At Core Matters, we’re fanatical about creating a game changing hiring process for your business.
Because when you have the right people, it helps every part of your business succeed.
You deserve to have a team you trust.
If you’re like the hundreds of service businesses we work with, we know you didn’t get into this business to deal with “people problems.” For so many small businesses, the idea of hiring is an afterthought. It’s a pain and it often leads to disappointment.
This is why our mission at Core Matters is to help business leaders like you challenge the status quo and think outside the box to approach the age-old problem of hiring from a new angle.
When you have a better way to hire, it ensures your business succeeds and lets you focus on the things that matter most to you. You know, the things that made you jump into business in the first place.
“Our goal is to make it simple to find the right people you need to grow your business, so you can free up your time to spend on what matters most to you.”
-Ryan Englin, Core Matters CEO
Over 20 years of leadership, training, and process
design has gone into the Core Fit Hiring System
– and now we’re sharing it with you.
The Core Fit Hiring System isn’t some HR theory cooked up in a boardroom or classroom.
It’s been built, tested, and refined on the frontline of America’s service industries.
The journey behind the Core Fit Hiring System started over 40 years ago in one of the millions of blue collar American households. All these years later, we help hundreds of business owners impact the lives of thousands of families by changing the way teams are built.
When your employees are engaged, they’re more productive.
And productive employees lead to greater profitability.
Your people impact your profits more than any other part of your business. When you’re able to hire the right people who fit your culture, this translates into your business reaching its full potential and greater profits.
A more profitable business provides you with the freedom to do what’s most important to you. Whether that’s free up your time to spend with your family, hobbies, or anything else you’d rather be doing.
We’ll help you hire the right people for a successful future.
But first, here’s a bit about our company and founder’s past…
Learning to Fish With My Dad
Little did I know my dad was preparing me for a life of hiring great people while we were out on the boat. When my dad taught me to fish, it was the little things that stuck with me all these years. Lessons like… You first have to know what fish you want to catch, because then other decisions become easier. It took patience and determination. Sometimes we’d have to throw them back and not waste our time on those that weren’t keepers.
As I’d find out later in life, these very same principles apply to hiring.
Getting My First Computer and Falling in Love With the Digital World
I still remember it. My first computer was a 60-pound monitor with green text on a black screen. It was my introduction to the digital world and I was instantly hooked. This led me to a life-long obsession with all things digital. It’s a good thing, too, because more than 90% of job seekers start and end their job search online today.
Spending Weekends at the Plant With My Dad
Growing up with an entrepreneur father, l learned the challenges of hiring and retention early on. My dad would work crazy hours, nights and weekends, just to keep his plant running. Often, the whole family would pitch in to help in the shop, on the floor, or in the warehouse. It wasn’t long before I could drive a forklift and keep his warehouse in great shape. Looking back, I now realize that a lack of good people is what kept my dad at the plant, instead of home with our family.
An Early Desire to Help Business Owners
In high school, I told my guidance counselor I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just knew I wanted control of my time and to help others do the same. If I had that, I’d be happy, I told her. I knew the family business wasn’t for me. So I turned my back on entrepreneurship and decided I wanted to go the corporate route. It wasn’t until much later that I realized freedom and control aren’t words that are synonymous with a corporate career.
Watching My Dad Commute 160 Miles a Day to Provide a Better Life for Our Family
My dad was obsessed with providing a better life for his family, so he moved us out of the city. The lifestyle was great. I even met my future wife at high school. But living outside the city meant my dad had to grind even more, commuting almost 80 miles ONE WAY to work each and every day. My dad could spend more time at home with our family on weekends because the plant was so far away, but it still meant driving 800 miles per week just to achieve this small luxury.
Getting My First Real Taste of Process Design and Development
After high school I went to college and got a degree in HR management with an emphasis in training and benefits. After graduating, I made my way into Corporate America.
This experience taught me a lot. It especially taught me that I’m not a corporate guy.
