Episode 9: The Story of ROCS - Meet the Founders!

Leaving The Nest

Ever wonder what you could accomplish during college besides earning a degree? Today we learn and hear from two special people, the Co-founders of ROCS Grad Staffing, who started this business while still earning their college degrees.

Welcome back to another episode of Leaving the Nest. I’m your host, Kathleen Pellegrino from ROCS Grad Staffing. Our mission is to help you find a job out of college and thrive in the real world.

In this episode, I am interviewing Tom Moore and Brandon Labman, the Co-founders of ROCS. Not only will we dive into the history behind the company but also the history behind Brandon and Tom’s friendship. They’ll take us on a journey from when they were young kids, to the hustle and drive it took to work through college and finally to the success they have years later.

Tom and Brandon also share advice for those who strive to start their own business and some guidelines for what it takes.

We hope this episode provides you insight into our beginning and also gives you the motivation to either start your own business or find a career path that’s right for you. Enjoy!

In This Episode:

[00:40] - Kathleen introduces us to the topic of today’s episode: a special interview with ROCS Co-founders.

[02:35] - Brandon Labman introduces himself.

[03:36] - Tom Moore introduces himself.

[04:40] - Tom and Brandon share the history of how they originally met.

[05:40] - Kathleen asks Tom and Brandon to describe each other in high school.

[08:40] - How they decided which college to attend, and how they ended up at the same school.

[10:30] - Some stories about roommates in college.

[12:57] - Brandon and Tom kept their friendship when they first started college.

[14:05] - History on how Tom and Brandon started at the internship that influenced the start of ROCS.

[18:30] - Type of hours Brandon and Tom worked during the internship and how they recruited other interns.

[22:11] - Time Tom and Brandon spent working at the internship.

[26:00] - Kathleen asks about motivation and doubts.

[29:00] - When Brandon and Tom came up with the name ROCS.

[31:40] - The building and legal aspects behind starting ROCS.

[36:30] - Finances behind starting a business.

[38:27] - Advice on starting a business, and types of finance.

[42:35] - What happened after graduating from Mason?

[47:44] - Touched a little on the first client and job.

[49:30] - Bonus questions from the team to ask Tom and Brandon.

[49:55] - Has there been any disagreements or a time when you might have gone your separate ways?

[52:24] - How your relationship may have changed or grown, and how do you balance between business and personal?

[56:20] - Before you got married, what was your dating life like?

[59:58] - Story about purchasing a vehicle with a custom license plate.

[01:01:29] - Where do you think you would be if not with ROCS?

[01:03:45] - What does it feel like to be your own boss?

[01:05:40] - Kathleen shares her appreciation of the work ethic within ROCS.

[01:08:45] - A two-part question: any advice to a new entrepreneur or a recent graduate?

[01:16:51] - Kathleen thanks Tom and Brandon and wraps up the episode.

Resources: ROCS Grad Staffing

PalmPilot, Computer History Museum

Mason Enterprise Center

Connect with Kathleen:[e-mail] LinkedIn

Call: 703-579-6677

Connect with Tom:[e-mail]

Connect with Brandon:[e-mail]