How do I Hire and Retain My First Employee?
I’m in the start up phase still and looking to hire my first employee.
I want to pay well on W2 rather than 1099, a bonus program for them to earn more, supply the tools and equipment they need, the car, the support they need all in hopes of retaining them long term.
What have you done to retain your employees? What’s the reason others have left you?
And has any of them left you and become your competitor - using what you thought them?
Looking to learn from others. Thanks! Love this community!❤️
We have close to 30 employees now, and if I could go back to my first hire, I’d spend less time worrying about someone becoming my competitor and more time building a place people genuinely don’t want to leave.
A few things that have made the biggest difference for us:
- Pay people fairly and review compensation regularly (we have teachers and nurses who left their fields to clean!)
• Invest in training instead of expecting perfection on day one. - • Give consistent feedback, not just when something goes wrong.
• Build a culture where people feel respected and supported.
• Create opportunities for growth so your best people don’t feel stuck.
As for why people have left? Honestly, it’s usually life. We’ve had people move, go back to school, become stay-at-home parents, relocate, or realize the work wasn’t for them. Not every departure is a reflection of your leadership.
And yes, there’s always a chance someone could leave and start a competing business. That risk comes with any service business. I don’t let that stop me from teaching people everything I know. I’d rather build a company that attracts great people than lead from a place of fear.
Your first hire won’t make or break your business, but how you treat that first hire will shape the culture of every hire that follows.
- Pay people fairly and review compensation regularly (we have teachers and nurses who left their fields to clean!)
