Caryn Neethling – Minuteman Press

“There were five people here when we started — we now have ten. Your workers really are the lifeblood of your operation. We were very lucky to retain great staff when the previous owner sold the business. We wouldn’t have the successful business we do today without them.”

Claude van Rhyn – ACDC Express

“My business/life coach showed me my business would be in trouble if anything happened to me because I was running everything. From then, we’ve worked to empower all our staff and give the right people the right authority to make decisions, to call the franchisor directly if I’m unavailable, and to take charge of their responsibilities. It’s made a world of difference having a floor manager, an accounts department and properly trained sales people. Now I can focus on reports and driving business growth.”

Sharon Tattersall – Supa Quick

“I recommend surrounding yourself with the right people. You don’t necessarily need substantial industry knowledge, but you need to ensure that you hire the right people. Quite often, you’ll find that your success is in their hands.”

Tim Apostolides – Maxi’s

“People who work in a restaurant are often young. I like to hire staff who are studying towards something. One of my permanent waitresses is in her third year of an engineering degree, for example. If you hire people who are bettering themselves, you won’t retain them forever, but that’s okay. You want employees who are ambitious and driven.”

Charlene Chiang – Body20

“I have an incredible team that loves what we do just as much as I do. This enables me to be out and about to connect with people and market our studio, but I do spend as much time as possible at the studio daily. Apart from the fact that I love being there, it is very important to me to build a personal relationship with as many of my clients as I can.”