How small businesses are changing how they hire
With flexible work locations, personal referrals and better internal systems, many business owners have found that the best way to compete for talent might not be outspending — it’s outthinking.
Lou Haverty, owner of Tank Retailer, says recent labor market shifts have made it easier to find good people. “A big part of this is due to the overall shift of larger companies requiring employees to stop working from home and come back into the office,” he explains. “One of the biggest assets I can offer employees is the ability to work from home 100% of the time. These candidates also want to receive competitive compensation, but the flexibility of working from home is far and away the most important factor in their interest in our position,” he says.
At All Star Cleaning, co-owner Derek Christian says his employees can be his best advocates for finding talent. “So many employers think people should be grateful just to work for them — but we make sure applicants understand why we’re a great place to be before we start screening,” Christian says. “We like to have someone who really believes in the company call them to sell the company.”
Daniel Roberts, CEO of Lava Roofing, takes a similarly personal approach. “In small business every hire matters,” he says. “Flexible shifts and high salaries… have returned us good results.” By listening to both candidates and current employees, his company built a workplace that values growth, balance and connection — and saw turnover drop 17%.
“Our current employees were vocal about the importance of flexibility and clear growth opportunities. At the same time, we noticed during recruiting that candidates increasingly asked about work-life balance and advancement.” Those changes helped lower turnover and improve employee satisfaction by 23%.
To future-proof hiring, Roberts also builds early connections with trade schools and local communities. “That gives us early access to future talent — especially for seasonal or contract roles,” he says.
Translator Coviello supports his team with systems that prevent burnout and improve workflow. “We audit and tweak processes on a quarterly basis…to respect people’s time, trust their judgment and provide them with systems that actually provide support for their work.”
Others, like tank retailer Haverty, have shifted hiring criteria entirely. “Initially I was more focused on the employee’s familiarity and understanding of our tank and truck equipment products. What I found was that it was more important for an employee to have a positive and engaging personality.”
