It would be very hard for you to convince me otherwise, but this is the number one rule for a successful business.
From day 1, I have had made the promise to myself that I would treat every employee that worked for me as if they were the most important piece of the puzzle, and two years later the results have been unprecedented.
Let’s dive in to why I made this promise in the first place:
Money only motivates for a short amount of time, expecting money to be the only thing you give an employee is like trying to build a cement block house on a wooden foundation, eventually the weight will topple the structure over (this is an example of when an employee is burnt out)
Think about this, what is stopping your employees from working elsewhere if the only source of gratitude is their paycheck? The only thing your providing them is something they can receive anywhere!
My theory is this: An employee will second guess him/herself to venture somewhere else when they consider:
My excitement when they ask for a day off just to rest, and my willingness to step in and cover them.
My encouragement to leave an hour early to make it to their kids dance recital or little league game.
My endless praise after every job, for their diligence and hard work (even if some minor things need to be touched up – I own a paint company, and it would be very very easy to be picky, sometimes I won’t even tell them a customer needs touch ups, and I’ll go do it myself without them knowing to keep morale high)
My offering of free lunch each day, yes, they can bring their own lunch, but to me, they can save up to $50 each week if I provide it for them.
Giving them weekends off no matter what! We had a job run a little over time last Friday and I called our job for Monday and rescheduled instead of having them come in on Saturday to finish.
This, is how you grow a successful business:
Accommodate your employees!
As a result, my employee retention is near 80%. Even if they are tempted to make more money elsewhere, which has actually happened, the intangibles are what keeps them happy.
By the way, I would say 4/5 reviews we get online from customers who’s house we’ve painted mention how wonderful the crew is, how polite, respectful and happy they are! It’s amazing.
We’ve all worked for an employer that didn’t show us this appreciation, the key word is “worked” as in no longer working for. Thinking about it, they could have gave me a raise and I still wouldn’t work for them! It was like pulling teeth trying to get a day off to do something with my family.
I hope this helps you in your entrepreneurial journey, because it truly has made an impact on mine! Best of luck to you all. Happy Businessing!
–Byobcoach