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.

Liz Confiliano

When Edgar’s Bath Goods first launched, it wasn’t just a business, it was a mission. From day one, we had team members on board, because the entire purpose of Edgar’s is to provide vocational training and real work experience for adults with disabilities through Goodwill North Central Texas’ S.T.A.R.S. program. Our early days were filled with excitement and learning. The training was built to be hands-on, supportive and tailored to each individual’s pace. Our “recruiting” was really about finding the right participants from within the S.T.A.R.S. program who were ready for the opportunity to grow.  Read more>>

Meghan Phelan

In the beginning, it was just me and my former business partner’s mom. She had been retired for seven years, but she believed in what I was doing and offered to help out. Those early days were a whirlwind. She handled the phones and caregiver applications while I was out pounding the pavement, telling anyone who would listen about Granny NANNIES. I was doing it all—caregiver orientations, client onboarding, scheduling, staffing, quality checks, billing, payment processing—you name it, I handled it. Read more>>

Taniya Luckett

I launched Trutech Logistics, an Amazon Delivery Service Partner providing last mile deliveries with just one assistant, That was my Mom, right by my side. It was essentially the two of us handling everything — from paperwork to planning — while preparing to build a full team. My task was to hire no fewer than 10 qualified drivers within the first three months, and the pressure was on. Read more>>

Lauren Vaxmonsky

When we first opened our coffee shop, it was just myself, my business partner and husband Ryan, and a close friend we hired to help out. That friend moved on after about six months, and for nearly a year after that, it was just the two of us keeping things afloat. Our first “real” hire came organically—a customer who stood out immediately for his genuine love of coffee and prior barista experience. We interviewed him and it felt like a natural fit. After that, we brought on another team member. Just before COVID, our first hire moved out of state, and we planned to fill his position. Shortly after, COVID hit, causing us to scale back on operations, and we maintained just that one employee for a while. Read more>>

Melissa Swink

I started my Virtual Assistant services company in 2012, and primarily worked on my own for the first six years. Of course, my first objective was to replace my corporate income. Once I was earning a relatively steady income, I was content. I thought I wanted a small, manageable business where I worked closely with my clients day-to-day. But over time, that small, manageable business started to manage me! I was doing everything in my business – from supporting my clients to managing the back end. Read more>>