Do you remember your first hire? There is so much that goes into building a company, but few things matter as much the quality of the team you assemble. Given the immense importance of team building, we wanted to create a series where we ask entrepreneurs who have been there and done that, to share their stories and lessons with the community.

Erin Mahoney

When I started my professional organizing company, I thought I had to do it all, but I quickly learned that I am not Superwoman. Even a small organizing job can require four hands! Clearly, I needed to start recruiting for help. Because my business wasn’t stable enough to support a traditional payroll, I advertised for independent contractors on Facebook. Over time I assembled a team of reliable talent. Training my team was difficult, though. Early on I didn’t have the words to articulate my vision and my philosophies, nor was I able to effectively communicate the actual tasks of the job. Since organizing has always been an intuitive process for me, breaking down the steps to train my team took a lot of time and thought. Read more>>

Lauren Turton

I am coming upon my one year anniversary of discovering Web 3 technology. During my time in this industry I have taken note of the struggles that women face as they enter and explore this space. For many months I had the idea to create a platform that would support women in creating a successful Web 3 career, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone. Read more>>

Courtney Atia

When I first started my company, I was literally all alone! It was just an idea that I birthed back home in Ohio and once I moved to Atlanta I was able to see the vision fully and execute it. It started with me and my computer. I created music in my basement and I was scared to put it out to the world. Once I finally let other people hear my songs, I liked the feedback that I got so I kept going forward. I started doing things like creating business cards, creating my logo, and from there I birthed my production company. Today I have three employees, and I have been working with them for almost 3 years now and they are wonderful! They each bring something unique to the business! Read more>>

Britney Crosson

I started Fun Love Media as a one-woman-show (I’m a theater gal, can you tell?). I did everything myself. Every. Single. Thing. I brought on my first team member, Megan, after I had been doing social media marketing work for about 3 years on my own. I had recently started my podcast, The Social Sunshine Podcast, and knew that with my plans to build it into a huge show, I was going to need help. She and I met on social media in a business Facebook Group. I meet so many wonderful people on social media, which is one of the biggest reasons I love working in the industry. Read more>>

James Nelson

I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience since starting my career journey on the phone as an agent and working my way thru the ranks to hold positions as a Team Lead, Supervisor, Manager, Associate Director, and eventually Director of Operations, leading a team of 1,100 + employees for the largest wireless carrier in the cellular industry. In addition to telecommunications, I have led teams in a wide range of business sectors such Cyber-Security, Utilities, Solar Energy, Chemical Distribution, Transportation and others. Read more>>

Ashley Morris

When we started the Institute in 2013, it was just me and Marj, the original director. We hired a few instructors but the bulk of the teaching and running the program was on us. Over the past eight years, I became the director in 2016, added another program and have grown to 25 faculty members! In the Montessori world, there are certain parameters to follow between our MACTE accreditation and AMS affiliation. It also takes time to support new faculty and see if they can make the “leap” from teaching children to teaching adults. Read more>>

Michelle Miller

Miller’s all started as a daydream while the Miller Family was vacationing at Bass Lake in the 1970’s and early 80’s. The dream eventually became reality and the ‘team’ started out with just the family and the only boat for rent was the family’s personal ski boat, a 1978 Santa Maria Miller day cruiser,
Over the years the resort has grown and evolved in many ways but most importantly with our staff! Today, Miller’s employs over 100 people each year with most of those being awesome, locally grown mountain teens! Read more>>

Justin Johnson

In the very beginning of DreamisGrind, I used to have round tables with some of my best friends and my wife to discuss my ideas and if it made sense to follow through with them. At first, it started with one business vertical which was artist management and development, and I focused and grew that side of the business because I wanted to use my strengths as a leader and mentor. In doing so, I had to hustle a lot on the business side from from promo, networking, building a brand, and artist management responsibilities etc. Read more>>