Every entrepreneur dreams of that moment — the one where your company hires employee number two. When that happens, you’ve just grown exponentially, and your business horizons have expanded to match. It’s exciting stuff.

Nothing kills that honeymoon period faster, though, than discovering you’ve hired someone who doesn’t have the experience, common sense, or personality traits to be an asset to your business. And, as many AFEUSA members can tell you, that experience is all too common. The average stay of an employee at a job is a little over four years — but at a startup or new business, it’s only half that long. True, many new businesses don’t last very long, and that might be part of the problem. But that usually happens in the first year; two years is long enough to make it past that milestone but too short for most employers — although with the worst employees, it might seem like too long!

Entrepreneurs face a unique challenge here. Your early employees aren’t going to be like your later ones. You’ll be looking for people who are willing to take a little risk and not expect much in the way of benefits right out the door. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to get the people nobody else wants, because those employees don’t have a choice — it’s either work for you or go to the poorhouse!

Finding the right employees is never as important as it is at the start of a company, and that’s why Eric’s Jobs is AFEUSA’s choice for advertising and hiring new people. They’ll help you avoid the hires nobody else wants as well as the competent ones who might clash with your personality — and for our members, they’ll do it at a 10% discount!