Donna 0:02
This is the she's in business podcast, where every week I'll explore topics and have real conversations around what it's like to run a regional business, the advantages and the unique challenges. I'm Donna Han, a seasoned regional business owner, and certified high performance business coach. I'm here to make training and professional development easily accessible for regional business women everywhere. So join me and guest experts as we share tools and insights to elevate your business, boost your mindset, and ensure that you never feel alone on this journey. No matter where you live. I'm fired up and I'm here to educate you on what it truly takes to grow your business and your mindset beyond what you thought possible. So welcome to the shiz in business podcast, my guest today is Sarah Marco. With a profound understanding for the intricacies involved in recruitment and Business Administration, Sarah helps business owners unlock their full potential by providing the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of recruitment, and administration seamlessly. Sarah gives support to administrative team members, enabling them to achieve exceptional results in recruitment and admin support. And as a result, businesses thrive, and owners no longer feel burdened by the need to handle everything themselves. And they can focus on propelling their businesses forward. And doesn't that sound just awesome. So I'm thrilled today to welcome Sarah not only into the podcast today, but also she's featuring as a guest expert inside my membership soaring to success, which is the membership for regional business women who want to access high level training and master classes from leading educators without having to travel to the big smoke to get it so you can access professional development and training all of the things that you need via the soaring to success, membership from the comfort of your own home, and Sarah's featuring inside the membership to deliver a masterclass all about recruitment for small business owners, which of course will be recorded and made available inside the library of masterclasses for the soaring to success membership. So if you're interested in learning more about soaring to success, and how you can join, just go to Donna hande.com, forward slash success. I'll link that in the show notes as well. But let's bring this fabulous woman onto the podcast. Welcome to the podcast, Sara Marco, let me know introduce yourself, tell the world about your wonderful business of recruitment and Business Admin and how you do things differently to help business owners get the results that they're seeking.
Sarah 2:41
Yeah, amazing. So I specialize in helping supporting business owners gain the knowledge and the tools to succeed so they can implement these strategies into their business, and a little bit less outsourcing and a little bit more in house so that we can, you know, make our own businesses thrive with the support in house. And recruitment has this massive, massive industry of business owners outsourcing and getting a lot of support, which is fantastic. For those who needed I definitely do thrive on outsourcing for sure, I think it's a great option. However, for those high turnover businesses that consistently recruit, recruiting outsourcing isn't really an option. So I have created a few different ways for business owners to get the tools to succeed help their admin team members level up in their business so that they can essentially get the tips and tricks from recruiters and utilize them in their business to get higher results. More staff have a great quality and a less turnover.
Donna 3:43
So yeah, I think that's so important for business owners, because we go to all of this effort to do the recruitment. And then sometimes we can't retain the people. And then we've got to start all over again. So what do you reckon is the you know, depending on the business model and the growth goals of the business owner, what do you think is the biggest hurdle that stops business owners from taking that leap to grow their business by employing team members or growing their existing teams?
Sarah 4:15
Yeah, look, a lot of it comes around culture within the business. And that is where the business owner is with their mindset is a massive indication of how fast they can grow, outsource and get that support, but be willing to grow as well in our businesses, as business owners, we need to have that mentality that we can grow, learn, adapt, etc. And when we get new employees on, we generally have to give some of that trust to the new employee and and let them do the position that we might have been doing. And so giving that trust out is also something that again, mindset you have to be ready for that and and ready to invest but in the same time when you're in invest in employee, you're going to gain so much more time back. And that's something that you can utilize in your business. So the people that can see that it makes a massive difference. And when it comes to retaining employees, I can't stress enough how important culture is, and the effort the business owner is putting in to help retain employees.
Donna 5:20
Yeah, yeah. And is there a big mistake that you often see for business owners in when it comes to retaining those employees? Is that part of it? Or do you think that maybe, is the major problem that you see that they don't map out? Clearly the process of recruitment and therefore recruit the wrong people into their business?
Sarah 5:43
Yeah, I would definitely say is the whole process, because there's a lot of mistakes we can make along the way. And that comes down to how your ad is perceiving your company, what does it company look like online? How did you onboard that employee, you know, a lot of people on board employees, and they don't stay within that first few weeks, even. Just because that onboarding process wasn't structured, you know, you weren't checking in with the employee, they didn't feel comfortable, there's yeah, there's just a massive range. And if you can map, map all of it out and have that structure, you're going to gain success in every avenue along the way, and have the right person employed, which is going to save you time and money in the long run either way.
