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.” with “What did you learn as an intern or apprentice? 

Mayra Molina

In the beginning, it was just me—driven by a vision and a deep commitment to serve the Venezuelan community in Utah. Like many nonprofit leaders, I started with more passion than resources. There was no formal team, no structure, just an idea and the willingness to take the first step. Read More>>

Audrey Maw

It actually did not start as a traditional business at all. It started as a group of neighbors and friends sitting around a table playing Mahjong together. The four of us fell in love with the game and with what it created for us which was connection, laughter, and this sense of community that we did not even realize we were missing. Read More>>

Ariel Doan

I purchased an already established bakery that I had been working at for 6+ years prior to buying so we did have a team but it was small and we had lost a few employees right before I purchased. So when I took over I had some front staff but no kitchen staff besides me. Read More>>

Alison Cook-Beatty

No Staff, Just Vision: Building a Dance Company From the Ground Up When I first started my dance company, it was just me. No staff. No infrastructure. No safety net. Just a vision—and a deep need to create. I originally founded the company as an LLC, and after five years of growth, we became incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Read More>>

Joe McNeil

No, it was just me at the start. When I first got going, I wasn’t building a business, I was just trying to create opportunity. I was giving lessons anywhere I could, figuring things out as I went, and honestly just trying to make it work day to day. There was no playbook, no systems, no team. Read More>>

Billy Feng

From the beginning, it was not a large team. It started as a solo operation, built slowly and intentionally, with a focus on learning every part of the process firsthand. That included everything from client communication to shooting, editing, and managing the full wedding day experience. Read More>>

Darian Graivshark

From day one, our organization, hubley, did have employees from the start. It began we less than a handful of individuals, then 6, 7, 8, with me joining around the 9th count. My addition in 2020 was also joined by a handful of others, who are still there to this day. This is when the organization really started to take off and grow. Read More>>

Steve Schofield

Building a team starts with knowing that talent alone is not enough. You can put the best directors, producers, editors, creatives, and technologists in a room, but if they do not trust each other, the work will only go so far. What I’ve always tried to build is a culture where people feel backed up, challenged, and proud to bring their best thinking forward. Read More>>

Lutunji Abram

From day one my business had employees. Hiring was easy at that time because we only produced our world famous peach cobbler, pecan cobbler, cookies and cakes. Recruiting was easy and based on word of mouth for qualified candidates. The interview process was streamlined, very straight forward. Had I started the interview process today, yes I would have done a few things differently. Read More>>