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.

Sera Deva

I started off by myself working a PT job on the side of running my consulting business. I wanted to get my feet wet with many different types of clients and coaching in general, getting familiar with the work and process so that I could get more familiar with what I wanted to delegate. Read more>>

Tamara Ashworth

Building Ashworth Strategy from the ground up was a unique journey fueled by an ambition to revolutionize the Beauty, Apparel, Pets, and Kids industries. Equipped with years of corporate experience after my MBA, where I was heading Brand Strategy and launching various businesses, I delved into the world of entrepreneurship. This choice came from a disappointment I often felt while working with different marketing agencies within my corporate setting. I noticed a lack of robust strategy, client services, and analytics, which led me to conceive a marketing agency that could fill these gaps. Read more>>

Aronyl

Jade Bliss Inc initially started as a one-woman band show. I soon realized how unrealistic and exhausting that could be. I consider myself lucky because the missing pieces to my puzzle were directly in my face, all I had to do was reach out and ask for help. Fortunately for me, my team was amazing women I’ve previously worked with at another job: they had the skills and that special touch that I felt Jade Bliss Inc needed. They provide the elegance, look, marketing, and social media presence I love for my business. The heavy load of not having to seek and discover other potential teammates was eliminated because I already knew the talents and capabilities these ladies had to offer. Looking back on the early beginnings, I don’t think I would’ve changed a thing because we all collectively united in the perfectly divine timing. Read more>>

Nettie Sparkman

In my professional tenure, I have built and inherited teams. I was young when I began my management journey, and I have had the pleasure of managing individuals who are often older than me. I spend every day learning from those on my team, and the most significant takeaways, by far, are: 1. Listening to understand rather than listening to respond/refute Read more>>

Dr. STACEE LANG

As Smart People Network Corp, our journey began in 2019 when Bishop Dr. Michael Bates Sr. and Dr. Stacee Lang co-founded the business membership platform with spiritual backing. From the start, we faced the decision of whether to have employees right away or begin with a small team. Read more>>

Dash McIntosh

In the beginning I was afraid to let anyone else touch Digital By Dash I literally did everything by myself. In doing that you learned that hiring or delegating is a very important part of being a business owner. I’m real big on natural and organic work energy, so it was easy once my best friend/business partner picked up a camera and join Digital By Dash. Once I had the video component I hired my assistant who is also a good friend of mine as well as a talented creative. I truly believe in networking across or reaching back and building. Trying to go for people already established as proven to be a dead end and I rather put my friends in positions to win. If I had to do it all over again I would definitely hire train recruit as many creative early on as possible! Read more>>

Angelica Da Tavares

I started with an idea only. And for a few months’ worked by myself as home staging strategist for some clients in a booming housing market. After one year, upon request from the listing agents, I saw a business need when I found myself looking painters, granite pros , electricians, plumbers, to not only decorate the house for sale but to also fix some small issues to get the house in the best presentation possible. Read more>>

Erin George

One of things I am most proud of as a business owner is the staff that makes up Edgewater Animal Hospital and the culture we have created here. When I opened the practice, I started with 5 employees. I am proud to say that 4 of those employees are still with the practice now, almost a year later! I started my search for employees by posting an ad on Indeed several months before we planned on opening. I set our business apart from others by offering higher than average pay, as well as a plethora of benefits that are not standard in our industry. I weeded through resumes and conducted phone interviews for qualified candidates. It is typical in the veterinary field for the next step in the process to be a working interview, but I didn’t have that option since that clinic wasn’t open yet, so what followed was a little unconventional. I invited selected candidates to the clinic, which was still under construction, and gave a tour of the building as well as discussed my vision for the practice. Read more>>