Donna 6:28
Yep. And what would you say is the first step in getting that right, because obviously, it can feel quite overwhelming. And if you have never had employees before, because a lot of the business women that I work with, have started their business as a solopreneur. And the business has started to show really great potential. And so they're putting things in place to grow it. And often the thing that they, you know, really shy away from is employing someone because it's like, well, where do I even start? It feels like a bit of a minefield. So what would be your advice? For people to get started?
Sarah 7:03
Yeah, look, there is a massive minefield of things. I always start with the same thing every time, though. And that is your company profile. What do you look like to the world? What do you look like on social media? Do you have reviews on who you are as a person, if you're a solo entrepreneur, do you have reviews of your team if you can have that on there. And along with that, looking at, you know, I've got a big module on company profile I put a lot of time and energy into it makes a massive difference. And it just sets you up for success every other step along the way. Things like having your core values their people knowing what you believe in people giving that insight into you seeing who you are, as a director and a business owner, all those things will play off to the right candidate, because there'll be looking for the answers. And the people that can get clarity faster are the ones are going to come to you faster versus say competitor with the same job role. So I always say company profile, have a look at what you are projecting to the world, can they see who you are, what you stand for, and why they would want to work with you. Because at the end of the day, it comes down to personality matching 80% of the time, and you want to make sure you've got the right person, then that use have the right values aligned.
Donna 8:21
And I love that you say that because I know that in my business journey, when I've employed people, I've found that it's always far better to employ someone based on their value set, versus someone who's Ultra skilled and ultra trained. But I'm not aligned to my core values or to the business's core values, because even if they're super talented at what they do, if you haven't got that values alignment, chances are it's not going to work out in the future. Would you agree with that?
Sarah 8:50
Oh, definitely, you need to be able to work with this person, you're working together, you know, most of the time, five days a week, you have to get along, believe in the same path. Because culture eats strategy for breakfast, you can have a great strategy and plan, you can have the best tools around the best employees in as you said in that sector that could be the best person at that. However, if you're not on the same page with the same goal, you're not going to get there at the end of the day.
Donna 9:22
And what would you say is an important thing to consider when you're writing out your position descriptions because that's the other really important thing isn't it is being really clear about what this person is going to do for their job. And if you've got any sort of strategies or tips to help people to clearly identify what it is that they want this person to do, and then how do you identify that that person who's applied for the job is the right person and that they're going to be able to do it because it's really hard to see that like on a piece of paper from someone's CV right and having an interview and going oh, Have I really get to meet my needs?
Sarah 10:01
Yeah, look, there's a couple of things to that position description is something, essentially the next step, once you've got your company profile, because you can utilize that to write your ad, having, essentially what you definitely need them to do in that, in that description is vital. However, also having that indication, I generally always have in mind, you know, there's job variation, depending on what management requires, at this point in time, you know, have something along the lines of that in there so that if you do get a different project that comes up, you can, you know, it is within the realm that they understand things might shift. And having them understanding that the company might shift and the avenue might shift in that interview process, we'll figure out whether they're the right or wrong person. And that leads me into the next part, having those interview questions, very strategically planned doubt is going to help you about 100 times more than reading their CV, if you can, you know, you want to read they're saving great they've got, you know, on paper, the experience I want them to have or, you know, I can see that we've got great customer service experience from this role. But those questions in the interview, they're going to give you all the answers to see where the stars align, the goals are on the same page. They're happy with the job description that might be that a little bit open ended in some areas but cemented in others. So that again, personality matching very vital in that interview process.
Donna 11:31
Yeah, absolutely. And I'm so glad that you raised that. Because, yeah, the interview questions, I agree with you, that's where you get to understand the character of the person and also challenge them on, like, you know, share the experience when you What would you do in this situation? Or have you ever been in that situation? And how did that turn out for you? Yeah. Any suggestions on absolute questions that you should ask in an interview? Yeah, look, I
Sarah 12:00
have one that is really basic that I asked him every single interview, and it's if they're planning on studying in the future. And that gives me insight on what their long term goal is, you can still ask the person, you know, where do you see yourself? What's your goal for the future? Whatever that question might be structured as, however, I was asking, they're planning on studying because a lot of times I've had candidates open up to me and go, You know what, I'm actually want to be a vet in five years. But if I didn't ask that one question, I would never have got that answer. Because they're prepared for those questions that are going to ask them about their goals in the future. And they might say, Yes, I want to be in administration, and I want a nine to five job and upskill. But in the back of their head, they know they're going to go and be a vet. But I've asked that question that's instantly drawn out that answer, because I've built that relationship as well with the candidate. Because it's not essentially to try and catch them out. I believe in candidate matching with the right employer as well, I want the candidate and the employer to be happy. So you want to really make sure that you can get those get that answer out. It's just such a simple strategic question is paid off. Probably more times, then I can count. Yeah,
Donna 13:13
yeah. And I love that. It's such a simple question, right? It's a such a simple question. It gives you insight into Yes, like, you know, what they want to do in the future. But also, like, if they're not planning on study, it might lead to them sharing with you something else that they're planning to do in the future instead, which will give you more insight to them. Okay, so when we come back from the break, I would love to talk to you about understanding employment laws and the award and you know, all of the things that can feel like a bit of a minefield when you're preparing to take someone on board for the first time. So we'll chat about that when we come back from this short break.
