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.

Lydia Andrews

I started Maple&Moss Designs out of my garage with $2000 on a credit card. I knew I could stage and design homes confidently but really I was winging it when it came to the business side. As a new Mom, I knew I wanted to work but I had the hardest time balancing care for my baby. So that’s when I began. I worked solo for a while and then found that I couldn’t manage it alone. I started with an intern who turned into a design contractor. As I continued to grow and change my business model to add virtual design into the mix, I began hiring even more designers onto the team. All of my hires typically reached out to me. Read more>>

René Agee

I’d be happy to share some insights on recruiting initial team members for ny salon. This has been by far the hardest task in owning my business. When recruiting the first few team members, it was crucial for me to find individuals who align with my vision and are versatile in their roles. Here’s a breakdown: Read more>>

Sarah Holmes

For a long time I worked on my own, learning the craft of jewelry design. Some call it silversmithing and some call it goldsmithing, but in the end I tried a variety of metals and a lot of different mediums for jewelry. I believe anything new you are attempting takes patience, time, skill – and the confidence to keep going as you make mistakes. Read more>>

Brittnee Thornton

When One: Eleven Property Group started, there were 3 Real Estate Agents that came along the journey with me. One member lost her battle with breast cancer, shortly after the team was established. Two others remain with the team to this day. Read more>>

Adriana and Amanda Martinez

Our team began as two and has expanded to a team of 7. We hire quickly and trust our decisions with the employees we bring on board. Our first step with onboarding is sharing our mission and values as a company. We want our team to stand unified with our message. Our second is adding step by step processes to our CRM to ensure that every team member has clear insight into individual roles and team-wide responsibilities. Read more>>

Yumi Lee

After graduating college, I was in charge of hiring, training and maintaining quality fitness instructors in Global gyms. The difference between hiring then and recruiting a team for Reebok LAB is that the Global instructors didn’t necessarily represent my vision or brand, they represented the Global gym’s vision. In the pre-opening months of Reebok LAB, we scouted for Strength & Conditioning coaches by going to take their class(es) without letting them know we were interested. And if we were impressed with their passion, professionalism, how they commanded the room, gave instruction, and interacted with each athlete, we would let them know we were interested. Read more>>

Annemarie Maitri

I opened our bakery in 2010 in 600 square feet. I had a few friends and family helping out. It was a small operation, but I definitely under estimated my staffing needs. I wasn’t great at determining what made a strong employee in those early years, I got lucky with some team members and others I quickly realized the hard way, they weren’t a great fit for our organization. Fourteen years later, I feel this is one of my strongest assets. Part of it, is a willingness to identify key traits in people who may not have all of the skills you need, but that are willing, kind and coachable. Training on the front end will take time, but if you are playing the long game, you end up with incredible staff that in turn lifts your company to new height. Read more>>

George Bladon

When I started my production company “Peyote Pictures” with my friends Jamie Jude and Koutn Hagopian, we were the only employees. Back in 2020 we would film ultra low budget music videos where it would be just us and maybe one extra person. We didn’t have many contacts at the time so we had to reach out to people who we knew were interested in film, but had never worked before. When I first joined community college, I met a lot of inspiring filmmakers. However, I met a handful of very talented directors that I decided to bring into Peyote Pictures. Meanwhile, Jamie Jude made connections with many musicians, and Koutn made tons of connections for crew whilst working on student films. As time has gone by, we are connected to some of the most talented up and coming filmmakers in Los Angeles ! Read more>>