Business Owners, How Did You Grow Your Business? Who Were Your First Hires?

First, congrats! Starting from nothing is very hard, often the hardest part of running a business.

Also, I think if you keep trying, even without changing anything, you are going to find a good tech. Simply persistence and time.

That noted, 2 suggestions:

• Have you spoken with any local tech / 2-year technical colleges? When I was an integrator we hired quite a number of qualified an hard working people out of those schools. They're not going to be able to troubleshoot legacy systems for the first year or two, but they will be likely way farther ahead than the typical cable puller and pick up quickly on installing new systems.
• Do you have any local ADI or Tri-Ed/Anixter branches near you where you know the branch people? I would ask them for who they recommend. This would better help for finding an experienced person who might be looking for a change or an opportunity to be more a key person in a growing company.

Good question, hope that helps and looking forward to other's advice.

I'm curious what your tech pay structure is like in comparison to your competitors?

Seasoned and experienced techs may want to find a joint where they can be more of a key player (as John mentions above) - but they most likely will not take a pay cut in the hopes that the new position 'works out' - though some might, if they really hate where they are at now.

As far as 'new' techs go, I'd hire for attitude and aptitude - in that order.

I believe we may have started out a little low, but I have come to learn another $200 a week isn't going to make or break me.

The last tech was making $25/hour and at this point, for the right person, I would go to 30. Take home company van, 1 weeks vacation, holidays but as a small company, we do not have any medical/401k, etc.

The last tech had a great attitude, but he just wasn't there skill wise and it was costing me a fortune. Stuff that should have taken 2 hours, took all day, etc. Granted some of it was unfamiliar products but the core skills just weren't there.

I usually do not put salary in our ads, as it really depends on experience. I do not think in a year, I have even seen a resume for the person I am looking for.

Idea: Ask your best customers who the best techs they had from their previous integrators. This might be a good way to help yourself, help your customer and hurt your competitor.

Another idea is to think of best people you know in this field. Maybe some of them are looking for a new job. My best hires were people I know for more than 20 years. 

By the way how many people do you have now?

In this day and age...this really hurts your chances..."we do not have any medical/401k, etc."

You would need to offer a pay that can compensate for them having to get their own insurance.

 I have a couple of installers and they are pretty reliable

Contradicts with

I just find myself spinning my wheels, double checking everyone's work

Im sure you mean by reliable that they show up on time, but that shouldn't be good enough for you, that should just be a basic requirement. IMO, they need to be fully trained and exceptional so you dont have to re-check their work all the time, and if they cant cut it, fire them and find someone who has quality work.

You are paying your last tech quite well IMO. Im not sure what area you are in, but $25/hr is quite nice for a starting installer, but have you considered lowering your hourly pay so you can offer benefits such as health insurance and 401k. Employees do put alot of stock into these things as more and more companies get rid of benefits like this, this could make you stand out in the crowd. I would also recommend trying to make a steady schedule for your techs. I know this is sometimes impossible in this type of position but we have some customers who pay their installers good money but they work them to death on some weeks, working from 8am to 10pm and they wonder why they cant keep people. Employees like stability and steadfastness for the most part.

If you want my advice, make it your #1 goal today to begin to build a team that can execute the same quality of work that you can put out if you were in each of their position, with no compromise. No disrespect but by listening to you, i dont think you have made this your mindset yet, because I was once in your same position before and I spoke similar things.

This is very exhausing because training people to be just as exceptional as you requires alot of your energy to train them to get to that leve.

One year, I decided to do this with my business and have built an incredible team once I made that my #1 mind set. It is one of the most successful feelings as a business owner, knowing that when you leave the office for a few hours, days, or weeks, that everything is being taken care of as if you were there yourself. It also allows you to set back and think about how you are going to grow your business as opposed to running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to keep up with daily tasks. We have integrator customers that have utilized this mind set that have grown rapidly. Then on the other hand, we have integrator customers who never really caught on to this mind set and the owner of the business is still trying to keep up with everything, working like a dawg from morning to evening and have been doing this for years. Not saying there is anything wrong with working like a dawg, you will have to until you get your team built up, but you dont want to do that forever!!! So basically what my big wall of text above consists of is "Get your mind right" Looks like your headed in the right direction though seeking help on this forum! Good luck!

Where are you looking for techs? What is your goal with your company? How large do you want to grow?

This fall it's 11 years since I started my company and I have been in your shoes.  It's not easy but I now have 19 people on staff and I will be hiring 2 to 3 more people shortly. My last hire was a project engineer who is fantastic.  He told me the reason he took the job was because how enthusiastic I was explaining the company, what we have done and where we are going.  He actually reached out to me on LinkedIn so always be selling yourself all the time.  

If I could do it all over again I would have emplimented our software tools sooner to improve efficiency.  This is our number one goal this year.  Maximize our software tools so we can automate as much as we can and have all of our quotes go out the door with detailed designs. Not sure what you are using for design/quotes but have a look at D-tools.  I can design projects down to the last rj-45 connector so nothing gets missed and every project has a detailed design so any tech can complete the installation exactly how you designed it. The more detail I give my techs the less time I need to spend with them explaining how to do the project which let's me quote more projects and work on the business more. Also with Dtools am working behind the scenes adding products and building packages so my sales team can build systems as well as I can with out me having to do the design by myself.  Just something to think about.

You are hitting the nail on the head. So many small companies with this same issue/s.

Compare your business to food and a simply production line that gets you the taste you want to deliver to prospects.

Once you have that taste secure, let the whole world know that is what YOU like and are offering.