If you're time poor, but you understand the power of upskilling your knowledge when it comes to growing your business and moving the needle towards smashing your big goals when it comes to growing your mindset to cope with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. And when it comes to growing a healthy profit in exchange for all of the time, and energy you put into your business will listen up because I have created a value stacked monthly calendar filled with master classes on the types of topics you want to learn about. Think business master classes systemization to free up your time, legal compliance to protect your business, AI mastery to help you to keep up with new technology, profit, cashflow team recruitment, leadership, increasing productivity, marketing and branding to increase your lead generation and sales. We also cover topics on mindset, like overcoming your fears, vanishing impostor syndrome, strengthening resilience, and money mindset. These are lessons facilitated by me and guest presenters who at experts in their fields. And the best part is you can consume this within 60 minutes and then get the action steps you need to implement those lessons into your business to see results straightaway. It's called soaring to success, the business and mindset membership for regional business women. In addition to monthly masterclasses is also 90 Day planning sessions, tons of resources and tools and templates, and online networking to connect you with a community of like minded regional business women just like you every month is something different to support you, in fast tracking your success. The best part, the investment is less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day. All of this content is recorded and uploaded into the members library so that you can watch it anytime, anywhere. And if you want to get in on this, you need to join the waitlist so that you can get early bird bonuses when I open the doors. And here's what you need to do. Go to your browser and type www dot Donna han.com forward slash waitlist. That's www dot Donna hande.com forward slash waitlist. I'll also put it in the show notes.
So back to the podcast, what would you say is the really important thing in order to calm the fear and the overwhelm when it comes to employment laws? Understanding the award? What am I supposed to pay this person? What are the hidden costs that maybe I haven't thought about? You know, managing different personalities, all that stuff, it can feel like a total minefield. So any tips for helping business owners to keep their knowledge up to date and stay really well informed for those things? Yeah, definitely.
Sarah 16:50
When I made my recruitment course, this is something I added in right at the end, because I realized that people don't actually always know the answer to this. For me, it's just so it's so I'm so used to it. But there is a lot of people that do need that help and support. And I think one thing is don't be afraid of fair work. I know people hear the word fair work. And they go, Oh, no, no, but they actually have a helpline, and just call them if you are ever hesitant don't don't wait and think they can't, because they actually really helpful. So don't be scared of that, which is one thing that I find for business owners, you know, we don't want a phone call from fair work from someone to be unhappy about that actually really great for business owners to make sure that you are helping your employees and paying them right. But another thing you know, the pay guides are on the website can be a bit tricky to to navigate. But if you do get stuck, as I said, you can call and speak to somebody, but they just check it every year as well. They change yearly, the minimum employee rate changes generally around tax time, you know, the budgets come out and things like that. So just be mindful that if you do have someone on a base rate, be checking that yearly, because there's a very high chance that it will change.
Donna 18:09
Yeah. And I like that you say that, I think it's really important to even just mark a bit of a annual reminder in your calendar to be like go and check the rates and update your payroll. Because it can creep up on you without realizing and you don't want to be in the position where you then have to do a big back pay. Because that can just throw your budget completely out of whack. So I love that you raise that. And also I love that you raise about fair work, because I have found when I've needed their advice, they're really helpful over the phone. But also they have a whole range of resources on their website that you can follow. They don't want you to fail as a business owner, they don't want anyone to have the kind of experience where you end up in the courts. Because, you know, there's been some kind of accusation made against you, they're there to help you. So yeah, I agree. Like they're not scary, go and get the help that you need. So as far as onboarding and off boarding staff goes really important in the recruitment process, that we have this nailed down, right. You mentioned earlier that the onboarding is really important. I think equally, the onboarding is important too, because we don't want people to leave our businesses feeling maybe a little jaded. And then obviously that can spread into the into the you know, public knowledge into the sphere of gossiping and things like that. So what are your thoughts are effectively off boarding your staff? Obviously, the process might be a little bit different. If it's like, you know, they're voluntarily resigning from the business as opposed to there being a termination but can you give me some insight and maybe some suggestions and advice around effective offboarding?
