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.

Raymond Jarrell

I arrived in NYC with $600 in my pocket and I grew that $600 into a multi-million dollar event entertainment company. My company has never been in the red and always been profitable. This started out as a passion for music and entertainment clients. I realized early on that I was really good at being able to build an event through entertainment curation. With a growing client base it came down to needing more help, and a team, This is where being an entrepreneur is more than just being a visionary; it’s about being a leader. Read more>>

Monica Lee

I put together a team from my former employees at JooJoo Restaurant, which I previously managed. They ended up referring their friends, who also joined my team. However, almost everyone I hired came organically by asking if we were hiring. Read more>>

Shantel Reitz

I started off my business with employees. Having spent plenty of time in the corporate world, I learned that one of the most important (if not THE most important) things was a strong company culture. It was imperative to me that not only my clients feel safe and supported, but also my staff. This became my checks and balances system for the internal pulse of the company. Read more>>

Ugochukwu Obed

At first, the organization Sabi Programmers never had a team, it was mainly just me. However, with the mindset and idea I originally had about building Sabi Programmers, I knew it was not something I’d be able to do alone – I needed a team. Because that’s what Sabi Programmers is at the end of the day – a dedicated team of individuals! Read more>>

Dr. Ebony Amato

When Troy and I first acquired 10th Avenue Liquor, we brought over 2 employees from the previous company. Dealing with the challenges of taking over operations of a fully staffed store that averages 8 to 10 employees, we were severely behind the 8 ball in covering all facets of the store. So Troy and I got to work in filling all of the gaps of daily operations. We needed individuals for cashiering, inventory, security, administration and relationship management to expand our footprint in licensee sales. Read more>>