Do you remember your first hire? There is so much that goes into building a company, but few things matter as much the quality of the team you assemble. Given the immense importance of team building, we wanted to create a series where we ask entrepreneurs who have been there and done that, to share their stories and lessons with the community.

Ben Barry

In the beginning it was me, myself, and a dream! I began as a solo singer/songwriter playing at cafes and restaurants. When I began my journey of trying to elevate my music business it was an entirely new challenge. When hiring people for a regular job you need all the essentials, showing up on time, work ethic, basic physical ability, and strong intelligence. Read more>>

Logan Baker

It was just me for the first 4 years. I learned to grind. Morning workouts gave me clarity and invigoration, straight to the office early to crush emails and tasks, and then hit the phones prospecting. Uber eats or Grub hub didn’t exist yet so lunch was frequently a Jimmy Johns ‘unwhich’. Read more>>

Marissa D’Agostino

Backtalk started as just me and my co-founder, Delainie, running every part of the business out of coffee shops and our apartments. We didn’t have employees from day one — it was a lot of long days and figuring things out as we went which is super classic. Honestly, I think that scrappy beginning is part of what shaped our work culture now. Read more>>

Hunter Oden

Our business started with my business partner, Chris Wendel, and myself. Each of us were freelancers, with mutual clients. I did design, he did marketing and web development. Our mutual clients encouraged us to meet several times, but we never took the opportunity over the course of two years. Read more>>

Misty Yates

We started from ground up. Like many small business owners, we wore every hat imaginable—answering phones, running service calls, handling paperwork, and everything in between. Hiring those first employees was one of the most daunting steps, and honestly, it still is. People can let you down, and as a business owner, that stings. Read more>>

Shonra Weiss

Aesthera started with just one employee in addition to me. As the owner-operator, I wore every hat imaginable: answering phones, managing scheduling, ordering supplies, handling banking, creating marketing content, managing social media, running point of sale systems—you name it. Those early days were intense, but they gave me an intimate understanding of every aspect of our business that has proven invaluable as we’ve grown. Read more>>

Gloria Van Wort

Initially it was just me. I was doing everything. Sourcing, producing, packaging, deliveries, markets, emails, accounting, all of it. Then I realized that if I wanted to expand, I’d need some help. My first staff member actually fell right into my lap. Read more>>

Jason Burgbacher

When we first started our business, we didn’t hire employees right away. In fact, we held out for nearly five years before bringing anyone else on board. Early on, we had heard advice from people we respected: keep your variables down. Hiring employees isn’t just about adding hands—it’s about adding responsibility, management, and the need to hand over trust. Read more>>