Podcast Summary: Your Next Move

Episode: Navigating a Crowded Marketplace

Host: Inc. Magazine (Sarah Lynch & Allie Donaldson)
Guest: Nadine Matawa, Managing Partner, Identified Talent Solutions
Date: October 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid conversation between Inc. staff reporter Allie Donaldson and Nadine Matawa, Managing Partner at Identified Talent Solutions—a fast-growing recruitment and talent acquisition consulting firm. The discussion dives into how Nadine carved out a distinctive niche for her business in the saturated staffing industry, the challenges and nuances of scaling a people-first company, creative marketing strategies, practical leadership lessons, and what it takes to set your team apart in a crowded marketplace.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Building a People-First Culture

• Nadine emphasizes the firm’s core value: putting people first, both in client relationships and in internal culture.
  • “We like to work with good people... that energy and that vibe is infectious.” (Nadine Matawa, 01:16)
• Strong relationships, authenticity, and a preference to work only with aligned partners are foundational.
  • “We can't in good conscience place someone at a company where I wouldn't want to work.” (Nadine Matawa, 02:59)

2. Knowing When to Walk Away

• The company doesn’t hesitate to end relationships if values misalign, prioritizing long-term integrity over short-term revenue.
  • “In the moment you're like, crap, like we're losing business, but at the same time, in the long run it works out for the best.” (Nadine Matawa, 02:59)

3. Differentiating in a Saturated Industry

• Identified Talent Solutions positions themselves as embedded partners—not mere order-takers.
  • “We actually really embed ourselves within [clients’] organization… We’re on their Slack channels. We have email addresses with them…” (Nadine Matawa, 03:33)
• This deep integration allows for mutual value, including the flexibility to offer discounts but reap greater long-term business.

4. Unique & Challenging Searches

• The team thrives on unusual or “random” roles, such as the “Director of the Wall” for the LA Clippers’ new Intuit Dome.
  • “We love roles like that because you have to be very specialized and do a lot of digging and searching.” (Nadine Matawa, 04:54)

5. Sourcing Talent: The Art of Creative Networking

• Although LinkedIn is a starting point, Nadine stresses that their business is sustained by network-driven referrals.
  • “Anyone we talk to, it’s always, who do you know? And can you refer me?” (Nadine Matawa, 05:58)

6. Marketing & Event Hacks

• Their first-ever social networking event with Rivian, Google, and more became an impromptu masterclass in creative brand-building and organic marketing.
  • “[The event] got our name out there... People were excited... We walked away with some new clients and business.” (Nadine Matawa, 06:22)
• The event was thrown together “on the fly,” leveraging existing relationships and a willingness to say yes.
  • “Next thing we know, we have a meeting with Rivian… suddenly we're like, crap, this is what we gotta do now.” (Nadine Matawa, 07:24)

7. The Emotional Rollercoaster of Scaling

• Nadine found hiring full-time staff more emotionally charged than expected, feeling deeply responsible for employees’ livelihoods.
  • “How nerve wracking it is to, you know, hire someone full time and be responsible for… their livelihood and their family…” (Nadine Matawa, 09:13)

8. Figuring Things Out on the Fly

• Instinct, adaptability, and willingness to “figure it out as we go” are recurring themes—whether tackling new client requests or planning large-scale events.
  • “Our instinct is always to say yes… if we do say yes and have a little bit of information, we can figure it out and pull the right people in.” (Nadine Matawa, 10:24-11:06)
  • Advice to hiring managers: “Hire for what you can't teach... If you have that, then you will figure it out.” (Nadine Matawa, 11:11)

9. Productivity & Working Styles

• The team balances flexibility with accountability, playing to individual strengths.
  • “I'm not a morning person... they let me kind of do my thing. Whereas some of the guys are up at 5 am. I'm like, well, don't call me.” (Nadine Matawa, 11:37-12:31)
• Nadine embraces her own “organized chaos” and has found tools like the Ark browser and Notes app useful, rather than forcing productivity systems that don’t fit her style.
  • “I started to organize my notes tab... Once I've embraced those things, that's helped.” (Nadine Matawa, 14:14)

