Overwhelmingly, media coverage of team building, hiring, training, etc. is often geared towards the issues faced by HR at Fortune 500 sized companies. Even when it’s positioned as advice for small business owners it is often coming from an executive or consultant working primarily with giant corporations. We think it’s far more relevant to hear from small and medium business owners who have successfully grown their businesses – and so we asked some very talented folks to tell us the stories of their initial hires and the struggles and lessons they can share.

Charles Jenkins

In the beginning of the business, it was just me, one lawnmower, and a weed trimmer. My first clients were individuals I acquired from marketing on social media. The business started slow, but eventually picked up, in turn, I needed help. My first hire was a man I worked with at the Boys and Girls Club. We would cut grass in the morning before our shift began at the Boys and Girls Club. That individual worked with me throughout the entire summer, greatly assisting in the first successful year of running my own business. Read more>>

Ranquez Jones

At the start, it was just me running the entire program. It wasn’t hard for me. However, it took a lot of critiquing my program and making adjustments as needed. During my critiquing phase, I did realize I could use more help. First, I thought about where I was lacking, what jobs I needed to create and what job I needed to fill first. I reached out to a veteran driver that I knew would be a great asset to my growing team. It took some reassuring and many conversations to get him off of the road and invested in my vision. Read more>>

Justace DeVine

Boom ! I moved to Atlanta,GA not knowing a soul outside of my grandmother. I was eager and ambitious to make my dream a reality. I networked so hard that I finally found people who took their craft as seriously as I took mine. The first shoot was a success but honestly, I’m a perfectionist and it wasn’t good enough to me. I then starting seeking out the real raw talent out in Atlanta. I had signed my first model and from there I needed my creative team. I knew exactly who to call and have work together. I produced great editorial shoots with my drive and the power of networking is what got me there Read more>>

Breanne Miller

I was hired at Kellie & Company Salon in 2012, by the previous owner and founder Kellie Hales. In 2016 I purchased the company from her. I was fortunate that all employees chose to stay when I took ownership. Looking back now, I appreciate just how big of a blessing that was! If even just a couple had chosen to go somewhere else during the ownership exchange that would have been detrimental. When I took ownership Kellie told me, “If I have one piece of advice, keep your chairs full!.” Read more>>

Jessica Beran

The first eight years of my business were just me. I started my studio as a mobile platform, where we brought dance classes to the students at their school. It was designed to help the working parent be able to give their children the opportunity to participate in programs that they could not get them to because they were working. Read more>>

Ana Carreto

Building a team has been one of the hardest parts for me, and after many lessons learned I understood that finding someone we can trust has to do not only with others but with ourselves as business owners. Let me explain you why:
At the beginning, as an amateur entrepreneur, I would believe everything I was told and give all the power to the members of my team – even before hiring them! Read more>>

Reagan Chatman

Building a team is hard. Especially when you’ve grown accustomed to relying on yourself. Growing up I was never a group person and unfortunately, that has bled into my business. I have attempted partnership a couple of times and I’ve learned more about myself with each trial. I know I want to expand my company but I am still trying to figure out how (and more importantly) why. I feel that a team has to work towards a goal. Read more>>

Renee Clor

From day one, FIXX started off as a one woman show! Once relocating to Georgia from Los Angeles I had to keep my momentum going. While being overwhelmed in a whole new “world”, I knew I had to keep my wheels turning when it came to finding my way in the beauty industry. I started from freelancing for beauty brands, like Smashbox and Urban Decay. While working my through those opportunities I took advantage of my exposure to the world around me. It gave me full access to potential clients and from there I decided, why not take this a step further and make these customers my clients! Read more>>