It also ignited my passion for process development. I saw how large organizations were able to get so much done with such little involvement from leadership. It was here that I developed the foundation for the Core Fit Screen. I had no choice after experiencing the flawed interviewing practices of major companies.
Leaving Corporate America to Start My Own Marketing Company
It took me a decade to leave the corporate world after realizing entrepreneurship was where I belonged. Instead of following in my dad’s footsteps, I followed my passion and launched a digital marketing agency.
I didn’t abandon my blue collar roots entirely though. My agency specialized in bringing processes and systems to home service contractors all over America, helping them secure new customers and keep them. This understanding of human behavior and the retention process would later become key pillars of the Core Fit Hiring System.
Outsourcing CMO Services and Quickly Learning Culture is Everything
Watching our clients struggle with managing multiple vendors, wowing their clients, and being clear on how to deliver a remarkable experience, I started consulting as a Chief Marketing Officer. As a CMO, I came to see the power of a defined culture – and the importance of holding people accountable to it.
It became clear that high quality services alone weren’t what drew customers to our clients. It was the great people, following effective processes and an aligned singular vision, that gave our clients a competitive edge. The origins of Core Matters had begun.
Helping Small Businesses Find Skilled Service Technicians
This was a turning point. With an influx of customers from our marketing efforts, our clients no longer needed our services. They had more customers than they could handle. They simply didn’t have the people to service them.
In order to meet the growing needs of a client, I offered to help an HVAC contractor find a few technicians. Three weeks after we launched our process, they filled every empty truck and even had to order a couple more. It was clear we uncovered something big…
Combining Marketing With Recruiting to Transform the Hiring Process
One of our CMO clients was struggling to hire outside salespeople. After reviewing their recruiting process, it was clear their job ad looked just like everyone else’s, and their interview process did nothing to make them stand out.
I rewrote their job ad and put together a new interview guide. Within an hour, the head of sales forwarded an email to the CEO saying, “I want to apply for this job, this sounds like an amazing place to work.” They had always been an amazing place to work. They just didn’t know how to communicate it. This was true for so many service businesses…
Full Rebrand to Core Matters to Focus on Helping Companies Hire Better People Faster
After helping numerous clients find more people with our hiring process, it was time to pivot. I called it quits on the digital marketing agency to focus on implementing our process for companies all over the country.
I changed the company name, got clear on who we serve, and set out to build a company I could scale. The mission was powerfully simple: improve the lives of 500,000 families by empowering businesses to create better work environments by implementing the Core Fit Hiring System within the next 10 years.
Developing the Core Fit Hiring System
At this stage, I was very hands on with the implementation of our hiring system. But I knew real empowerment for clients required a system they could manage on their own. It had to be simple enough to implement and run for any small business. After countless iterations, the Core Fit Hiring System took shape. But it wasn’t until I met my mentor that the direction of the business would change forever.
Launching the Blue Collar Culture Podcast to Bring Pride Back to the Trades
To give back to all the blue collar entrepreneurs out there, Jeremy Macliver and I started the Blue Collar Culture podcast. Our goal was to bring in experts who could provide actionable insights for listeners to implement right away in their businesses.
While there was a strong emphasis on hiring, we also discussed finances, marketing, and sales. Basically anything that would help small business operators hit their business goals, so they could get what they always wanted from their business.
The Core Fit Hiring System Coaching and Training Program Launches
After years of consulting, I wanted a way to reach and support more businesses. I knew not everyone could afford a six-figure consulting agreement. So, I packaged up all my best processes, systems, and tools to create a done-with-you coaching and training program targeted to small business owners.
This program is designed to give small businesses the same hiring capabilities as the big guys – without the cost. It’s a program that supports blue collar American businesses across the country, many just like my dad’s all those years ago…
Hire Better People Faster Launches
After two and a half years, my book was published on October 17th, 2023. Helping business leaders attract, hire, and retain the best employees is a focus of mine. I know so many entrepreneurs who don’t feel like they’re winning in business because they don’t have enough people they trust.
This book changes that.
I pull back the curtains and show you all of the backend tools that we use to help our clients hire better people faster!