Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I am new the this website, but hey I finally have some time, or too exhaused to work and really need some help or at least a channel to vent. This seems to be the perfect place.

My business has grown to the point where now I am having a lot of unhappy customers because I can't keep up. I have tried to hire virtual assistance, students, part-times, and none of them work out the way I would like them to. I was just hiring bookkeepers. I found that it is so hard to train people. And as a start up I am very tight in budget. I know I get what I paid for, but if employees keep on wanting more money without delivering good work, I just cannot stand it. People now a days have no loyalist, does not know how good works look like, not thankful at all and think they are entitled to everything.

I often feel burned out, exhaused, and lonely. Sigh, why is it so hard to hire good people?

Hi Cleung,

I know where you are coming from as I been there a year back.. I know if you persist eventually it will all be worth it.

If you need a php developer (affordable) plz check out my website http://www.GeeksPerHr.com I now have 15 full time developers who can help you with overflow projects

Thanks

Sudesh

I found the type of problems you are having are generally caused by a lack of understanding.  One warehouseman that I trained for example was on the verge of being fired.  Everybody thought he was a screw up.  As it turns out, he was an outstanding employee.  Unfortunately, no one had taken the time to throughly explain his job functions.  They simply assumed since he had some prior warehouse experience, he automatically knew how to run a warehouse.

I sat down with him and wrote of a list of task he was responsible for completing each day.  I also developed a daily feedback system so I knew he was following through.  He proved to be the model employee I knew he was.

Cleung,

If you have not yet read "E-Myth" (Michael Gerber) or "Work The System" (Sam Carpenter) please do so right away. You know your business and know how you want it to be run. I would bet that what needs to be done is obvious to you and it frustrates you that your employees do not easily catch on. Both of the books I mentioned address these issues and provide detailed instructions for overcoming them.

Work the System: http://www.amazon.com/Work-System-Simple-Mechanics-Working/dp/1929774877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305225310&sr=8-1

and http://www.workthesystem.com/

E-Myth: http://www.amazon.com/-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305225586&sr=1-1

I do not know, nor am I affiliated with either author, however both of these helped me overcome similar problems.

Cheers,

David

Good employees are out there, you just need to be clear on what your expectations are when you hire people. You can't just say here's the job, now go do it, then never bother to check up on how they're doing or give any training or input.

Sure, you're busy, but if you take the time to write out an employee training manual with details on exactly how you want each position to be done, you'll probably have a lot better results.

You might also find it helpful to interview your employees in-depth by asking open-ended questions that allow them to tell you about themselves instead of yes and no questions like, "Do you have any experience in customer service?"  The idea is to find out what their interests and talents are so you can find the person that has the qualities you're looking for.  It's also helpful to clearly define for yourself what you want in an employee so that you can recognize it when they're in front of you.

Its been a few months since visiting this forum again. Thanks everyone for your advice.  I have read the e-myth from Michael Gerber, at that time I thought it was a book about franchising and didn't pay much attention to it.  Economy is not doing so good right now, my clients who rely on large corporations begin to downsize, and in effect I also downsize.  It is a good time re-strategize.   

Try to set goals for whoever you hire and make it exciting for them to reach that goal. Also if you outsource some of your work be sure to get it from a reputable company. Do your research before to see what kind of experience others had with the company.

Hiring is probably the biggest challenge for every business.  No one teaches us how to interview successfully, whether it's for employees or contractors.  Then we aren't taught how to onboard and train employees successfully.  Everything starts with successful hiring.  Think about if you are hiring the right skills but the wrong personalities for your company.  Are you so desperate you hire anyone who will say yes?  Are you vetting them properly through an extensive interview and reference checking process.  Are your interview questiosn geared to learn about who they are or what they have done? 

Motivate your employees by using goals to continue to perform to the best of their ability and when hiring always call on references.