#040: Chris Smith | Happy HR

Trench Talk with Matt Reynolds

Chris Smith is the Founder of both Yolk Agency and Happy HR.

Chris left home at just 14 years old and started washing cars to make his rent payments. It wasn’t long before the intuitive entrepreneur expanded his business in a somewhat unusual way - baking apple pies for his clients whose cars he was cleaning. He eventually found his way to a commercial kitchen and began training under some of the world’s most well-known chefs.

In 2000, aged 23, Chris hung up his chef’s apron to establish a lean manufacturing plant and gourmet food operation called Valley Produce Company. He was able to take the company from farmer’s markets where he began to the world and established his brand's footprint globally selling Valley Produce Company product in England, Scandinavia, Dubai, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and the USA. He was also able to establish a well-respected Australian label that won numerous international and local awards.

In 2011, Chris resigned from the company to concentrate on developing Yolk Agency, a fully integrated management consultancy service after recognising a service gap in the market.

By 2014, Chris founded Happy HR, a software as a service product designed to be the world’s most efficient and easy to use human resource and performance management platform.

During our chat, we covered:

• both his businesses, including how he helps others in business succeed
• decision making
• what makes a world class chef
• the strategies he used to grow his manufacturing business internationally
• building teams, and
• how he gets through large volumes of work every day.

To find out more about Chris, head to yolkagency.com or happyhr.com.

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Enjoy Trench Talk Episode #040 with Chris Smith…

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Show notes and links for this episode can be found at xrm.com.au/podcast.

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