Welcome to our founder lessons series.
Today, Kevin Wright and Erik Reid, founders and CEOs of
Virtustant and Intelliscreen share their success story and lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.
1. A brief summary of your startups
Virtustant and Intelliscreen are two companies dedicated to redefining global staffing practices. What began as a mission to improve virtual assistant services has evolved into a solution for businesses seeking high-quality, cost-effective remote talent. Starting our first venture in our early 20s at the height of COVID, we have built fully remote global businesses that staff and vet thousands of individuals for hundreds of companies in the US and Canada.
Under our leadership, Virtustant and Intelliscreen have established themselves as innovative tactical solutions in HR, empowering enterprises to expand operational teams swiftly and cost-effectively while ensuring sustained excellence and competitiveness. Leveraging innovative talent sourcing and a client-centric approach, we provide a diverse range of international staffing solutions, helping businesses thrive in a competitive landscape.
2. Why and how did you start your company?
In 2021, we set out to solve a significant problem in the staffing industry: finding high-quality, cost-effective candidates. Both of us—Kevin with his global business experience and passion for international ventures, and Erik with his finance background—had struggled with virtual assistant services, facing issues like inconsistent quality and high costs.
We quickly realized that our combined experiences could drive meaningful change. Together, we founded Virtustant to provide a staffing service that businesses could genuinely rely on, aiming to deliver more reliable and affordable solutions for companies needing top-tier remote talent.
As we delved deeper into the staffing process, we saw that traditional candidate testing methods often needed to be revised to accurately assess potential hires’ skills and fit. This realization led us to create Intelliscreen, an AI-driven platform designed to evaluate candidates effectively. By incorporating data-driven assessments, we could provide businesses with a more reliable way to identify the best talent, ensuring a better match for both employers and candidates. Intelliscreen has since become an integral part of our staffing strategy, enhancing our ability to deliver high-quality talent to our clients.
3. What have been your biggest success factors?
Many vital factors have been instrumental in driving our success. Our journey began with a strong emphasis on sourcing talent from the Philippines, as we believed it had a large pool of English-speaking professionals. However, as we faced challenges with time zone differences and communication barriers, it became clear that our initial strategy needed to evolve.
This prompted us to explore other regions, and during our search, we discovered the untapped potential of Latin America, particularly Argentina. The talent in this region not only met our high standards for quality and skill but also offered a cost-effective solution for businesses seeking reliable staffing options.
With this new focus on Latin America, we made it a priority to innovate our talent-sourcing strategies. This pivot has allowed us to provide businesses with exceptional staffing solutions, reinforcing our position as a leader in the international staffing industry.
At the heart of our success has been our unwavering commitment to excellence and a client-centric approach. Maintaining high service standards has been crucial in establishing our reputation and driving significant growth. We prioritize understanding and addressing our clients’ needs, which allows us to offer tailored solutions and build strong relationships.
4. What are the biggest challenges you have faced launching and running the company?
Our journey has been fraught with challenges. One of the most significant hurdles was navigating the constantly evolving staffing industry. We had to remain adaptable and responsive to economic shifts and changing industry trends to establish and maintain our competitive edge. This meant staying informed about market demands and being ready to pivot our strategies accordingly.
As Virtustant grew, we encountered the challenge of scaling our operations while ensuring high service quality. Implementing efficient processes and strategies was essential to ensure our rapid expansion did not compromise our standards. We had to refine our operational workflows, invest in training, and develop robust quality control measures to uphold the reliability our clients expected.
In addition, establishing a reliable global network and managing a diverse workforce presented its own obstacles. We faced communication, cultural differences, and logistics challenges as we sought to create a cohesive team across various regions. Successfully addressing these challenges has proved our effectiveness and resilience, proving our commitment to excellence in the staffing industry.
5. Which do you think is most important: the right market, the right product, or the right team?
Reflecting on what has been most crucial for our success—market, product, or team—we find that all three elements are interconnected and equally important.
Our partnership and the team we’ve built are central to our success. The synergy between us, combined with our shared vision and complementary skills, has been essential in navigating challenges and driving growth.
However, our evolution from virtual assistants to international staffing reflects the need for continuous innovation. Our focus on Latin American talent addresses a significant market need and sets us apart, and that’s why the product is essential.
Also, identifying and focusing on the right talent market was crucial. Our discovery of Latin America, especially Argentina, provided a solid foundation for growth and differentiation in the staffing industry.
6. Final words for those chasing the startup dream
For those embarking on your entrepreneurial journey, we encourage you to embrace resilience, as the road to success is filled with obstacles. The ability to learn from setbacks is essential, as is prioritizing value creation. Focus on delivering real value to your customers by understanding their needs and providing tailored solutions to set your business apart and drive growth.
Building a solid team that shares your vision and brings diverse skills is crucial; a united and capable team will help you navigate challenges and achieve success. Additionally, remain adaptable and innovative, as the business landscape is ever-changing. Our journey with Virtustant and Intelliscreen has been both challenging and rewarding, and we remain committed to transforming how businesses approach international hiring. We hope our story inspires others to pursue their startup dreams.
Founders’ Bios:
Kevin Wright and Erik Reid are the co-founders and CEOs of Virtustant, a pioneering remote hiring company reshaping how businesses access global talent. Kevin’s journey began with his passion for international business and entrepreneurship, which led him to start a Mandarin teaching venture in the Philippines after graduating from the Gabelli School of Business.
Erik, an Economics graduate from UConn, transitioned from a career in finance to entrepreneurship, driven by his vision to help companies scale through international staffing. Together, they founded Virtustant after identifying the need for a better, more affordable solution in the hiring market.
They also co-founded Intelliscreen, an AI-powered recruitment tool that revolutionizes high-volume hiring through advanced assessments and candidate evaluation. Their shared commitment to innovation, efficiency, and excellent service has fueled their rapid growth, making them a key player in the global staffing landscape.
Through their leadership, their companies have become disruptors in the staffing industry, challenging traditional domestic staffing models and offering businesses a competitive edge by tapping into the best Latin American talent. Kevin and Erik’s combined expertise and strategic vision continue to drive the success of their ventures, solidifying their reputation as leaders in global hiring solutions.
