SmallBizLady Melinda Emerson interview

As part of TrivWorks’ “Trivia Questions For…” blog interview series, where I have the unique privilege of speaking with leading national experts to discuss a variety of topics important to our audience, I am honored to have sat down with Melinda Emerson, aka SmallBizLady.

Widely regarded as America’s #1 small business expert, SmallBizLady has devoted the past 15 years helpings small businesses such as mine develop and reach their fullest potential. Because of her specialized focus and expertise, today I am asking her about the unique challenges faced by small businesses in building strong teams:

1.           For small business owners, attracting and retaining top talent is critical; however, with the economy still sluggish five years after the global financial crisis, many small businesses find competitive financial compensation for employees difficult. What are some proven, meaningful ways small businesses can say “thank you” to hard-working staff, besides money?

I think we all need to find out what each of our employee’s love language is and love on them properly.  I mean if your employee craves public recognition or greater responsibility, give it to him/her. If they love long weekends, extra days off, spa days, little chocolates, Starbucks, a bigger office, or could use a personal intern give it to them. Once they’ve really proven their loyalty consider giving a non-voting ownership stake to your key employees, so they have skin in the game too.  Everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated, and bonus money helps but if you don’t have that try one of these ideas. Bottom line: your employees are the most valuable thing in your business, so you better be good to them or your business will suffer.

2.           In your experience, what is the one important thing employees of small businesses seek which owners/managers consistently fail to acknowledge?

Employees want to be mentored. They do not just want a task list, they want and need to grow.  Be strategic about talking to them about their big picture career goals, and helping them plan their next growth opportunity, (which might not be working for you). Explain why you do certain things and when they are ready expose them to clients. Invite them to go to certain meetings with you. If you get them fully engaged in your business, they will work harder for you.

3.           What should founders, owners or managers of small businesses be doing more of to encourage teamwork? What should they be doing less of?

Brainstorm with your team to solve problems. Stop doing death march staff meetings. They are the kind that point fingers and make people fearful to speak up. Don’t just sit at the head of the conference table and demand reports from the team, start with yourself so they can hold you accountable too. This will make people want to share things, even challenges they are having and not just try to out shine other employees.

4.           As any entrepreneur will tell you, one of the most difficult parts about growing a business is “letting go” of key responsibilities, and instead delegating them to others. What are some tips for making this transition, which will empower the team without having “the boss” micromanaging from above? 

Every business owner should keep in mind that their business can only grow as far as their hand can reach, which means you need help. Document your processes and systems so that you can let go knowing your process will become routine. Don’t just completely turn over the keys, do spot checks on things periodically to make sure your quality is not suffering in any way. This will help you focus on what you do best, which should be cultivating prospects and keeping clients.

5.           You have a big promotion starting today – can you tell us about it?

In celebration of my 15th anniversary in business as America’s #1 Small Business Expert, I’m launching SmallBizlady’s 15 Days of Giveaways Contest online. Each day between March 5 – 25, 2014 I will give away one prize to take your small business to the next level. The contest will take place daily between noon-6pm EST via Twitter or my Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/smallbizlady.

Prizes are being provided by: Sam’s Club, The UPS Store, GoDaddy, Infusionsoft, Google, Plantronics, Nextiva, Staples, Duda and ScanMyPhotos.com

Now, SmallBizLady has a trivia question to ask YOU:

Who was the first woman ever inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame?

Write your answer in the “Leave a Reply” box below. You can also connect with SmallBizLady via Twitter @SmallBizLady.

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Melinda F. Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. In addition to being a regular columnist for the New York Times, she is frequently quoted by other media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, MSNBC and Fox News. Melinda’s small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is the host of #Smallbizchat, the longest running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She publishes a resource blog which is syndicated by the Huffington Post. Melinda is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and the ebook How To Become a Social Media Ninja. Melinda is the founder and president of the Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. Notable Clients Include: Google, American Express, Dell, Staples, Sam’s Club, Chase, FedEx, Verizon, Wells Fargo, and Xerox.