Business Education

This Secret Lets Small Businesses Tap into the Talent Pipeline for Great New Hires

One of the biggest challenges small businesses face is finding (and retaining) new employees. And when it comes to the trades, this is especially true, for a variety of reasons. Chief among them is stiff competition from other companies that offer better pay and benefits. Then, there’s the cost of training new workers, which takes considerable time and effort. Of course, the biggest reason is the lack of newcomers to these particular professions.

But what if there were a source that prepared individuals for careers in the trades? Fresh, ready-to-work labor that had all the basics, just needing a little guidance? Well, the secret to finding and hiring these people is to look at trade schools.

Unlocking Talent: How Small Businesses Can Partner with Trade Schools for Skilled Hires

Today’s labor market faces chronic shortages of skilled individuals who can weld, work on HVAC equipment, install and repair plumbing, and perform electrical work, with millions of jobs unfilled annually.

Small business owners can bridge this gap by tapping into trade school graduates—eager, hands-on, trained professionals ready to contribute immediately. These hires save training costs and bring specialized expertise, boosting productivity and retention. Here’s how to connect and expand your team.

Step 1: Identify and Partner with Local Trade Schools

Start by researching nearby trade schools or community colleges offering career and technical education (CTE) programs aligned with your needs—think plumbing for a construction firm or automotive repair for a garage. Reach out to program directors via email or phone to introduce your business and express interest in collaboration. Offer to guest-speak on industry realities or provide feedback on curricula, building visibility and trust. This fosters a talent pipeline, as schools often prioritize placing grads with supportive employers.

Step 2: Attend Events and Job Fairs

Job fairs at trade schools are goldmines for face-to-face connections. Stand out by showcasing your company culture through booths with demos or testimonials—avoid generic flyers. These events allow on-the-spot interviews and offers, far outperforming cold emails.

Also, join Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) like SkillsUSA, which host competitions and meet-and-greets where you can scout top talent.

Step 3: Launch Internships and Apprenticeships

Create paid internship or apprenticeship programs to test-drive candidates while they finish school. These roles expose students to your operations, often converting to full-time hires—up to 70% in some partnerships.

Assign mentors from your team to guide them and identify future stars early. Pro tip: Ensure your business is stable (e.g., properly structured as an LLC) before onboarding trainees.

Step 4: Enhance Appeal with Competitive Perks

Trade grads seek supportive environments. Offer competitive wages, health insurance, flexible schedules, and tools like tuition reimbursement to attract and retain them. Go further by donating equipment or funding scholarships, strengthening ties, and earning goodwill.

Reap the Rewards

These connections not only fill roles but also position your business as a community leader, potentially qualifying for incentives like those in the Supporting Small Business Career and Technical Education Act. So, start small and contact one school this week. Soon, you’ll have a loyal, skilled team driving growth.

Want to Accomplish More?

Do you want your company to grow faster and earn more while spending more time with your family doing everything you started your business to do?

We can make that dream a reality. Give us 30 minutes, and we will show you how to get your life back. Skeptical? Good! Put us to the test.

You can call us for your free appointment at 480-636-1720, or, if you prefer, Waters Business Consulting Group to learn more about us and the services we offer.

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Most Effective Daily Habits Successful People Practice

May 23, 2018 No Comments

Effective daily habits can work wonders in many areas of life. These are particularly useful for entrepreneurs, but others will certainly benefit by incorporating such practices. In surveying a number of successful people, it’s easy to see they all have certain daily habits. Which of course, means, that these practices do a lot to help them get things done and done right. Why Daily Habits are So Important We all have our daily routines. But, the trouble with many routines is that we don’t question how they impact our day-to-day lives. In other words, there is little to no introspection or objective look at what does and doesn’t work. Think about your own daily routine for a moment. If you’re honest, you’ll discover at least one (maybe more) that’s not up to par, is outright ineffective, or just superfluous. Just ask any CEO, politician, professional athlete or inventor out there – they all start their day at the crack of dawn, gaining a leg up on the competition. Create a routine and stick with it. Studies prove that willpower is the strongest in the morning before exhaustion and other priorities get in your way. Adopt a morning ritual and you will start to see big results. —Forbes.com When you take time to identify what does and doesn’t work, you’ll probably discover other ways to improve your daily routine. At the very least, you’ll be able to eliminate things which aren’t necessary. So, it’s definitely a worthwhile exercise. And, it’s one that can easily be repeated periodically to alter or change-up from time to time as you go through life. Most Effective Daily Habits Successful People Practice If you want to really be successful, you simply need to practice the same effective daily habits of successful people. Here are some of the biggest habits you can adopt to help you achieve more: Not getting involved in personal problems of others. This isn’t to say they are uncaring or apathetic. But it does mean they don’t get involved in the drama of others. They know it’s an invitation to trouble. Working in an environment that’s conducive to productivity. Successful people identify what surroundings and tools they need to get things done. They use these to their advantage and you can do the same. Not harboring a fear of missing out. Successful people just don’t worry about FOMO or the fear of missing out. It’s not something they let get to them because they recognize there’s just no way to be involved or in-the-know about everything. The ability to say “No” more than “Yes.” There’s a reason you see this advice time and time again — it works. And, it works well. When you say “Yes” you are making a commitment that can quickly balloon out of control. You need to learn how to spot bad ideas and those which won’t deliver results. “No” gives you the power to be selective. A strong commitment to maintaining good character. Perhaps the most effective daily habit successful people practice is to maintain a strict adherence to good character. What other effective daily habits would you add to this list? Which ones do you practice and recommend? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Want to Make Your Business More Successful? Start by Helping Others

