Your employees are the backbone of your juicing business. Yes, you have the qualifications of Health Coach and Certified Juice Therapist, but can’t do it all. You need to be the leader, creating the vision, and developing the business.
When you hire staff, they are going to be doing most of the heavy lifting for you. They can increase your customer service and decrease your workload. You want the right people backing you up.
Your staff labor costs will also be the other primary costs in your juicing business, alongside the produce and inventory. At the beginning of your business, you will want to run your labor costs high in the ballpark of 40-45%. Start-ups need responsive and attentive customer service, and it helps you make sure you have all your bases covered.
Over a short period, you will have a natural hire turnover. People will leave, or you will want to let people go because you discover they aren’t the right fit.
But as your sales increase and you refine your core employee group, you will find that your labor hire will become tighter – around 20-25%. This also develops with a culture of efficiency – where you create standards and systems of work that ensure you use the right amount of labor to produce the best product and service.
A point to remember when hiring. It’s not always the person who interviews the best that is the right person for the job. To make sure you get the right candidate, consider implementing some of the following ideas.
The Practical Parts when you Hire Staff
Job Descriptions
Before you post an ad to hire staff, return to your juicing business plan. In it, you should have laid out the job descriptions and expectations of each role. This is where you start. Refine your job description if needed, and make sure it is crystal clear and there is no ambiguity.
Job Posting
Now for the fun part. Make sure the post resonates with your business values and mission. Try to make it unique and clearly define the type of person you are searching for. You need people who are excited to work for you. Not just because it’s a job and they need some money. This makes the culling process less painful when your ad is perfect for attracting the right candidate.
Allocate a Test before the Interview
Giving a test can be simple, such as having them bring their resume to the interview, even though you have it online. Or, ask the candidate to arrive 10 minutes early. These sorts of tests show if the person is interested in the job, listen to what you say, and want to make a good impression by completing what you have asked them to do.
Target Your Interview Questions
Focused questions are vital. This is where you have to design interview questions that will bring out the qualities you need for the job you are interviewing for.
If you need a team leader or manager, ask them questions about what they would do if a staff member wasn’t working to their fullest capacity.
If you’re looking for a good team, ask them if they had played team sports when they were growing up. Or get them to describe a time they worked well within a team when it was under stress. What happened? How did they feel? A person who isn’t a team player will not be able to answer these questions adequately.
You can also target your questions to understand where the potential hires’ strengths lay. Please don’t be shy to refuse someone a position they are interviewing for. But if you like them and they would be a good fit for another role, let them know.
Looking at their CV
Look at how long they keep their jobs. Beware, this doesn’t always mean it wasn’t them that worked out. It could mean the company wasn’t a good fit or didn’t have excellent employee retention. It’s worth taking a look, though.
Ask them about their hobbies. If you have someone who likes to spend their weekend eating junk food and playing video games, you need to consider strongly if this is the type of person you want on the front counter doing customer service. The message here – for a health and wellbeing related business- try to find people who match your business’s essence.
Always consider people’s experience but also look for an aptitude for growth. Someone who has a strong why and ability to expand and grow can often be better than someone who has ten years’ experience in foodservice.
Red Flags When Interviewing to Hire Staff
Here are a few flags to look out for when interviewing candidates for a position. Even if it is for a dishwasher, you want people you can rely on.
They state they left previous work because they weren’t getting enough hours, and others were. This is usually because they weren’t performing, so they didn’t get the hours.
They turn up late. These people are not strong planners; they don’t prioritize and trust us; they will do the same when working for you.
A person who wants a job will come to an interview prepared. Either with extra copies of their resume, additional documents, or having researched your juicing business and the industry. You can tell when this hasn’t happened.
Candidates should have questions at the end of the interview. It shows that they have thought closely about working for you; they are interested in the role and want to know if they will enjoy working with your team. They see their job as a place they want to grow and expand, not just turn up and get a paycheck at the end of the week.
The candidate can’t verbalize the reason why they want to work in the health and wellbeing sector. You are selling a product as an expert in the field of juicing. You want your staffing choices to display the integrity and professionalism you have in the health and wellness niche.
If you think someone has potential, you can do a working interview – check your State’s labor laws before doing this. You can’t just put people to work for free or cheap labor. Doing this type of interview helps you see how they interact with the other staff members, particularly when under pressure. You also get to see how they move through their space. Give them feedback and see how they react. If they get defensive – be careful. If they are grateful for the feedback – good.
Remember, your employees are one of your most significant assets. Select them wisely. If they don’t work out, let them go as soon as possible. You don’t want the culture and efficiency of the rest of the team affected by one person who doesn’t want to work in a space that is devoted to health and wellness.
