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What You Need Before Hiring Your First Employee(s)

Andrea Herran, an experienced Human Resources consultant, shares tips on things for startups and small businesses to consider before hiring their first employees.

Some of the most common mistakes are:

  • Forgetting about or delaying some of the benefit and employee policy decisions,
  • Hiring a salesperson in the belief that they will justify their expense by bringing in lots more revenue,
  • Hiring someone who thinks too much like the founder(s), and
  • Failing to focus on employee development as the company grows.

Andrea’s company, Focus HR, provides not only question- and project-specific H.R. assistance, but is also the outsourced H.R. department for several small companies.

She brings a wealth of practical insights to help startups and small businesses successfully hire their first employees and arm the company for future growth.

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Video Marketing Tips

Everybody knows video is hot. It continues to draw viewers and potential customers.

Nathan Wiens joins The Savvy Entrepreneur to share tons of practical video marketing tips. He’s a video marketing expert with more than 20 years’ experience.

He runs two video-related companies, NWC Media, a full-service digital marketing company, and UAV Chicago, which provides drone photography that is increasingly used in video marketing.

He believes every business will benefit from video marketing, and shares tips for how to create effective video, as well as how to do it on a budget.

He answers questions about equipment, whether/when to hire someone to produce your videos, how to convey your story, and how to use your video marketing effectively.

It’s an interview every small businessperson should listen to!

Plus, take a look at some of Nathan’s work!

His “bumper” ad: https://vimeo.com/703880175/6937ee0977

Sample work: TV commercial – brand-building: https://vimeo.com/793450297/2aabd28331

Sample work: Event Highlight: https://vimeo.com/752175490/88cfc01b26

Sample work: Video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOdz4DhXtVE

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CharCharms: Cool Water Bottle Accessories & More

Charlotte Trecartin founded CharCharms while a student at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

She’s proof that Covid actually had many silver linings. So, she took advantage of some of the many resources that the U of I, an engineering and business powerhouse, offers.

And, when Covid hit, she decided to use the extra time to really research and test her idea of customized water bottle charms.

She bought a 3D printer, found a mentor, and started creating online renderings. She tested the concept at local malls, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

Thus began CharCharms, a thriving online e-commerce business.

Listen to Charlotte tell her inspiring story. She’s completely grounded, open about her challenges, and full of energy and humor! Plus, her products are pretty cool! Take a look at just a few of them!

Plus, her products are really cool! Take a look at just a few of them! CharCharmsCharCharmsCharCharms

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Annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest

Since 2004, Wisconsin’s Annual Governor’s Business Plan Contest has been fostering startups. More than 4500 startups have participated. Category winners have gone on to raise more than $300 million, win more than $2.5 million in prizes.

Even more amazing, 77% of the competition finalists are still in business, a statistic that defies the notoriously high failure rate for startups.

The contest is organized by the Wisconsin Technology Council, a non-profit that services as the science and technology advisor to Wisconsin’s Governor and Legislature. Join Tom Still, President of the Tech Council, as he shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur the details of how to apply.

He also provides plenty of tips for winning or becoming a finalist — tips that will help startups not only with this competition, but with other startup pitch competitions, so be sure to listen!

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Wyoming Machine: Innovation in Manufacturing

Lori & Traci Tapani are true unicorns. There still aren’t many women in senior manufacturing positions, and even fewer who own a manufacturing business.

There are still fewer that whose companies thrive in small towns, and when you add in the fact that both are blond and beautiful and uber-competent besides, they are rare indeed!

Lori and Traci are sisters and are Co-Presidents of Wyoming Machine, a custom sheet metal fabrication company based in the small town of Stacy, Minnesota.

They took over the family business when they were in their 20’s, and have steadily grown and modernized Wyoming Machine. Their story is full of the typical challenges of staying ahead for small manufacturing businesses, with everything from automation and software implementation to finding and retaining great talent.

Click on the arrow to listen as they share their amazing story with The Savvy Entrepreneur, with humility and lots of humor!

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