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.

John Reid

I’m a big supporter of the idea that the strength of your team determines your business’ success. My team has grown and shifted over the 30 years I’ve been in business, but the interconnectedness between all of us has been sustained. When I look at my team, I realize that the most important thing for me is their character. Above even their skill at whatever their job is, if my team member is a good person who tries their best, communicates well, and shows good character, they can quickly become an integral part of my life. Read more>>

Alberto Martinez

We started the bar with a team of 5 people, including me. It really was an interesting process, in which we hired people we already knew. They all , though none of them had worked making cocktails. Imagine, I had formerly been HR manager, hiring lots of people, although in a completely different area (engineering). But the basis doesn’t change, we needed people the fitted in our project. Read more>>

Libby Canela

Upon initially assuming the role of promoter and president for an all-female mixed martial arts organization, I knew I needed to form a solid team first. I needed individuals who loved the sport and had a passion for it but were also willing to explore their strengths and weaknesses for this company. My team consists of former MMA fighters, event coordinators, current MMA fighters, and hungry individuals of all professions. Together we are Valkyrie Fighting Championship! Read more>>

Jacquie Mahan

My business, The Awesome Company, is a custom screen printing dedicated to empowering and employing autistic adults. I run it with my partner, Hannah Graham. I started with a very small team of three people when I first opened in 2015. When I realized the way I could hire more autistic adults was to sell more custom apparel, I put a lot of emphasis on connecting with my community and educating them about the importance of autism employment while also trying to earn their custom apparel business. Read more>>

Cristina Salmastrelli

Affordable Art Fairs is celebrating its 25th year in business this October and I am very honored to be a part of this company for the last 13 of them. One of the key structures of our building blocks has always been to recruit the right people to join the community. While I have been involved in many hires over the last decade, understanding how important this concept really is hit home when we announced our new fair edition in Austin, Texas. Read more>>

James Cox

Staring a new business can be a little intimidating, or a little scary for some to think about. I was at that point 3 years ago when I started the podcast called “When Words Fail Music Speaks”! I had a idea to create a podcast talking about how music can battle depression in so many ways but I was struggling on how to approach it… I’ve been realize that I could talk about has the Power to take away, depression, just by listening to music at certain times, or even all the time. Read more>>

Tiffany Saul

This has been the hardest part of my business journey. I was foolish to think hiring people I at the time was friends with and managed at a previous jobs. The first 5-6 employee where just that and no interview, job description, or job contract. I thought that being friends like we were would make working together not only fun, but easy. It was the worst decision I have ever made. I respected them, and grateful for them as friends and employees. Read more>>

Najah Rahmaan-Oneale

My trajectory as a business owner was not traditional. When I first started at Dedica Group which was initially founded by my business partners Gioia Francella and David Player I came on board in 2008 as a consultant to assist with managing our clients and projects, improve operational efficiencies and grow our NY Team. At the time the company was headquartered in California with a small office in New York City. Read more>>

Tia Prevo

In my years in HR I have worked in the public sector that had employees in place. I have moved through the rank and have managed teams of 2-30. My specialty is recruiting but hiring recruiters is very interesting because the know how to interview. Using different tactics and lever EQ is vital to sift through who will be a best fit for the team. Read more>>

Katie Lim

When I started at BARK in 2016, I was originally hired as part of their initiative to bring toy design in-house rather than sourcing and curating existing products for their DTC box subscription channel. Our small team of toy designers, led by Dan Grossman at the time, explored different plush toy formats for dogs that pushed boundaries in play, aesthetic, and safety for the pet industry. The design work included defining BARK’s point of view towards thematics, humor, and character design. Read more>>