In 1988, Bejan Douraghy made his way
to Chicago with $1,000 in his pocket and
an idea for a business. A prior job experience had taught him that you had to
treat creative talent with the same level
of respect as you treat your customers,
because as a creative staffing agency,
people are his products and his service.
Five years later, his company, Artisan, had
tripled in size. A year after that, he appeared
on the cover of Inc. magazine about how
bootstrappers change their business practices to foster growth and move beyond the
start-up phase.
Almost 14 years later, his words still
hold true, and he emphasizes a commitment to his team and to the growth of
Artisan, a creative haven for top talent,
such as artists and designers, that balances the demands of businesses needing creative services while advocating
for the talent filling those needs.
He has built one of the best-known
brands in the United States’ creative
staffing services industry, serving nearly
2,000 companies and providing challenging work to 8,000 artists. The company
continues to gain recognition with promotional events that recognize the best
artists and designers in the global creative community.
Douraghy knows that putting together
the right people for his client needs is
equally as important as putting together
the right internal team for Artisan’s culture
and sustained success. When employees
ask for professional development opportunities, he examines the request, considers an appropriate budget and encourages
them to pursue creative endeavors.
HOW TO REACH: Artisan, www.artisantalent.com
