172: Lila de la Chesnaye (Hunt Club)

Lila de la Chesnaye on Innovation City

“Don’t start a company with a plan to exit. That’s not what it’s about. Join a company because you want to build something that’s going to have impact.” – Lila de la Chesnaye

Welcome to Season 4 of Innovation City, a podcast featuring innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency and Aīre Ventures, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community.

Today’s guest is Lila de la Chesnaye, general manager of Hunt Club, a talent recruitment organization leveraging networks and social connection. Lila is a Miami Tech enthusiast who is passionate about scaling mission-driven, tech-forward, customer-centric companies. Lila sits down with the team to discuss her entrepreneurial journey, the challenges facing startups, and how to build meaningful relationships both in person and by email, and much more! 

They discuss:

• Lila’s superpower – the ability to connect with people, personalize conversations and emails
  • It’s really easy if you just take a second to find mutual connectivity
• Lila’s startup and entrepreneurial journey
  • She began in corporate America, working for Victoria’s Secret, AmEx, Loreal
  • Lost her family young, so she felt she valued connection early on
  • Got an opportunity to work for a small fashion company, Alloy
  • Since then she’s gravitated to that type of company because they’re fun, and she feels like she’s actually making an impact
• Top values critical to a healthy work culture, to do good for society
  • Leadership has to authentically listen to other people
  • Do social good
• Getting involved with HuntClub talent acquisition
  • Finally responded after the fourth email asking her to give their CEO just 10 minutes
  • The talent-finding space is antiquated
  • Let’s find a new way
• Startup challenges
  • Startups are always a risk, you have to really believe
  • How is the culture going to evolve?
• What should a potential employee look for to land at a successful startup?
  • Look at the track record, passion and intelligence of the founders
  • Don’t join a company with a plan to exit
• Social capital is so valuable. How do you build meaningful relationships?
  • Care. Don’t fake it. If you’re not connecting with someone, don’t connect. Be authentic.
  • Spend time with people you gain value from and you can give value to.
• Tips for connecting by email
  • Know your audience
  • Consider your tone – formal and professional, or casual and friendly
  • Proof your email!
• How do you tell your story?
  • Highlight things that are important to you, not just what’s on your resume
• Connect! HuntClub is hiring! We have 20 openings. Visit HuntClub.com for more info. On LinkedIn and Twitter @LilaDLC

Lightning Round:

What’s your favorite way to waste time?

• Having conversations with loved ones.

Who inspires you the most?

• My brother. He has pivoted so many times. He was a professional soccer player in Mexico City and when we moved back to the States, he decided to get involved with a startup, which unfortunately was unsuccessful. He ended up flair bartending, and now at the age of 43 he is taking college courses and pursuing a degree in cybersecurity.

What is your favorite book?

• Conscious Capitalism… favorite authors are Adam Grant, Angela Duckworth, Malcolm Gladwell

What is your biggest regret?

• I try to not have regrets, and make them learnings. My biggest regret was moving out of Puerto Vallarta.