Hank Swan: Swan employer services.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: VIEW FROM THE TOP - Interview

Hank Swan grew up in Hawaii and attained a degree in business management. He worked as a commercial insurance broker in a major brokerage house, and, after four years, started his own firm with two partners.

After five years, as they grew to 35 employees, Hank went from selling to trying to manage their expanding human resources function. It was then that he was introduced to the benefits of outsourcing. Finally, when his wife Darlene agreed to move to Alaska, a new chapter began, but those first days in Anchorage were tough.

Within a month of starting Swan Employer Services, Hank recalls, he was injured in a motorcycle accident. He punctured a lung and broke eight ribs, an ankle, and his collar bone. But since he had only one part-time employee, "being in the hospital wasn't an option--I returned to work two days later."

Swan now has more than 2,000 on-site employees statewide, and Hank Swan is well covered for contingencies.

ABM: How's the view from the top?

Swan: Every businessperson today has both eyes on the economy, but our model works well in any economy. In good times, we save CEOs and business owners time, allowing them to grow, and in a slower economy, we bring economy of scale, with group-buying power for insurance and other benefits. The Obama administration already has started adding to the complexity of employment laws, and this is going to make HR outsourcing an even better choice.

ABM:Who was your first client and what do you most remember about starting up?

Swan: My first client was a drywall and metal stud contractor; he has since moved to the Lower 48.

I remember sitting in my 6-by-6foot office, thinking, "Now what? I've started a new business in a field I know little about, in a state where I know only one person!"

ABM: Did you have a model as well as a business plan?

Swan: I had a friend in Hawaii who was doing HR outsourcing, so initially I modeled my company after his. But I had to choose whether to just process HR paperwork or to provide full-service HR outsourcing services. I chose the latter.

My team and I spend several days a year working up our new business plan. I like to say, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

ABM: What fields have been the most...