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.

Porcha Reed

Becoming a nail tech I left nail school and immediately started working and a nail salon, in one of the most prestigious areas of Orlando Florida, Winter Park. I worked in the salon for at least a year to give myself an idea of what it would be like later on when I run my own company. Let’s just say it gave me a lot of insight on things to do and what not to do! Doing this I also learned how to treat my employees and how I would wanted to be treated as an employee, and seeing how they treated me I knew If I wanted to run a salon, it would have to be ran as a team. Read more>>

Michelle Solano

Exiting from a previous business partnership that wasn’t going as planned was incredibly scary. More on that journey a little later – let’s kick it off on a positive note. I was left wondering how I’d begin to rebuild on my own. However, I was touched when four of the top talent from Old Co. decided to step out with me, also encouraged to build a company based off of the moral high ground. It was at that moment that I knew I wasn’t alone. Read more>> 

Zuzana Rogers

Runners’ Edge Alaska is a niche physical therapy clinic, serving Alaska’s active population. The company started in 2019 as a solo practice. Within 3 years, it grew to 7 employees. Looking back, there was a natural need to hire a team as the company grew. As we grew initially, I quickly realized could not do things by myself. My first hire was a contract marketing assistant. The clinic relied of leads coming from the community, and educated leads were the most valuable leads. Read more>>

CARLOS MILLER

This toothpaste formula is made from all-natural, 100% organic ingredients. No additives, no preservatives. It was designed to provide our family with a safe alternative and keep as many potentially harmful chemicals out of their lives. I am a farmer. I make a living off farming, but as suspected, farming has down seasons when crops are not plentiful, animals are not full grown and ready for marketing. To offset the lean times, I started selling toothpaste alongside the farm products to provide for my home. Read more>>