STOP Being Shocked When Your Best Tech Quits

Be ready when your top tech quits. Learn how to build a steady pipeline of future employees so you never panic-hire or get held hostage by staffing gaps again.

When I beg industry entrepreneurs to make “recruiting” Career Candidates a never-ending, ongoing process I can’t tell you how many times I hear the same sad refrain…

“Oh, Steve, I’m done with hiring. I’ve finally found the perfect team!” 👍 Or…

“I’ve found the BEST young tech ever! And even better, Steve? Billy says he’s going to work for me till he hits retirement age!”

Ummmm, sure.🙄 How does the old saying go? “Ignorance is bliss?” So, if fooling yourself makes you feel good… go for it! However…

Here’s the hard truth every residential services business owner eventually learns:

Even your very best people will leave! And no, their departure doesn’t make them “bad”, disloyal or ungrateful. Instead...

Life happens. Parents get sick. A spouse gets transferred. A better opportunity falls in their lap. Sometimes people just need (or want) something different. The danger for you? 😯

☠️ You get comfortable. You stop recruiting. You assume today’s team of all-stars will still be with you tomorrow, next month, next year.

And then, probably sooner rather than later, your happy-go-lucky, foolish lying to yourself (because that’s what it is) collapses! And you get totally blindsided.

QUESTION: Do you want to achieve the elusive Personal Freedom in our labor-heavy residential services industry?

ANSWER: Then ongoing hiring and constant recruiting can’t be a one-time fix—it MUST become a lifestyle that is embedded in your company’s culture!

I know, I know, you can stay a solo “Lone Wolf” long term. And done properly (most don’t) an owner-operated company can be a valid business model. However...

“Staying small” comes with its own headaches, burnout, and income limits. Here’s the mindset shift that changed everything for me:

Just like you never, ever stop marketing for new clients, you must constantly market for future employee “Career Candidates”.

Not just when you’re desperate. Not when someone quits without notice. Instead, you must recruit constantly. Every. Single. Week.

Because when you “marry” (hire) the right people, your business (and life) runs like an exciting and fun dream. Life is great! Get married to a wrong employee? Every day feels like walking on Legos barefoot!😨

Here’s how to get proactive now instead of panicking when your best tech hands in their keys:

💡1. Recruit constantly—even when you’re fully staffed.

Don’t wait until you’re drowning. Keep recruiting visible, active, and especially top-of-mind in all your employees’ minds. The best hires usually show up when you don’t need them at that moment.

2. Never fall into the trap of Desperation Hiring.

When you’re short-staffed, that warm body suddenly looks amazing. Three weeks later you’re thinking, “What was I thinking?” The answer? You weren’t! Drowning people will grab at any twig!

ProTIP: Your goal is to hire slow and smart, not fast and painful. (Don’t ask me how I learned this one!) 🙄

3. Build a bullpen of part-time and on-call Employees in Waiting.

Some of my best hires already had great jobs. They weren’t even looking for work—we had to recruit (OK, poach!) them.

4. Offer a job that’s truly a step up. 👍👍

Your future employees won’t wait around for a position in your company unless your opportunity is waaaaaaaaaay better than where they’re working now! That means you must provide:

• An amazing culture and a family-focused atmosphere

• A clear growth path

• Consistent hours

• Real training opportunities

• A boss who treats people like humans (This one may be a challenge for you- it was for me!

💡 ProTIP: If you want the Very Best People, you must offer them a real career at a Very Best Company.

5. Identify and then romance 💖 your top Career Candidates.

Your best tech, CSR, and managerial candidates have options everywhere—from working at UPS to construction gigs to any office job in town. If you want to keep them, you need to constantly earn their loyalty.

Don’t worry— at HomeFrontSuccess.com we’ve got incredible resources to transform your company into the kind of place top talent fights to join… and to build a career with!

BONUS IDEA: A Hidden Opportunity in Today’s Layoffs

The upside of today’s tough economic times? There are A-players out there—laid off through no fault of their own—who are READY for a fresh career in an exciting industry with unlimited potential. NOTE: See how I’m romancing you? 😁

This is the perfect time to replace your marginal workers with people who actually want to build a future… with YOUR Very Best Company!

Steve’s Bottom Line

If you don’t want to be “held hostage” every time a great employee quits (or threatens to), you need a recruiting machine that runs nonstop.

The residential service companies winning right now are the ones who treat recruiting like marketing— 1) consistent, 2) intentional, and 3) always happening.

Make sure you’re never caught blindsided again by building your pipeline of future employees today. And yes, at Home Front Success we’d LOVE to help you!