“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”— Nelson Mandela
If you know Staff Shop, you know how special our team members are. Due to our comprehensive hiring process, leaning on the Core Values Index (CVI™) to match us with the best possible candidates, we have built a brilliant team of hard-working folks who are perfectly suited for their roles. Our team members join us from a variety of backgrounds. Each person has forged their own path leading them to Staff Shop.
We take great pride in our team and take every opportunity to shine a light on individuals when we can. For this month’s blog, we’re going to share the story of one of our newest members to our internal team, Teodora, or Dora for short. Though she has been with us for a short time, her positive attitude and infectious spirit has made an impact on us already. Her background and experience has made her a terrific addition to our growing team.
Get to know Dora.
Working the Frontlines
Dora has been a self-motivated go-getter her whole life. Immigrating to Canada with her parents in 2001, she quickly realized the challenges her parents faced with starting a new life. With that understanding, she felt responsible for making this transition easier on her family by contributing to the household as much as possible. At 15-years-old, she started her journey in the hospitality industry working as a greeter and ticket-scanner at the Ontario Science Centre. Throughout her educational endeavours, Dora continued working part-time in various hospitality and customer service positions, until finally graduating in 2015 from York University with a Bachelor of Science with Honours degree. The work continuity alongside her educational pursuits helped polish her customer service skills and build relevant knowledge and experience which was geared towards starting her own business in 2018. Dora co-founded a private staffing agency for the purpose of providing staffing solutions in the healthcare industry. She proudly operated and managed this business for 6 years, achieving her ultimate goal of making a meaningful contribution to vulnerable sectors of our society.
Joining the Team
Dora’s journey with Staff Shop officially began three years ago as a part-time, front line employee. She thoroughly enjoyed working in this very social, supportive, and growth-focused environment, taking the opportunity to work with various clients and expanding her skills further. Upon completing her entrepreneurial endeavor last year, Dora began to focus more of her time and energy on her professional journey with Staff Shop. She took every opportunity to contribute and learn from her colleagues and the management team, who never failed to recognize and reward her efforts. With increased involvement in the Staff Shop work culture, Dora quickly realized how aligned she has always been with her team’s vision and the organization’s overall mission and values. This new-found realization re-ignited Dora’s passion for leadership, inspiring people, and uniting them in mutually beneficial ways that are geared towards growth and abundance.
“Joining the Staff Shop internal team was the most natural transition I’ve experienced in my professional career. This journey validated my belief that love, kindness, and consistency makes you a winner. Keep planting and watering these seeds, and you’ll inevitably grow your garden.”
Embodying The Staff Shop Way
For Dora, The Staff Shop Way is not limited to the existing core values and work culture of Staff Shop as an organization. The Staff Shop Way encourages accountability from all levels and open, non-judgmental communication across different departments. It helps develop resilience and grace when faced with challenges and awards ongoing lessons and opportunities for growth. But, most personally-fulfilling of all, it reinforces an authentic way of being and refinement that truly empowers you to become your best self and succeed in every area of your life.
Let Dora’s Story Inspire You
As Dora transitioned from running her own business to picking up more shifts through Staff Shop, she expressed her interest in growth to the Management team and was offered the chance to discuss her work and entrepreneurial experience in more detail. Soon thereafter, Dora was presented with the opportunity to interview for an upcoming job opening on the management team. After many meaningful conversations and a carefully-crafted interview process, it became clear that Staff Shop is a business dedicated to elevating people and providing appropriate opportunities of value based on skills and experience. The results of that interview are history! As of March 31st, 2025, Dora proudly became Staff Shop’s new Staffing Manager.
As you can see, Dora’s career journey and positive energy led her to us, and we’re grateful we found each other. Her story teaches us that you should always be open to new opportunities and stay humble in your journey, as you never know where it’s going to lead you and who’s going to be a part of it. Remember, it is the small things we do in our everyday life that add up to the big gains in the end. Just because you’re in a temporary work role does not mean it won’t lead you to that permanent career or life change.
Join us or hire us today to get started.
Want to be profiled in our blog, or know someone we should profile? Contact us today to share the story idea!
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”— Albert Schweitzer
