Building a Successful Small Business: Hiring Ideal Employees
This blog is usually at the forefront of SEO and internet marketing strategies, but Trimark also enjoys helping clients build their small business from the ground up.
Marketing and brand management are crucial components of evolving your company, but establishing a strong cornerstone is fundamental to success. In order to grow, you must plant a healthy seed, which means selecting valuable employees.
Whether they are in sales, accounting, warehouse, production, or another position, your employees directly affect your level of accomplishment. Bad, lazy, or apathetic workers will reflect on your company.
What should you look for in potential employees? We offer three traits that are highly sought after by employers, as well as tips to bring out these characteristics for maximum productivity.
3 Traits of Good Employees
1) Putting the needs of the business before their own.
Bosses or business owners who seek this trait tend to straddle the line between reasonable expectations and dictatorship-like authority. On one hand, you could be implying that your employees’ personal life is irrelevant; on the other hand, you are setting the example that getting the small business off the ground will be greatly beneficial in the long-term. It’s the difference between being a sweatshop taskmaster and being Steve Jobs.
Obviously, you want to instill confidence in your employees. Loyalty is essential to the process of brand building and employee effort will allow for greater success.
Don’t force your employees to work overtime, but clearly display the big picture that you have for this business. Lead by example; come in during the weekend to get ahead in your work. Show your employees that sacrifices in the immediate term will payoff down the line when increased profits allow for raises.
2) Think Big!
You want employees who are not willing to accept the everyday norm, but who want to advance their career- and the company with it.
It is easy to get sucked into the daily grind; trying to make it through the work day without falling asleep at your cubicle. But small businesses need that extra push to go from niche market to publicly traded stock. Finding employees who share that goal will help.
As a boss, you want to convey this “think big!” attitude. Instead of setting modest quarterly and yearly goals that are easily achieved, reach for the stars. Even if you fall short, at least you can say you attempted them and establish an example for future years.
3) Personal Accountability
The smaller the staff, the easier it is to it is to keep track of everyone. But running the day-to-day operations will keep you preoccupied, so you will need someone who is a self-starter instead of an employee who needs prodding every 15 minutes.
This trait must be determined in the hiring process, because it is difficult to motivate someone who cannot motivate himself or herself. Try to weed out the candidates who simply want a job and pick from the ones who want to make your business succeed.