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.

Taysha McFarland

Starting my film production company, Toprock Productions was a gigantic leap of faith. Not because I had no formal training in film production, or because I had never directed a film before, but because it was the first time I was stepping out and openly committing to follow my creative dreams and I was doing that alone. Read more>>

Tori Porter

Building a team can be a challenging process, particularly when it comes to managing turnover and retention. Given that my business models all rely on the same resources, it’s crucial that I build a strong team. Initially, it was just me, and finding the right partners was a constant struggle. Dealing with untrustworthy business partners made things even more difficult, but once I found the right partner who could assist me and help with delegation, things started to improve. Read more>>

Nehyalauni Johnson

When I first started TOORAWWWPHOTOS LLC, I was nervous from the start. I was trying to figure out all of the ins and outs of running a business. When I officially started taking photos and getting a business license I had a team of close friends/family(Kamryn Johnson, Te’onna Coker, Hunter Green, Aaliyah Richards, & Kernise Simon). Read more>>

Naomi Kurashige

Having always organized smaller-scale events that did not require more manpower, I was quickly overwhelmed when I scaled up, and immediately understood the need for more people to be involved. Read more>>

Jason David Maddox

I bring over a decade of experience in the financial industry to my current role in real estate. With a lifelong passion for art and design, it was a natural transition to combine my expertise in business with my creative talents in home staging and design. Assembling a team of skilled professionals, we’ve been able to build a successful track record of forging lasting relationships with our clients. Read more>>

Angelica Duncan

My youngest brother, Anthony, and I inherited Hi Grade Asphalt & Seal Coat Inc from our parents who founded it in 1988 as an S Corporation. Due to their hard work in establishing the business, we had crew members already collaborating with us once we we became the new owners. Read more>>