How we helped them grow from a self-funded startup, into a thriving tech company backed by a skilled and dedicated team of employees.

Who is Avenue hq?

Avenue HQ began as a small, bootstrapped startup. At first they simply wanted to provide a marketing solution for those who were in need of support. The business was built based on a hunch that they could help realtors by providing an all-in-one platform that could simplify the lead generation process, and it quickly grew into technology driven organization.

When we met Avenue HQ, they were a small team of six. To prepare for rapid growth, our team was brought on to help coach and guide the founding and management team as they transitioned into a larger entity. Within two years, Avenue HQ grew into a 32-person team with 1,200 clients, with plans to grow to 120+ employees, and to expand their market across Canada and into the US in the coming years.

The challenges

Bogged down by bumps in the road and blind spots, the team knew that they needed help.

The quick transition from hunch to high-growth meant expansion, and fast!

“We didn’t have any people management plans, or firmly-held beliefs or values. We didn’t have a foundation or a long-term vision. We just operated. There were no set goals.”

Frustrations in defining their corporate values:

“We were faced with so many questions: How do we live the values we want to live and believe them? How do we make them a part of how we want to run this company? How do we honour the principles that we have as founders/human beings and make that a reality in the company that we want to run?”

Needed help changing from short term thinking into making decisions for potentially thousands of customers and hundreds of employees.

“How do we evolve the organization’s way of thinking?

How do we manage our human capital and implement processes?”

The Solutions

With a people-first focus, we worked to design and implement strategies that aligned with Avenue HQ’s objectives and values while keeping size and scaling top of mind.

Talent Attraction and Experience

• An employer brand strategy
• An effective hiring process with inclusive processes to ensure a broader pool of qualified applicants are considered
• Managerial training throughout the hiring process including behavioural interviewing, candidate selection and collaborative decision making.

Employee Retention and Engagement

• Core Values identification and implementation
• Leadership Coaching Programs for people managers, emerging leaders
• Career Development Coaching for individual contributors
• Advised on employee engagement strategies

Compensation Strategy and Performance Management

• Created a compensation philosophy and individual career development guidelines
• Developed Performance Management Program
• Designed positive exit strategies and severance programs

“Talent Collective is not afraid

to ask hard questions; objectively looking at our business, helping us focus on areas of our business that often get overlooked as a startup: like culture, people and team development - until they start to go wrong!” said Chris Trolestra.