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.

Josh Jackson

The entire origin of my company name name really just came from the idea of me being a simple private bartender for the local community. When i first started educating myself on cocktails and bar culture in 2011, I got turned on to a Podcast called Mr. Martini. This was way back in the day before podcasts really took off in the industry developed. Read more>>

Laurel K. Rutledge

I chose this question because, I have no desire whatsoever to have employees. And I have not since the day I started my business. Maybe it’s the lingering trauma of being a senior HR executive, but just the thought makes me cringe. Yet, if you talk to other business owners or read the books or talk to the experts, the only way to scale is to hire team. Why? Because you will be limited by your own time. This is a fact. But the beautiful thing about facts is that they are just the data. They are true and they are critical to making good decisions. AND the POWER of the facts lies in what information the facts provide to you – what insights you gain. Read more>>

Mohamed Hauter

Building an effective and strong team is the main pillar in the success of any project or company. The most important part in finding the desired team members is setting the priorities of what is needed and expected from the new hires. Most companies and recruiters focus on technical questioning and on-the-spot proof of ability. I disagree with this approach. Do not get me wrong, some technical questioning to gauge the applicant’s knowledge is needed, but should be limited to 30 percent or less of the interview time. You’ll ask why! when I get an applicant who is a recent college graduate, I rely on the school records, the applicant’s GPA and transcripts to deduce the technical ability. Read more>>

Lisa Vanderheiden

I am actually Josh’s first hire! He started his company Wedley Weddings all on his own, out of a desire to create more access for the LGBTQ+ community. He completed 40 weddings in his first year. In a year with 52 weekends, and still working full-time at his day job, you can see how he might have been burning the candle at both ends. Which is so easy to do when you love what you do! Josh is incredible, and really a force to be reckoned with. We met through a mutual friend and I was interested in becoming an officiant so I sent him a Facebook message one day, asking for his time so I could pick his brain. Read more>>

Hakar Torres

When I first started Air Market Group the goal was to bring skilled and like-minded individuals who all shared a passion for aviation to bring our resources together to be able to achieve more than what we could have on our own. Initially it was just myself on day one. Once I had come up with the name of the organization and started creating some of the branding behind it I got right to work on my own. Initially I was working on my own creating the marketing content, cold calling, running the administrative work in the background. I remained working alone for the first 2 years. Read more>>

Carli Reith

I started my salon as the only stylist. I have since expanded to a space in downtown Parkville, Mo. i now have three chairs for stylists and a private room for an esthetician, massage therapist, lash artist etc; When I first started out, I was terrified I wouldn’t make it, hated putting myself out there to get clients and I wasn’t that confident in my work . I decided if I was going to get this off the ground, I needed to master my skills. My work began to speak for itself, clients are now repeat and my confidence level also grew by taking numerous extended education classes! Read more>>

Renata Nall

I think one of the most important things in my business is to have people you can trust and depend on. It took me years to get there . I went through many people I had trusted in who took advantage of me or my business. I was on my own for about 4 years before I started looking for help in my studio .. My first receptionist came through my client and it was a disaster. She was stealing money, performing simple services and I had absolutely no idea . I was really upset . Read more>>

Danny Ansara

I started my business by myself and I was the sole employee for the first year. I first used my personal vehicle to get things in motion, before upgrading to a 1999 Chevy Express cargo van. My goal was to learn the detailing process in bite sized pieces. As I gained knowledge and skill I learned of more efficient methods and better equipment to use for my jobs. When I wasn’t working on customer vehicles, I was practicing my craft on my own cars. Before I focused on hiring a team, I was building a sufficient customer base and establishing myself as a reliable and meticulous detailer. Read more>>

Marcus Hernandez

I started my own business in 1985 in Purchase, NY and it was just me at first. I did everything from traveling to clients, preparing taxes to copying and collating tax returns and answering the phone. I did that for a couple of years, then as my clientele grew, I hired a secretary. After some aggressive marketing in 1991, I had a huge increase in clients in 1992 which led me to hiring a bookkeeper and another accountant, and eventually an office manager. Read more>>