deliver.  It is far better to promise less than you plan to deliver and impress them, than the opposite. 

Key steps that made the difference:

Finding a good mentor that could counsel me through difficult situations made all the difference in the world.

Lessons Learned:

The most important lesson that was driven home was that God will grant grace to my humility, but oppose my pride.  Humility is not being incompetent or ignorant; yet pride isn't very helpful when you need to make a tough customer service call.

The best advice you received:

Persevere… persevere… persevere!  You can only learn from your mistakes if you persevere through them.

What your work and family life was like before:

All my work experiences have equipped me to pursue the opportunities that I am now considering.  It is exciting.

What your work and family life is like now:

God is in the process of launching me in my pursuit of Himself.  Business is one of the areas that I plan on engaging in life, and it's been exciting to see God grant my prayers in this area.