September 21, 2017 No Comments

There are a number of things you can stop doing to benefit your business. But, there are also plenty of things you should do to be more successful. Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma clearly show there’s always a need to help your fellow citizens. Although Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma are now gone, their impact remains. And, that presents a great opportunity for you personally, as well as your company. The Numbers Prove Helping Others is Good for Business It doesn’t have to be a natural disaster, either. You can help others in several different ways. For instance, taking a new entrepreneur under your wing is just one. Volunteering your time to speak to others who are starting up or creating a new venture is another. Even donating your time to a local charitable organization is a way to grow personally and help your business in the process. Plus, statistics show this is the case. Mentored businesses increase their revenue by 83 percent, compared to 16 percent for non-mentored counterparts. Moreover, 83 percent of mentored businesses survived, compared to 74 percent of non-mentored companies. When you decided to become an entrepreneur, what reasons motivated that decision? For some people it is the opportunity to make a lot of money, the freedom to live by their own convictions, or to live a certain lifestyle. While these are great personal goals, too much focus on these things can lead you down the wrong path. —Inc.com The thing is, you need real face time with real people. Put technology aside and showcase your own strengths. If you have a skill set that’s not particularly useful for your company, put it to work elsewhere. And, do so with an open heart. Because if you approach it purely as a business opportunity, people will take notice. Why Helping Others is Good for Business When you go into business for yourself, it’s not all about you. While you might start a company to be more independent, you’re still serving the needs of others. And, that’s a good thing because it does offer some real advantages. Here are a few great reasons why helping others is good for business: You make more meaningful connections. When you help others out, you immediately tell people it’s not all about you. That means you are more genuine and therefore, someone who is interested in others. Such unselfish behavior inherently means you’ll make more meaningful connections. You have greater appeal to quality clients. It’s true that when you help other people, you’ll gain better personal qualities. Those are apparent to others and that’s a wonderful stepping stone to find quality customers. You provide real benefit to the community. Not only do you feel personally rewarded for helping others, you also provide benefit to the community around you. So, people within the community will definitely take notice and that’s another advantage. You inspire others to get involved and improve. Giving your time sets an example others will follow. Which makes you a leader and that’s a great attribute. You’ll be regarded as a leader and someone who gives back to the community at-large. How do you help others? What have you done to serve other people that’s benefited your business? Please share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group. [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]

Stress Points Entrepreneurs Should Avoid

May 24, 2017 No Comments

Being an entrepreneur means being able to pursue a dream, to fulfill a passion, and to realize your full potential. It’s also a stressful role, even for the most intelligent and resourceful. Though we like to think of stress as just an inconvenient emotion, it can take a substantial toll on your health. It’s linked to heart disease, obesity, depression, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and more adverse health conditions. It’s also one of the most common conditions in starting a new venture or continuing to build a business. However, it doesn’t have to get the best of you. Stress Points Entrepreneurs should Avoid Stress is actually a biological response to certain conditions and situations. It consists of releasing hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which cause the body to physically and emotionally respond to its environment. In an entrepreneurial role, you’ll have a lot invested, which can include your personal savings, time, and effort. What’s more, you’ll be responsible for managing others. That’s certainly conducive to causing stress and you need to be equipped with the right response to make the right decisions. In the business world, there’s a certain cache attached to being able to soak up all that stress. But people can’t keep putting themselves under a lot of pressure for a long time without consequences. Eventually something’s going to give. —Entrepreneur.com When you’re an employee, you deal with stress but it rises to a whole other level when you are running your own business. After all, it is you that’s “calling the shots,” and you are at the helm of the enterprise. Stop to think about the entire situation and it can be practically paralyzing. You’ll definitely have a lot to deal with when you’re running or starting a business and one of the single biggest challenges to overcome is how you deal with stress. Because of this, you should know the most common stress points and how to cope with them effectively: Capital. Money is essential to business, but there will definitely be times when cash flow is anemic. You should learn to use free and low cost resources when money is lean. For instance, you can pay a freelancer that’s just starting out, or, can take-on a little more personally to keep costs down. Promises. As a business owner, you’ll make promises on a regular basis. When an unexpected event takes shape, it can seriously throw-off your working timeline. When possible, you should rearrange your schedule and revisit your priorities to make good on your promises. Commitments. Alongside promises are your commitments. When starting or running a business, it’s often tempting to fully load your schedule to help build your brand. This can take its toll, so, think about what’s most important and only commit to these. Clients. While clients are the lifeblood of your business, early on, you’ll probably take anyone who comes across your radar. Over the course of running your business, it’s helpful to reexamine which clients are worth the effort and which are making your journey an agonizing proposition. Talent retention. Having talented people on your team is key to success but this comes with a cost. Said cost rises as time goes on and you’ll face one or more moving-on sooner or later. Instead of fretting over the loss, look at it as an opportunity to forge a strategic partnership. Though these are all real and can be large problems, one stress point is particularly painful: the unknown. As the saying goes, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” That however, is true with just about everything in life. Instead of letting it worry you, look at it as a new opportunity to embrace. Even if you fail at this or that, it serves as a lesson learned which helps to make you a better leader. Remember, we learn far more from our failures than our successes because it’s easier to deconstruct. Want to find out about what a business coach can do for you? [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]