I started the biz when I was 16 years old in 1981. I got my startup money from my grandfather. The business grew from $56,000 in sales in 1981 to about $20 million in sales this year. We have about 60 full- and part-time employees.
About 20 percent of our volume comes from the retail store and about 80 percent from business-to-business relationships.
We actually are hiring, and we have a need for people. We are using a temporary agency to bring in people. In 2008, when things started to tighten, we didn't eliminate any positions. But some people left on their own, and we didn't replace those folks, because of the uncertainty.
If the cost of money could diminish, it would motivate me to buy bigger, more expensive things. That would create more work. Having access to loans to be able to make capital investments, capital improvements to the business would spur spending.
The thing that really affects our hiring is the ability to look forward and think long term. You don't want to hire them today and fire them next week. If the economy is strong or turning and people are spending money, that is the reason to hire. You can run your organization with the people that you have if you don't anticipate growth.
If I hire five people and six weeks later I say I don't really need you anymore, that diminishes the brand in the marketplace. It can also hurt your ability to grow in your market. -- C.C.
Be polite and professional when giving an employee the boot. And if the person getting fired starts to lose it, duck.
