My biggest challenge yet

I was on top of the fucking world, and I woke up to an email that knocked me into another universe. 

Here’s the story of how I lost one of the best SEO hires in the world:

I set out to hire a Head of Content for my agency, someone who would oversee the blog content strategy for each of our Shopify brands. 

I posted a job on LinkedIn, interviewed 9 people, and moved 3 of them onto a trial phase. 

After the first round of interviews, I was sold on this guy. He was a killer, he had everything I was looking for AND more. 

Before this, he was the Head of SEO Content at the #4 financial literacy website in the world. And before that, the Head of SEO Content at the #2 product review site in the world.

I was sitting on a gem. I wanted to make an offer on the spot. 

But I had to do my due diligence, so I had all 3 candidates complete a trial phase. 

Clearly, I should have done more. 

As I suspected, this guy was hands down the top performer. I made him an offer, and he accepted. 

I onboarded him and he immediately got to work, editing content & helping me optimize our internal content infrastructure. I could see everything coming together, and our content was only weeks from 5x-ing in quality. 

A few days later, I woke up to an email. This was strange, because I never check my email before the gym – I don’t want to be distracted from my workout. 

Anyways, I randomly checked my notifications while laying in bed, and saw an email from his personal email address. This was also strange, I set him up with a company email already. 

I opened the email and my jaw hit the floor. 

He decided to move to Europe with his wife to raise their children. I sent him a response wishing him luck, but never got a response. 

I couldn't believe it. My first reaction was disbelief, that lasted for a few minutes. 

Then onto frustration, which lasted a few hours. I'll never understand why he applied & accepted, because surely that's not a decision you make on a whim. 

It doesn't matter now, and I'll never get an explanation. But that's okay, he did what was best for him & his family - I respect that. 

I climbed out of bed, got dressed, and packed my bag. 

I immediately headed to the gym & for a run to clear my head. I rarely run, but at 6am that would get my mind off of this for long enough to figure out a solution. 

I wanted to pour a drink. 

After a 75-minute workout and a 2-mile run at a 6:00 min pace (apparently, stress turns me into a pretty decent runner), I sat down at my laptop. 

I was ready to find a solution. In fact, I had to. I'd already put a few things in motion that hinged on that role being filled; this needed to happen ASAP.

I'd step into the role for the time being, of course. But after seeing the value that the position could offer, I knew I needed to hire someone just as good. I wouldn't settle for less.  

I went back through all of the applications on LinkedIn, seeing if there was someone I missed. I sent out dozens of messages, looking to set up another round of interviews. 

I sat in limbo for a few days, but there was only so much I could do. 

I put things in motion, but the hiring process only moves so fast. I couldn’t just go order a replacement with Amazon Prime, though someone should invent that. 

A few days later, I got a message from a recent connection: 

"Hey, is this position still open?"

I replied & we ended up setting up an interview. Almost instantly, I had a good feeling about her. 

She previously worked at the #1 digital learning platform in the world (you’ve probably seen a lot of ads for this company recently) and at a startup eCommerce brand, operating as the Head of SEO Content in both roles. 

We proceeded into a trial phase, and then a second one. 

I didn't want to make the same mistake as last time, though I felt like it was nearly impossible that the same thing could happen again. 

I made an offer, and she accepted. And after a few weeks of working with her, I know for a fact that she's the better hire for this position. 

I thought I'd never find someone as good as the first guy, and after I regrouped, I found someone even better. 

This experience taught me a lot, but it taught me that when things go wrong, you have to keep your eyes on your North Star & weather the storm. 

My North Star is creating the best SEO agency in the world for Shopify brands, and I can’t reach that goal without the best talent in the world. 

She’s only a few weeks in, and she’s already 10x’d the content value. Our brands are going to absolutely dominate the SERPs in 2024, and she will play a major role in that. 

See you guys on Monday, lots of work to do in 2024.

Kai Cromwell