Sarah 19:57
Yeah, definitely. This all ties to your company. profile, as you said, people can go and review you, you don't want that out there. Nobody wants a bad experience, especially, especially if you could have prevented that. But my biggest tip is clarity. If you can have a meeting with them, so say when they're coming into you and resigning, and you're going to accept that resignation, if you feel that that is the right choice, have that conversation on the spot. And ask those feedback questions. Yes, you can definitely send a survey out, and they can fill it out. And you know, they're probably will be a bit more honest in that sense. So if you do you want to do that, by all means you are going to get some really honest feedback, so be prepared for that. But I would just try and have that honest conversation before they do leave. Because you're gonna get the answers, they're gonna feel hurt. People really want to feel heard, the reason they go and gossip or they go and put a post up somewhere, or whatever it may be, is because they didn't feel heard, and they want the world to hear them. But if you have made them feel heard, there's a very high chance you're going to prevent that, that problem. And, you know, maybe you can take on that feedback, maybe it's something as an employee that you should take note of to improve for the next employee as well. So yeah, just that honest conversation, I can't stress how much that will prevent nearly all of your problems for the future and the off boarding process.
Donna 21:24
Yeah, absolutely. And I think to the honest conversations need to happen throughout the whole journey, not just at the end, you know, like throughout the whole journey when they're coming on board. If there's difficult conversations that you need to have, that things haven't been done in the way that you wanted them to be done, or you've, you know, as a leader, what you walk past will continue. So you have to address that. And something that you said earlier really resonated for me, and I have a sort of a similar saying is that you are the keeper of your culture. And that's really important as the business owner is to make sure that at all times, you're really holding strong to what your core business values are, and making sure that they are demonstrated through the behaviors of yourself as the leader and also the employees. And those conversations need to be had in the moments that they need to be had rather than ignoring the whole problem and then ended up ending up with like a bigger problem than you started off with. So yeah, I love that you mentioned those honest conversations. So let's just do a quick recap. So we spoke about the hurdles that business owners quite often have, when knowing to take like how to take that leap, you spoke to us about the first thing that you need to do, which is Get really clear about your business profile. And then create your position descriptions, making sure it's aligned with your business values. We talked about, you know, getting familiar with employment laws and understanding the award and how to keep up to date with those things. And then of course offboarding as well. Is there anything that you feel we haven't maybe talked about today that you would really like to you know, to share?
Sarah 23:07
Yeah, look, I think one tip that will really help anybody listening to this that has to create a job ad is as business owners when we we've quite often created the job description and then go to write the job ad. However in that job description, we're being very clear and defined in what we want and we don't really want that language to transfer to the job ad so when you go from one step to the next really try and make that ad in such a happy positive language versus we need to see we expect you really want to reward that into yes you're going to have clear boundaries no doubt about it. But if you want those applications to come in be really positive have what the job expectations are but also have a little bit about you and the company and and what they get out of it as the potential employee but wording is just really particularly with that if you can have it in a positive manner definitely don't go in there with too many harsh words in the job ad.
Donna 24:13
Okay, so you've given us some really great insights here today and I can't I cannot wait cannot cannot wait for you to present inside of the soaring to success membership for the ladies who are members there because if you've given this on the podcast, I can only imagine that the masterclass is going to be next level amazing so that's super exciting. If people want to reach out to you for some more support or to understand more about the services that you offer how can they get in touch with you
Sarah 24:39
yeah look we I'm all over social media so I web solutions or my personal which is Sarah Jane Miko everywhere we are. website, Facebook, LinkedIn, tick tock even spread across the world. But feel free to just message and it will come back to me I'll be able to see that and reach out and we can have a chat I'm always down to help any business owners that just need advice and want to help or have a coffee or anything like that as well.
Donna 25:06
Amazing. Well, thank you so much, Sarah. It's been a pleasure chatting to you, and I can't wait to see what else you've got in store for us really soon. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of The she's in business podcast. Make sure you hit follow so that you are the first to know as soon as a new episode drops. And if you really want to deliver me smiles, send me a DM find me on Instagram at Donna Han underscore coach and tell me what you loved most about this episode. Also, feel free to let me know what topics you need to learn more about if you are a regional businesswoman, ready to rise and soar towards success. I'll see you back here next week for another episode.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
