Episode 57 - Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator - QuickHire

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When sisters Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall saw a need for the workers and employers in the service industry, they didn’t let their lack of tech knowledge hold them back from starting QuickHire. They share with hosts Don and Ebony how their tenacity led them to create a tech startup that is on the rise.

Deborah and Angela are sisters and the co-founders of QuickHire - a career discovery marketplace for the service economy. In April of 2021, QuickHire officially launched with Gladney and Muhwezi-Hall as, respectively, CEO and COO. With its current emphasis on the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries, the app went live just in time to help local businesses find enthusiastic workers amid a nationwide labor shortage. So far, QuickHire has attracted more than 12,000 jobseekers and listings from 70 local businesses. 

Deborah Gladney (CEO): Entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience designing communication strategies and programs. Deborah has managed stakeholder engagement, media relations, reputation/issues management and strategic positioning for a host of organizations in a variety of environments, including agency, corporate and nonprofit. 

Angela Muhwezi-Hall (COO): Seasoned career and educational advisement professional with nearly a decade of experience helping people discover and advance in their careers. Prior to QuickHire, Angela ran various career programs at some of the nation’s top institutions, including the University of Southern California.

QuickHire, LLC.

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On this episode we discuss: 

• Starting a tech company with no tech background
• How the pandemic was the catalyst to start the business
• Dignity of work in the service industry
• The old tech way service jobs were filled
• Being a bootstrapped startup
• The lie of “Day 0 Funding” in capital raising
•  Being a minority in the tech industry

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Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator is a weekly podcast devoted to supporting and learning from area business owners. Released every Wednesday, it's produced by Forge Podcast Co, managed by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Evergy. 

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