A company who I helped to get financing requested guidance on how to hire and properly institute a model that fits his leadership style. Essentially, the business had been a 1-man show, operating out of the home, and utilizing a crew of about 4. Amazingly the company is going through a revenue spurt and will hit above the $1M in sales mark in the next month or so. It’s an impressive accomplishment but the owner recognized potential risk in growing and hiring without a plan. Without sharing the whole engagement, we mitigated risks via insurance and complying with CA legal guidelines on hiring employees. Luckily, the company has HR templates from the union but this is not a cure-all to keep employees from defecting to competitors. We began with a bare-bones organization chart and then looked at the need within the next X-time periods. We described the departments, roles, and the organic development of key employees for the long-term versus the hiring and poaching in the short-term. Next we dug deep in the compensation model that would reflect the foundation for the company for years to come. We concluded the goals and the expectation of the different departments along with the bonus levels; in addition to the union dues. It was a definitely new strategic HR plan that could compete with the best companies but we also tailored the communication and goals reflecting the personality of the owner.
