Entrepreneur helps companies find ‘hero’ employees

Timothy Hearon, founder and CEO of employee recruitment company Rewired Solutions, isn’t new to the world of entrepreneurship. He’s been involved with several companies, among them jNetX, a company acquired by Amdocs in 2009, and Yebo Ventures, a commercial property investments company. He’s been working with startups since he was 22.

Now Hearon, 44, is at work on Rewired, a firm that helps companies hire people by gathering data and developing “hero personalities” modeled after successful employees. Those personalities are used on social media to target potential employees for a range of positions, he says, from part-time retail to cyber risk strategists. 

The company has raised about $2 million in funding so far, including $1 million from Sarasota-based Bridge Angel Investors. The funds will be used for research and development, and hiring employees. 

Rewired’s clients include several household names — Walmart, Best Buy, Lockheed Martin, Deloitte and Accenture, to name some — as well as Venice-based door and window manufacturer PGT. Hearon says he'd like to work with more local companies, too.

The concept behind Rewired, Hearon says, is a twist on an old saying — “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

• Out of need: Hearon ran a recruiting agency for a year. That’s where the idea for Rewired originated. “This was born out of trial and error,” he says. He wanted to figure out how to solve the recruitment puzzle that trips up many businesses. 

• Sunny side up: Hearon’s top advice for fellow entrepreneurs? “You’ve got to maintain optimism and wear it on your face,” he says. “You are the driver of morale.”

• Little victories: Landing a major new client is not the only cause for celebration at Rewired. “Small wins are big,” Hearon says. That includes successes such as taking a step forward to launch a campaign for a company as well as positive weekly metrics detailing employee candidates and matches.

• Move it forward: About 70% of an average day for Hearon involves sales activities. Every day, he reviews his list of 30-plus prospects and asks himself a key question: “What have I done to move this forward?” Pursuing potential new clients can be a balancing act, he says. “You don’t want to be pushy, but you can’t be invisible.”