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.

Nicole Albrecht

When I started my business, I wasn’t entirely on my own—I sold out of a partnership I was involved with, and three other members of our team came with me. Having a team from day one was a huge advantage, as they were not only familiar with my working style but were also integral in helping create the company’s vision, branding, logo, and mission statement. The transition was smoother than it might have been otherwise because we had already built trust and a shared sense of purpose. Read more>>

Jeremy Wolf

The inception of MindReady (www.mindready.co) was a collaboration between myself and Dom Morais. As someone who has experienced the rigors of being a professional athlete, and with Dom’s extensive background as an athlete, educator, and college professor, it felt like the perfect team to launch MindReady and we’ve loved building this sports performance coaching company together. From my personal journey, I can affirm the critical importance of an athlete’s mental health. The MindReady resources we provide to our athletes today would have been invaluable during my own athletic career. I firmly believe that increasing educational opportunities for athletes, coaches, and communities will significantly enhance their well-being and success – on and off the field. Read more>>

Bryon Daniels

At the launch of Greenhouse and for the majority of it’s first year I only had one employee. We were growing the business from small beginnings and running things with a very tight crew. Once I was ready to expand Greenhouse into it’s next phase I began the hiring process. I took this approach fairly unconventionally, using instagram as a way of getting application videos. I was interested in hearing why they wanted to work for Greenhouse but mostly how comfortable they were speaking about themselves. My goal with hiring was to hire based off of a person’s vibe rather than their experience. I wanted a team that customers would enjoy being around and would want to come in for coffee and keep coming back for the conversations. I wouldn’t change a thing about that approach to hiring. It has produced a team of incredibly unique and fun employees who love coming to work and has customers regularly returning for their favorite baristas. Read more>>

Trisha Pfeiffer

The Early Days: Balancing It All When I started The Nanny Joynt, it was just me for the first five years. I had a vision and a passion, but I was also navigating the intense demands of being a new mother while trying to grow my business. With two children born during that time, I quickly learned just how all-consuming entrepreneurship could be. I took only a five-day maternity leave after my second child and found myself attending client meetings with my newborn in tow. At the time, I didn’t want to let clients down or lose business, and I thought I could do it all. But in hindsight, that experience taught me a crucial lesson: balancing family, life, and business is key, and having the right team in place is essential for success. Read more>>

Michael Miller

My partner and I started our business 4 years ago this month. For the first two years it was just the two of us, a lot drive, passion and cute dog. We have always had big dreams and part of those dreams are helping as many people as possible. While maintaining our standards and our heart. We needed someone who shared our vision and was able to be the architect behind the scenes, compiling all our lofty ideas into solid systems that were repeatable and reliable. We hired a business coach who introduced us to the Career Visioning process. This hiring process is exhaustive and takes weeks to complete. We hired a recruiter to find candidates and narrow down to a promising handful. We didn’t know it at the time but an inclusive and collaborative culture has and will always be at the core of our hiring process. Using personality tests, comprehensive interviews including an intimate motivational interview we landed on our first hire and the best thing that ever happened for our business: Paige Boxley, DOO. Read more>>