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.
Jon Jenkins
Being a family based event company, most of our first team members were family, literally. Growing up in a small family business presented unique challenges. As teens we were already working without even realizing it, it was just what my family did. But as we grew, acquired additional events and needed more help it was challenging. Our line of work required dedicated, knowledgeable people who are available on a temporary basis-maybe a few weeks a year. We are very fortunate to have assembled a team of people who have the skills, availability and love being a part of the team. Our team members are spread around the country, yet we come together and it’s like we see each other every day. I learned long ago that I couldn’t run this company without great people and I’ve found them.. Read more>>
Andy Lassiter
Like many creatives, I started as a team of one. For the first couple of years every facet of the business was my responsibility. Although there were many late nights, during that time I was able to build strong client relationships and also gain the “10,000 hours” of practice that has given me a deep understanding of the industry. My first hire was actually an office manager and marketing assistant, which in hindsight was the right decision. That created the space I needed to focus on producing the best work, and then training additional photographers and editors. It’s definitely scary for small businesses to take the leap of faith and hire full time employees (not just contract help). Read more>>
Heather Quatro
We purchased an already operating restaurant, with no interruptions in service during the transition. We gave every employee an opportunity to sit down and speak to us about whether they would like to keep their jobs, or if they were moving on. We acquired and kept some amazing employees, which have now become like family. We brought our children, parents, and some friends along with us also, who have played huge parts in our success thus far. Read more>>
Rachael Novak
My husband and I have been entrepreneurs for over 18 years – in 2017 is when we go back into Real Estate, just the two of us.
We had the foresight to hire a coach who helped us deepen our understanding of real estate business processes and acumen and we hired our first assistant in August 2017. I treated the hiring process as I was coached to: read the resume, ask the questions, set a few expectations, hire! Read more>>
Kinsley Roper
My Other Mother is my business baby. It was just myself, a free google website, and word of mouth – at free and discounted pricing – when I started. My first employee was actually the sister-in-law of my third client. Meg hired me to do some organizing of her children’s artwork. She then wanted me to tackle her parents’ home – where I met Meg’s precious parents and Ashley. Ashley was a natural. Eventually, Meg joined us as well. Talk about keeping it in the family. From there, the M.O.M family grew by friends and stay-at-home moms wanting to join in building this business one client at a time. Read more>>
Kristi Kandel
<b>Building a Team: From Contractors to A-Players</b> When I started, it was just me, wearing all the hats and figuring things out as I went. A mentor once told me, “Avoid hiring employees for as long as possible. They’re the best part of running a business—but also the hardest.” That advice shaped my early strategy. I focused on building strong relationships with contractors instead of hiring employees, which kept overhead low and gave us flexibility. It also meant fewer headaches during uncertain times since I could scale back easily if business slowed. Read more>>