The deal is done. 

Everything from the letter of intent to official contracts has been signed, sealed, and delivered with a little bow on top.

The business is yours, and it’s go time. You’ve got an operator ready to run the show (…or if that’s not your thing, you’re geared up to get things rollin’ yourself). 

You did the dang thing, and it’s all lining up quite nicely.

So far, so good…except the current pool of employees are throwing out some serious red flags.

Maybe you noticed it when you were doing your due diligence, or perhaps you didn’t take note until after you officially acquired the business.  

Either way, it’s nothing you can’t handle.

Look, we’ve all heard it a trillion times from every living business owner ever.

Good help is hard to find.

But it’s one of the most critical factors in growing and sustaining a successful business, especially after taking it over from someone else. The strength of the whole is determined by its parts, so those parts best be functioning at 100%. 

If you’ve been here at Unconvential Acquisitions for a while, you know what we’re all about. We help people like you invest in and run small boring businesses to reach financial freedom so you can sip mezcal margaritas on a beach far, far away.

We want to make it easy for you to find the best team to support you in setting your new biz up for success so you can hit your financial goals (and bury your toes AND head in the sand).

Here are our recommendations on how to recruit the best employees so you can take a load off and feel confident your business is taken care of…

1. You Need to Know Exactly What You Want and Where to Find it.

When it comes to finding an all-star employee you gotta know what you’re looking for.

This means you need to understand what qualities or skills you want your team members to have so they can fully support you in taking your business to the next level. Get really clear on what a great employee would look like….Think about the qualifications and expertise you would want them to possess. What would set them apart? What kind of skills would they have? 

If you’ve bought a business with an existing team, take a look at where the gaps lie. You’ll want to focus on the skills that an external hire could offer to really amp things up.

Something to remember is that your definition of a legendary hire may differ from industry to industry. 

Let’s say you’re looking to hire at a laundromat you’ve just invested in, you’re going to want to find someone who is nauseatingly friendly with amazing customer service skills and a gift for having great attention to detail (a consistent folding technique is a non-negiotable). 

That’ll look hella different than hiring a storage unit facility manager, where you’ll want someone who can implement security measures and oversee the care of the facility. 

Again, clarity is key here. Comprendo? 

Once you get clear on who you’re looking for, you now need to figure out where to find them. This one’s pretty straightforward. If the position you’re looking to fill targets recent grads you’ll have success contacting local colleges. LinkedIn is a great resource to find candidates that range from young adults to established professionals. 

Find the channel that works best for the role you’re looking to fill. 

This may be a crazy suggestion… but get out from behind that screen and go meet people. Networking events are great places to plant some seeds and get your business out to the masses. What’s even better? In-person meetings allow you to get a better read on the candidate. 

Leaving the house may lead you to stumble across your best employee yet. 

You can thank us later.

2. Set Yourself Apart From The Competition.

You want to position yourself better than the rest so potential candidates choose you over the competition. This means you gotta find an angle that sets you faaaaaaar apart from your competitors. 

First, do your research and see what’s out there. Most job listings include a simple laundry list of deliverables or duties that employees are responsible for. 

Yawn.

You want to excite applicants and make them feel hyped about the opportunity to be a part of your growing team. 

Rather than typing out a long list of responsibilities (that no one ever finishes reading), try to paint a picture of what it will be like working in your business.

You can spice things up by describing what a typical day would look like for someone in that role. Or what they can gain from working at your company. This is where you can have fun and get creative.

At the end of the day, recruiting is selling… So sell the heck out of the position by making it simply irresistible.

3. Let New Candidates Know There’s Room for Growth and Expansion.

Nothing kills a team’s enthusiasm quite like stagnancy.

This is something to keep in mind when looking for a superior employee. They have to know that there is opportunity for growth within the business.

This doesn’t just mean moving on up in the food chain. Employees want to feel valued and like they are having engaging experiences while at work. So you want to make sure potential candidates understand that you put your people first.

Ask great questions and find out what’s important to them. Find ways to help them achieve their personal goals through their position in your organization.

When you do put your people first, they know it. When they know it, they’ll want to share how valued they feel with everyone they know.

And just like that your current employees become business ambassadors, referring like-minded and uber talented people just like them to join your ranks. 

Yet another way to recruit the best of the best.  

Interested in getting more support on how to find the right team to support your small business? We’ll help you figure out who to hire next and how to make the hiring process seamless in our small biz buying course.

…or if you’re really serious about investing in the boring small business game, then our mastermind is the right place for you.

Yours Unconventionally,

Codie & Ryan

Co-founders – Unconventional Acquisitions

If you want to learn more about how to find and buy businesses, check out these articles👇

• Questions to Ask When Hiring an Operator
• 90 Day Business Plan- 90 Days to Business Ownership Success
• 6 Questions to Ask Before Closing An M&A Deal

You can also register for the course here OR if you are serious about buying a small business, join our Mastermind.