What Is Key to a Successful Business? The Right Staff

April 29, 2019

When you decide you want to be a small business owner, there are a lot of factors you need to consider. You need a solid, actionable business plan, a marketing strategy designed to reach your target customers, and a business location that is convenient for you – and for your customers. However, there is arguably one thing more important than any of these other elements: Employees who are committed to helping you reach your business goals.

When you hire the right staff, and invest in your employees’ ongoing training and job satisfaction, you’re also investing in your business – and in its success.

Choosing the Right Staff

Having the right people in place is critically important. In a small business, every employee needs to be able to carry their own weight. Whether they are in customer-facing roles or provide behind-the-scenes support, you need to be confident your employees will meet or exceed your expectations with minimal supervision.

Of course, it is not always easy to know whether your new hires are going to benefit your business – or hurt it. Start by defining what you’re looking for in the initial interview. When you are able to articulate and document what you expect from each employee, you have a frame of reference against which to measure how well they meet your expectations during the recruiting process and after hire. Once they are on the job, your employees will also appreciate having clearly defined expectations and requirements to meet.

Be consistent when interviewing potential employees, so you can compare one candidate fairly against another. Consider also how well a potential hire would fit in with the culture of your new business and your other new hires. You will likely be working closely with your employees, so it is important to hire people who have the right skills and whose personalities and work styles are compatible with yours.

Staff Members are Integral to Business Growth

Some small business owners struggle with the idea of hiring staff, thinking they can save money by simply doing more themselves. The reality is that without the right staff members in place, you will reach a point where it’s simply not possible to continue growing your business. When you commit to hiring the right staff right away, you’re building something scalable and are ultimately investing in the future of your business.

Once you have the right people onboard, it’s important to remember to nurture the employer/employee relationship. Share your vision for your business’s success and help all your employees understand how their individual roles fit into the larger picture. Empower employees to do their jobs and provide feedback for jobs well done. Happy employees tend to be productive, efficient employees. While there is a cost associated with fostering employees’ job satisfaction, it pales in comparison to the costs of employee turnover. When your employees are satisfied with their jobs, you shouldn’t need to worry about losing them to a competitor down the street.

How Staff Impacts Customers and the Business as a Whole

Employees who work for small businesses are usually the “face” of the company. These include both employees in direct customer service roles as well as those whose job responsibilities are limited to providing administrative back office support. In the latter case, the employee is still likely helping facilitate customers’ transactions in some manner. So, right or wrong, your customers will associate the service they get from you and your staff with your business’s brand.

Having skilled, efficient staff members on your team can help you build your business’s reputation as a trustworthy, friendly and positive organization. On the flip-side, hiring the wrong people or keeping the wrong people in roles they are not suited for can put the business in potentially unfavorable situations and increase the likelihood of a poor reputation.

Collaboration and Teamwork Are Important to Your Business’s Overall Success

When you hire employees, expect to invest time and resources in training efforts. New employee onboarding gives you an opportunity to show new employees what you expect, introduces employees to your company culture, and helps ensure consistency. While much of the learning goes one way (from you to your employee), you can learn from your employees too. Gathering feedback regarding onboarding and training processes not only provides a sense of what is working but more importantly what isn’t working. This allows for a better employee experience and transparency between you and your staff.

Remember that your employees are individuals with their own backgrounds and experiences. When they join your staff, they are bringing all of that history with them – and you (and your business) can benefit from it. By collaborating with your staff and encouraging teamwork among employees, you can build a stronger organization. That, in turn, can help drive success for you and your employees.

An Investment in Your Employees is an Investment in Your Business Growth

After making the decision to invest in your own future by becoming a business owner, one of the smartest things you can do is to invest in the success of your business by hiring the right staff. Hiring employees whose goals and passions are aligned with yours and placing an emphasis on your employees’ own job satisfaction and career growth can have a long-lasting, positive impact on your business’ bottom line. After you put your team in place, it is also important to continue to find new ways to reach and to take care of your employees and the communities your business serves.

If small business entrepreneurship is your dream, consider an opportunity as an Allstate Agency Owner where you will be provided the resources necessary to grow your business. Not only will you have the support of a nationally recognized brand to help you hire the right individuals, you will also earn equity in the business you build without having to pay franchise or royalty fees. To learn more about this unique career path, visit www.allstateagent.com or contact a recruiter today at 877.711.1015.

Subject to all terms and conditions as outlined in the Allstate R3001 Exclusive Agency Agreement and Exclusive Agency program materials. Allstate agents are not franchisees; rather, they are exclusive agent independent contractors and are not employed by Allstate. Allstate is an Equal Opportunity Company. Allstate Insurance Company, 2775 Sanders Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. In New Jersey, Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company, Bridgewater, NJ. ©2019 Allstate Insurance Co.

Sources

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/272027
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248685
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/money/why-hiring-the-right-employees-is-vital-to-your-business-7753789.html
https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2012/dec/18/recruiting-right-staff-crucial-small-business
https://www.inc.com/magazine/201606/gary-vaynerchuk/prioritizing-employee-happiness.html