One of the common questions I receive from new Dealers is “How do I start my business and keep employees busy while I’m ramping up?” This is an age old question and, as usual, our Dealers have figured out some great ways to get their businesses up and running during those first months of operation. A couple of ideas for hiring those first employees so you don’t have to worry about keeping them on payroll constantly while you build momentum are:
- EMS or Firefighters: The normal work schedule for these folks is to work a longer day or days and then have a couple of days off. During these couple of days when they’re off, having a job that can help make them some extra money while not interfering with their full-time job is just what they’re looking for. Visiting the fire station or the headquarters to the local ambulance service and telling them you have part-time work available is a great win-win for both you and them.
- Construction related staffing agencies: There are a number of these type companies around, common names are “Manpower”, “Labor Ready”, “Quality Personnel”, “Kimco” as well as other regional companies. The main advantage for this route is two-fold. First, the staffing agency keeps the employee on their payroll. The only check you write is for the number of hours you happen to use the person for the job site. Taxes and other items are all calculated by the agency and you simply receive a total bill. Second, this is a great “on the job” interview, getting someone on the job will give you a great feel for how well they understand the product and installation. When you have someone who shines in this area, once you are ready to hire a full-time person you can pay a finders fee to the agency and take the person off their payroll. This is a much better way to hire your first employee than advertising and then having to go through the interview process and see how they perform.