Believe in it and others will follow or pick it up and defend it.

Finding the magical guys to do the work is a crap shoot as you end up competing with the highest bidder and highest ego.

Build from within, it can happen. Once again the belief and transparency system must be in place. Look deeply at who is representing your company and define how their ambitions or desires can help you grow. 

Dumb techs are everywhere...it is so embarrassing.

Good Luck Sir!

I just started my business in January after having been in the industry for 10 years and got tired of doing 90% of the work for 10% of the profit. I made it all the way up to Service Manager at the last company so I got to see the inner workings on the office side. I have been doing good on my own. It is just me and a few guys I use here and there, no full time employees yet. I look for contract work from the bigger companies so I haven't had to focus on sales that much. The biggest problem I have seen in technicians is the "millennial effect" on hard work. Older techs who work hard did not want to learn the new IP based technology and the younger guys that grew up with computers do not want to work hard. I've interviewed and brought on 20 somethings at past companies that full well know what the jobs are going to entail (attics, extreme temp differences, endless cable pulls, etc.) and after a few weeks they would rather sit and play on their phones every chance they get and ask when they are getting promoted after a month. But on the flip side you send a 15 year install vet out to do a small 2 hour job that requires minor programming and they call you 6 hours later baffled by the web UI login screen. It is a constant balancing act trying to find the right attitude of willing to crawl through attics and able to do simple programming. Most of the time it ends up being two employees - one for install and one for programming. Or I am having to take time to do either one or both. 

The benefits have definitely been a huge hurdle. With most of the bigger companies offering a take home vehicle and some of the common benefits it is hard to find good techs that won't even consider you unless you offer the same thing. Health insurance is out of the question for a small business. I can't even afford it for my own family (wife and I are both self employed/own businesses). When they quote you at $1-2k a month, it isn't just a "small amount" that you can adjust their starting pay by. As for pay scales, $10-12 for cable pullers and basic installers, $12-18 for minor experience, and $18-30 for experienced installers, leads, and service techs. I think that is pretty common for Texas. Add to each $5-15 burden rate for basic things like time off and the various insurances/licenses and it starts to get pretty expensive keeping someone on full time in an industry that sees more waves than a Hawaii beach. Most people that haven't ran a business forget about the burden rate part. They just see the $12/hour and think that's low for an installer. It is actually more like $16-$18. So at ~$65/install hour on bids, having two or three installers and a lead on site starts to eat away the profit if your techs can't do the job in the quoted hours.

On that note, I've had a fun time trying to figure out each techs actual install capabilities per hour so I can bid jobs properly. I came up as an installer so I know how an hour of work really equates to about 40 minutes of work when you factor in the multiple van visits, Facebook/Insta checks, text message responses, and smoke breaks to complain about the company/client/job. For some techs it is even less. Over time you can start to see the patterns that it takes Bob a full hour to install that one 20 minute camera and Smith can do it in 15 minutes. Luckily they kind of balance each other out and hopefully the quality of install is good, no one gets hurt on the job, and good attitudes prevail. 

In the end I don't regret starting my own business. It's been a fun learning experience and I am always learning! Just look for someone that has the good outlook, is willing to get dirty when you need them too, and knows what "IP" means.

NOTICE: This comment has been moved to its own discussion: Integrator Startup Founder Shares Experience - "Constant Balancing Act Trying To Find The Right Attitude Of Willing To Crawl Through Attics And Able To Do Simple Programming"

Finding quality employees never was easy, and in CCTV/security field things are even more complicated. An adequate serviceman/installer must be able to produce required result every time, without reminding that opening is external junction boxes are from bottom side only, under all conditions and have at least some knowledge in following fields:

Electricity
Electronics
Electromechanics
Strength of Materials
Hydraulics
Radio-Frequency Engineering 
Telephony
Optics
Computers Networking
Probably couple more I can't think of right now. 

Few people know all that and even fewer are willing to crawl though attics/breath guano/freeze/overheat/fight off spiders/fall from trees/rooftops/ladders/cut fingers/electrocute/have to carry all food/drink/toilet paper/work 12 hour shifts including two hour's drive to and fro...

Basically, there are two options, and neither is good:

a) Wait until you find a pro who is comfortable to work with you and give him whatever asked (might take few years)

b) Find a relevant trades school graduate or, probably even better, a STEM college dropout who is comfortable to work with you and give a raise each time you are asked

There's something else....how big do you want to be, what's the goal?  Certainly possible to get a very good salary with 2, 3, 4, 5 people.  Going to 15 people may add you 10% in salary but 30% in nightmares.

In Arizona we have access to a couple of temp agencies who specialize in providing technical workers.  Anything from cable puller to Lenel Certified as an example. (specific manufacturer certifications are hard to come by in the temp labor pool though so you should keep your scope broader - maybe ask for a tech with background programming security video and access control systems instead of a particular vendor) You pay a little more per hour but the agency provides ALL the payroll, taxes, insurance, HR duties taking that off your plate.  We work with Tradesman International.  We only ever need their electricians and helpers so you'd have to explore what level/kind of security techs they could supply.  I don't remember the names of the other agencies but I know they're out there so do some Google searching in your area.  Those businesses give you the opportunity to bring on a tech and if he/she doesn't work out, they'll do the firing and replace with a different tech right away.  If you find one you like, you can usually hire them full time but will have to pay a fee for that OR, just keep "renting" them so during slow times you won't have to lay off and ....  you don't have the admin of payroll, taxes etc.  If you decide to hire full time and pay the fee, just think of it in terms of all the $$$ you saved on hiring, training, managing, etc.