10. Delineating Roles & Playing to Strengths

• The executive team learned to formally assign distinct lanes of responsibility, maximizing chemistry and effectiveness.
  • “We kind of created lanes of ownership... Everyone just took their lane. …We keep each other kind of honest and balanced, and I think it’s a really good chemistry.” (Nadine Matawa, 14:50)

11. Lessons & Mistakes

• Mistakes—especially around candidate management and project execution—are reframed as ongoing learning opportunities.
  • “We had one where we didn’t really pre-close that one. …It fell apart. So there’s always going to be learnings.” (Nadine Matawa, 15:57)
• Asking more questions and pausing to assess are important improvements for the future.

12. Industry Challenges: Standing Out Amid "Staffing Saturation"

• The biggest current challenge is breaking through market saturation and client perceptions that agencies are “a dime a dozen.”
  • “Making sure that people know that there are actual, like, human beings who are very qualified to work with you... That’s kind of the biggest thing.” (Nadine Matawa, 16:46-17:17)
• The firm’s solution: focus on partnership, going the extra mile, and offering value-add services even outside the client contract.
  • “We’re not charging for these services, but we want to be a good partner because, down the line, you’ll continue to work with us.” (Nadine Matawa, 17:27-18:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Culture:
  “People want to work with good people and that just kind of creates fostering good relationships.” (Nadine Matawa, 01:16)

• On Value Alignment:
  “For example, we can't in good conscience place someone at a company where I wouldn't want to work there. And so we've just parted ways.” (Nadine Matawa, 02:59)

• On Taking Risks with New Ventures:
  “Next thing we know, they’re like, yeah, how’s October 9th? And we’re like, okay. …Suddenly we’re digging into our network… and it just happened by talking to people.” (Nadine Matawa, 07:24)

• On Emotional Growth as a Leader:
  “I didn’t, to be honest, [expect it to be that emotional] because we’re just like, so, like, go, go, go... that’s when all the emotions start to set in.” (Nadine Matawa, 09:42)

• On Teamwork & Accountability:
  “We keep each other accountable as a team... We don’t want to let each other down.” (Nadine Matawa, 11:37)

• On Productivity Styles:
  “I’m a very chaotic person when it comes to my organization... I know where every tab is and I know how to find things because that’s just how I operate.” (Nadine Matawa, 13:38-14:14)

• On Partnership:
  “We are not gonna be just typical staffing agency. We want to be your partner... help you improve as well with processes.” (Nadine Matawa, 17:27)

Important Timestamps

• 01:16: People-first philosophy and culture
• 02:59: Walking away from business when values don’t align
• 03:33: Deep client partnership and embedding within client organizations
• 05:58: Creative approaches to talent search and reliance on network
• 06:22-08:16: Launching their first in-person event and organic marketing
• 09:13: Emotional realities of scaling and hiring
• 10:24: Learning to say yes and figuring things out on the fly
• 11:35: Staying productive and accommodating different work styles
• 14:50: Assigning clear lanes of responsibility within the executive team
• 15:57: Acknowledging mistakes and the importance of learning
• 16:46: Challenges of standing out in a saturated market
• 17:27-18:31: Value-added partnership and going beyond the contract

Final Takeaways

Nadine Matawa’s journey with Identified Talent Solutions is rooted in high-touch, values-driven partnerships, adaptability, and candid teamwork. In a marketplace crowded with transactional agencies, their strength comes from authentic relationship-building, a willingness to be embedded, creative visibility (like live events), and a persistent readiness to say “yes” and figure things out together. Her story is a practical, energetic reminder for founders—and anyone navigating crowded sectors—that integrity, adaptability, and genuine connection can be the ultimate differentiators.