Erik and Kate Pletcher have much in common: their home in Venice, their rambunctious toddler, their feisty poodle-terrier, and their passion for the Southern California lifestyle. They’re also both members of UCLA Anderson’s class of 2007 who evolved into entrepreneurs. Kate is founder of Treehouse Partners, a firm that is transforming recruiting. Erik is a director at Ferrazzi Greenlight, a rapidly growing boutique change management consulting firm.
Interviewed by Cheechee Lin
Q: Why did you choose Anderson?
Kate: Erik and I are originally from Minnesota. We were dating in college (Kate at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Erik at Bowdoin in Maine) and moved to Buffalo, New York, together after graduation. At the time, I was selling mattresses and Erik was working in banking while he prepared for the GMAT, and I had been helping Erik review the material — to the point where I just figured I would take the test and start exploring b-school myself.
We always knew we wanted to live in California and attend a top-tier business school, and the entrepreneurial-minded Anderson School of Management was the perfect choice. The California dream that embodied the spirit of being able to do anything we wanted out here was very appealing, as California offered a lot of opportunities to do cool things.
B-school for me consisted of three parts: social, academic and career. I gained a lot from each of these areas while I was here. I would say half of my business comes either directly or indirectly from Anderson alumni.
Erik: Coming to Anderson was also a lifestyle choice: Anderson is a high-caliber business school, but the lifestyle and culture of Southern California also suited us. After coming here, when I was thinking about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to get there, I realized the alumni network was amazing.
Erik: In particular, there are two that stand out, though there were many great moments. The first one would have to be the C4C (Challenge for Charity) Weekend, a community-building event that helped Anderson come together in an athletic and social way. The second memory would be the day that I got my internship offer — finally getting the call that validated my work, and celebrating with professors and friends afterward.
Kate: C4C was also definitely one of my favorites, and another one would be the North American Food Festival at Anderson. This was a fair inspired by the International Student Society’s world cuisine fair, except we had foods from different states. Together, we manned the Minnesota table and it was definitely one of the highlights of my experience at Anderson.
Q: Kate, tell us about Treehouse Partners. What was the inspiration behind your business?
Kate: Treehouse Partners was built around the idea that companies sometimes need help figuring out what their special sauce is — you know, the aspects of their culture or mission that might be attractive to a candidate. Once we know that, we can help them identify people who aren't just going to be great at the job, they are going to be a long-term fit with the company and its people. That mission, that deep level of matchmaking, is what really excites and inspires us.
This tied into what I believe was my calling: I’ve always had a passion for connecting people. I was always the first call people make when they lost a job or when they needed to hire someone. The inspiration for Treehouse came from my ability to connect people.
Q: Erik, what is Ferrazzi Greenlight? What role do you play in Ferrazzi?
Erik: We are a management consulting firm specializing in large organizational change. When companies undergo change, there usually is a strategy in place, but they need a framework for making it happen, and our framework is based on human behavior change — actually getting people to do something different. After b-school, I worked for a larger management consulting firm for five years before moving to Ferrazzi to help grow and shape the firm. I now serve as a director at Ferrazzi Greenlight.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about working in a fast-growing startup?
Kate: I like that I’m building a company and that whether it succeeds or fails is all on me. I am proud of the fact that Treehouse is my company, one that I built. I love the flexibility to work a lot but also balance other things, which is a culture I can shape.
Erik: It’s incredibly rewarding and challenging to be at a small firm and to be part of the team that is shaping it. Being part of the consulting world has given me a wide range of work and a diverse set of professional opportunities. The day-to-day efforts within a small firm are really amazing.
Q: What are some of the challenges you have faced?
Kate: Growth. In a four-person company, everything sort of goes through me; and hiring "another me" is risky and expensive. I’ve dealt with this by being creative and thinking strategically about how I bring people on board.
Erik: In a 30-person organization, scaling is also an issue. We constantly have to think about how we get beyond 30 people and our current revenue targets. We also have to think about how we attract and retain people while maintaining the culture we have today.
Q: What is a source of inspiration for you?
Kate: A lot of my drive comes from wanting to provide an awesome life for my family. Erik and I both share this sense of purpose. I love building something. Every hour that I put into my business and the other kinds of intrinsic rewards go to my family and me. I also draw inspiration from the work that I do — finding the right candidate and making that connection to the company, or even getting something done in a different way, truly inspires me and keeps me going.
Q: What’s the next step for you?
Kate: I think the next step for Treehouse is to figure out how to add more of a repeatable methodology to the process we’ve been implementing thus far and assist more companies.
Erik: It’s really hard to drive growth and deliver incredible value to clients. This is what my peers and I will have to solve for in the next 12 to 18 months. I want to be able to step away from the day-to-day work and focus on the next big idea. We want to get past the growing pains and focus on being thought-leaders on behavior change in the workplace.
Q: Do you have advice to offer people who are aspiring to emulate a path similar to yours?
Kate: Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Celebrate and recognize the little wins that you have. It’s really important to note the progress you’re making. Also, hire good people! One piece of advice I would offer Anderson students and alumni is to stay involved. The alumni network offers a lot, and more people should take advantage of the amazing resources UCLA has.
Erik: Make good use of the alumni network — it’s all about talking with more people, sharing ideas and building on them with everyone out there. It’s about knowing there is no traditional path to entrepreneurism: you don’t have to follow someone else’s journey to succeed.
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