At 23 years old, Scottsdale resident Sabrina Demetriades graduated summa cum laude last May from ASU’s Barret Honors College with a degree in hand and a job offer on the table.
She had dual degrees in finance and management with a minor in real estate.
And it was the real estate firm she had interned at over the summer that wanted her to sign on right away.
She knows it’s a luxury to have a job lined up straight out of college, but she passed on the offer.
“I’ve always looked up to my dad’s entrepreneurial journey,” Demetriades said. “That’s been a constant presence throughout my whole life so owning my own business has always been a dream of mine.”
Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from South Africa when Demetriades was an infant, and the ethic of making the most of the opportunities America offers was persuasive through her home.
So instead of accepting the job, she got a loan from the Small Business Administration and started her own company.
She had heard of the Patrice and Associates recruiting agency through her father, whose company purchased a majority stake in the nationwide company.
“He was exceptionally excited about the brand, its culture and everything it had to offer. I was then intrigued and spent time researching and connecting with the people and understanding the values. Ultimately, that’s what helped me understand this was the next step I wanted to take.”
So on Sept. 1, she opened a Patrice and Associates franchise with her mother as her employee, who said it’s not weird working for her daughter.
“You know I thought it would be weird but I have to tell you she has embraced it and she’s so gracious,” said Leigh-Anne Demetriades, who has a post-graduate degree in industrial psychology and communications. “Obviously we bring very different things to the business so we are complementing each other a lot. On the technology side, she’s an absolute genius and I am absolutely horrific. That has been a little bit of a learning curve. I think we have a really good understanding of each of our strengths and each of our weaknesses and what we bring to this. We do have a daily meeting every single morning and just really ensure we are on the same page.”
Being so new in the industry, Demetriades has been focusing her energies on networking with prospective clients and building strong relationships. “Given my background in finance and in management, I see recruiting as a chance for me to leverage my skills to have a meaningful impact on candidates and clients,” Demetriades said.
To be honest, she figured the responsibilities of owning her own business would be more intimidating than they are.
“I think owning my own business comes with challenges and rewards because it is a path where I chart my own course and make strategic decisions,” Demetriades said. “I’m now creating a workplace culture that has got to align with my values and being an entrepreneur allows me to have a direct impact on my community and the lives of the people I work with, speak to and ... network with. It undoubtedly involves risk and hard work, but I think the sense of fulfillment and the potential for success makes it an exciting journey, rather than a scary one.”
Right now Demetriades is focused on placing candidates in the hospitality industry, but she hopes to move into placing recent college grads into their first jobs after she gets established.
“That’s something I hope to pursue with my business because I have been able to have the opportunity to witness firsthand, having just recently graduated, people struggling to find employment opportunities. I definitely think we live in a competitive job market and sometimes a degree alone may not be enough to secure a job that matches someone’s success, skills and passions.”
J. Graber can be reached at jgraber@iniusa.org. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments pro or con on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
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