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.

Judy Tsuei

“Why don’t you hire someone, since you’re ready to move from content creation to strategy?” a mentor asked me three years ago. “I don’t know,” I told him. “I think I’ve been afraid of the responsibility?” Read more>>

Hunt Revell

Shell to Shore was completely volunteer run until January 2024, when a Coastal Incentives Grant from the Department of Natural Resources made it possible for us to hire one full-time position to coordinate all of our oyster shell recycling, education and restoration initiatives. Read more>>

Tuffli Nguyen

n the initial stages, Chris Wood (Co-Founder & Vice President) and I navigated various challenges independently including tax law, permitting/licensing, formulation, branding, and other critical aspects. Read more>>

Tiffany Norman

For the first 8 months of operation, my business partner Katie and I did 99.99% of the daily operations along with administrative work. The other .001% came from recruiting our husbands, kids, or dear friends to help sporadically. Read more>>

Callee Knoll

My husband, Levi, and I started our brewery/restaurant right after the pandemic. Restrictions were newly lifted, and life seemed to be getting back to (a new) normal. Having been in the restaurant industry for a combined 30+ years, we thought hiring would have been easier than it was. Read more>>

Zing Chen

Building a team is an essential part of work for film producers, especially for independent producers. Different shoots require different crew members, creating various atmospheres and resulting in completely different outcomes. Read more>>