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.

Diogo Trevisan

Great question! I started this business in 2020, all by myself for the first 4 weeks – answering phone calls, scheduling, treating patients, cleaning up the clinic afterwards, buying supplies, etc. Then my wife retired from Anesthesia and came to help me build up the clinic. She is the engine behind the scenes, she made it all happen when it comes to paperwork. Read more>>

Denielle & Dan Martinelli

In most cases, your team is one of the most critical components of your business. In the hospitality industry, this is especially the case because your team is interacting with your customers and providing them with an experience that you want to be positive and enjoyable. The problem is, many businesses fail to realize that their team is so important. The failure can be in many different aspects, not just financially. Read more>>

Danielle Wilson

When I originally started my business (Sweeties Glam Closet), I’ll admit I had a lot of mixed emotions. I was feeling scared, discouraged, and doubtful all at the same time. Just before the pandemic hit, I literally had taken the last of my savings and paid the deposit and first month rental fee for the salon. I had the space 3 weeks before I said anything to anyone. So to answer the question, yes – I was the only employee when I first started. Read more>>