Jenny Liagre

The best career advice I ever received came from a stockbroker I was working with 25 years ago when I was younger. He told me flat out, as you're growing in life, always try to surround yourself with people that are smarter than you. Always sit at the table of the successful people, because they'll be willing to share and help and guide and mold you into the right type of business owner. I didn't know what he meant back then, I didn't take it really too seriously, but when we started our business, that's the first thing that came to my head. I'm like, click, you know? Oh, I get it now. And that's what I've done. I have sought out the most successful and involved people in our industry when we came into business, and just kind of introduced myself to everybody and put myself out there for them. A lot of them were willing to mentor me and help me and guide me in the right direction. I wouldn't have started the Michigan Association if it wasn't for the other people in the industry that were helping me and pushing me and giving me the confidence to do so. Always, always surround yourself with people that are smarter than you. Always sit at the table of success. Always sit at the table that's going to make you feel uncomfortable to sit at. I'll never be the smartest person in the room, and I'm totally fine with that, because those other people will always be willing to teach me. And I always seek out the smartest person in the room, because that's who I want to be around.

My advice to young women entering this industry is to find your tribe and stay connected to it. I’ve learned that success here is never achieved alone, and having a strong network of women who support, encourage, and guide one another makes all the difference. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by an incredible group of women who consistently lift each other up, share knowledge, and step in to help whenever someone needs it. I try to carry forward the same support I was given by mentoring others across the country, attending industry events, and remaining accessible to anyone who needs guidance or advice. This industry has historically been male-dominated, but the women who came before us paved the way for us to succeed, and now it is our responsibility to continue that legacy by leading, supporting, and empowering others. I make it a priority to surround myself with strong, intelligent women, and in turn, I am committed to reaching back and helping other women rise with confidence, knowing they are never alone in this field.

One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is workforce retention and finding the right people for the job. No one really tells you when you start a business that you almost need a psychology degree, because this work requires a very specific mindset. It takes a unique type of individual to step into the role of a repo agent, operate in high-pressure situations, and do it safely and professionally. As a result, we often see veterans and former law enforcement officers thrive in this space because they understand structure, discipline, and sometimes the adrenaline that comes with the work. Another significant challenge is the rising cost of doing business across the board—equipment, insurance, fuel, rent, payroll, and taxes continue to increase substantially, while industry compensation has remained relatively flat in recent years. This imbalance has become a growing concern throughout the industry, as many operators are working harder than ever to maintain sustainability and stability in an increasingly expensive environment.

For us, it's about your morals and your ethics. You have to be a morally sound person, basically. For us, it's all about the person's moral standards and their ethical standards, because if someone will cheat on their wife, what would they do to anybody else that comes into their life? We look at it as if you're gonna cheat on your wife or be a shady person, what would you do to us? If you're willing to go lay with someone else and then go home and lay with your wife in bed, that's not the type of person we want working for us. So for us, it's the moral standards and the ethical standards that we really analyze when we interview people. Also, we're a family, so when we have people come in, you have to be someone that's gonna fit in with our family. Again, it comes down to the morals and standards and ethics. That's the biggest thing we look for. If we get a vibe from someone when we're interviewing them that they're just not a good person inside, then we don't want them working for us. We had to learn that, because we were butts in seats before. Now we're about quality over quantity. We'd rather do more work than hire the wrong people. We'd all rather work harder, all of us, our whole team, would rather work harder than hire the wrong person into our team.