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Good Management Is Hard To Find

By Cash Miller

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 10Jun2008
Word count: 693
Viewed: 257 time(s)

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For a small business owner that has a growing business one of the greatest challenges that you will have to face is how to find experienced management. Every business large and small faces the difficult task of finding competent managers but large enterprises generally have a much larger pool of qualified candidates to choose from. They'll have newly minted MBA's beating down their doors every graduation. People with years of experience looking for a change of scenery. They're biggest problem is not finding people that can do the job, it's choosing the best of the pack.

But your business on the other hand will probably be the exact opposite. I mean really how many people go to school to learn how to run a convenience store, a dry cleaner, a landscaper, or a copy store. Plus the countless thousands of other small business types that exist. Of course the problem is that those small businesses can become fairly large in their own right. And it's then that you're going to need some sort of qualified help or you might find yourself overwhelmed.

So what can you do? Well the obvious answer would be an out of this world benefits package that you could use to attract an MBA or two. But we know that's probably not realistic. So lets start with where you find potential managers to begin with. Of course you'll do the usual and run some employment ads in the classifieds, or maybe you have a help wanted sign in the window. But come on we're looking for someone that can help manage your business as it grows not just another employee. One way to go is using an online service such as Monster.com. But this approach is not going to be right for all businesses. How many people that are experienced in running a dry cleaning store actually use such a service?

So instead of hoping they'll find you maybe you should go hunting for them. So how do we hunt for an experienced candidate? For starters check with your competition. I'm not saying call up the owners and ask them but maybe you can pay a visit to some of your competitors. For example say you own a restaurant but haven't been able to find a good shift manager. Well go down to your local mall and visit the food court. Watch the different fast food joints during the lunch rush.

It's usually obvious which stores are better run than others. Which ones are really busy but still manage to keep their customers happy. Which ones have employees that like their jobs and are good at them. Attributes that are the product of good managment. And most likely the direct result of the shift or store manager. Once you've identified who that person is that is keeping that store humming look for an opportunity to strike up a conversation. Try to find out if they're truly happy in their job or feel maybe their efforts are underappreciated. You'll find that people that are really good at their jobs know it and many feel like they're not being recognized for it. This can provide you an opportunity. After having talked to them explain your own situation and ask if they'd be okay with you observing them further in their work. But remember if they say they're okay with it keep in mind they then might go to the effort of trying to impress you. Instead of doing their job in their normal manner.

Of course you don't need to settle on finding just one candidate. The mall itself is a wonderful place for this kind of approach. Assuming you can find businesses that are similiar to yours there. You should be able to spot some very good candidates for your business. Once you do you can go about the business of setting up some interviews with them.

What you need to remember is that no matter how forlorn the industry you're in may be there are experienced well qualified candidates available to you. You just might have to hunt them down instead of waiting for them to come to you.

Cash Miller is an experienced entrepreneur and speaker who has spent over a decade as a small business owner. His years of experience in small business cover a variety of topics. If you are looking for more information on this subject and others related to starting and running a small business you can visit his website at http://www.SmallBusinessDelivered.com

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