In the fall of 1990, while listening to my mentor Frank Blau, I asked the questions, “When should I add a truck? When will I know it’s time to grow?” Frank looked me dead in the eye and said, “You should always be looking to grow. If you’re not growing — you’re dying.” It’s no secret this past year has been different. This year, nearly everyone has been focused on staying alive. Congratulations! You made it this far alive. Know that many competitors around you are nearly out, or have gone out, of business. This is a growing opportunity for you. Let me explain how to grow when others are merely surviving: Continue Reading »

I can’t help but peek across the parking lot to see if I can recognize any faces through the window of the supply house. Not always, but most of the time I can see the same guys jawing at the counter who were there when I’d go in to buy my supplies. They’re still driving the same trucks, wearing the same uniforms, having the same conversations about how business is down. The only thing that’s changed for most of these guys is the color of their hair. What these guys don’t realize is that they’re only verifying to one another that it’s okay for business to be slow. The thought among the group is that as long as times are slow for everyone, doing less business is okay. Continue Reading »

No, this has nothing to do with the number of forks in an employee’s family tree. Employee Inbreeding occurs when a company continuously recruits candidates that are virtual clones of the existing employee base. It’s only natural for us to gravitate towards those who share the same likes and interests as we do. When hiring for your team, job candidates who “click” and “fit in” with the established workplace culture often seem like the best candidates for your job opening. Many times these candidates have been referred to you as a friend or relative of a current employee. This would seem to make for a no-brainer hire, but research proves otherwise.
According to Career XRoads, referrals make up for an astonishing 54% of new employee hires. However, according to a recent study by BusinessFinance, this type of hiring practice may be an indicator as to why your business isn’t growing as fast or in the direction you’d like it to.
The problem [...]

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In fact, 66% of businesses believe it is "very difficult" to find qualified employees. Only 6% claimed to have "no problem". "What can I do to find quality employees?" you ask. That's where we come in! After doing extensive research, we found there are a number of things you can do to find quality employees and determine if they will "fit" in your company culture. Read on for more.
Where Quality Employees Look for Jobs
I think it's safe to say we all wish there was a magical place all quality employees go! Unfortunately sometimes we do have to dig a little. Here are a few places to find quality employees:

Other Quality Employees: People tend to associate with similar people. If you have a particularly hard-working employee, chances are they know other hard workers. Give your employees an incentive to recruit other professionals.
Career Websites: People that are more technically-oriented tend to look online. Make sure your job description is well-written to attract professional [...]

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