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. 

Whitney Poitevint

We are a multi-generational family farm that started with family members filling all roles: I managed animals, milking, tech, and marketing; my husband handled fields, finances, and chickens; my parents taught classes and managed landscaping and the garden; three of my kids organized weekend events and developed summer camp plans. Read More>>

Chaselle Miranda

Starting out, it was just me, and I definitely would not recommend that path to everyone. At the time, I didn’t know any better, and I actually thought I was being financially responsible by trying to do everything myself. Instead of hiring experts, I was out here learning every single skill required to run the business. Read More>>

Rania Hoteit

Like many founders, I started with an idea, a strong sense of conviction, and very limited resources. I was building, selling, problem-solving, and figuring things out in real time. Those early days were intense, but they gave me a deep understanding of every layer of the business. That foundation became incredibly important later on. Bringing on the first few team members was a turning point. Read More>>