3 weeks of vacation at 10 years is nothing, FYI. A lot of places start people at 3 weeks these days or they do unlimited. I’d suggest reconsidering adding more vacation at these milestones. Alternatives could be profit-sharing or equity or significant raises.
All that really matters is how much you want to keep him, and how likely it is that he can find better elsewhere. Have you not been giving him an annual raise? Why is he calculating a 10% raise over multiple years? If you haven’t been giving annual raises, and considering recent inflation, it’s possible that you’ve fallen significantly behind the market for his role. It seems like a big jump but you haven’t provided enough info to definitely say it’s unreasonable.
I’m not sure but I’d double check with an employment lawyer that having your contractors use a time clock doesn’t blur the lines between employee and contractor. Having full control over their schedule is one of tests for determining if they are being classified correctly.
As soon as possible. Why waste your time or theirs when you know this is a key element of whether they are the right fit or not. Compensation and job expectations should be given as early and as transparently as possible.
Fellow introvert here. I’d recommend putting systems in place that work to your strengths. You don’t like calling people back? Switch to email. Or hire someone to do your customer service. Build a quote building tool into your website. Don’t miss out on potential work because you don’t want to talk to people.
I used to think I hate sales, but I realized I really just hate pushy sales tactics. I love just talking to people and finding solutions to their problems. If they work with me great. If they go in a different direction, also fine. I can feel good about the way i do my sales calls now, and I dont find them nearly as exhausting. Find systems that work for your style. Don’t keep trying to do stuff the way you think they’re supposed to be done. You’ll be much less likely to burn out this way.
Good luck!
My advice would be to not try to do everything yourself. You are an expert at what you do, or at least you will soon become one. It isn’t a smart use of your time or talents to be fiddling around trying to build your own website, write your own content, do all your own marketing, AND try to run your spa.
Many business owners make that mistake and rhey waste a lot of time and money, when they could’ve outsourced to someone with a lot more knowledge and experience, got the job done faster and at a professional level, and they instead make their brand look very amateur and half-assed. After the initial buzz wears off, customer flow starts to slow down and they begin a cycle of quick fixes and band-aids to paper over the mess they aren’t even aware they’ve made.
You cannot do everything yourself. And you cannot make money without spending some.
Imagine if we had an actual social safety net, so firing someone didn’t mean putting them in such a potentially dire situation. That’s why you feel guilty. You know that this person will now be at far greater risk of losing their home, having medical bills they can’t afford, and many other things that honestly shouldn’t be a consequence of losing your job. Remember this feeling and vote for policies that take care of working people, so that firing someone doesn’t mean royally screwing them.
What’s your business?
Posters are an advertising method that increases awareness. It should be part of a larger marketing plan. They can be very effective for businesses with a physical location like a bar or restaurant, placed where people would come across your poster/sign and decide to stop in on an impulse. If you’re just starting out and you have a physical location, posters can be a good way of letting people know you exist.
But consider that it’s difficult to track results from a poster campaign. You could use a QR code with tracking to see if people are engaging.
If you/your drivers are contractors that set their own rate, why the whining about tips? They literally decide what they want to get paid for the jobs they take.
I’m a service provider. I set my own rates. My clients would laugh in my face if I then expected a tip on top. Just be honest about the damn price and stop playing games about tips that are supposed to be discretionary but are actually a required fee. No one is shorting you by not paying you more than you asked them to pay.
My experience hiring writers on Fiverr and Upwork was pretty bad. I don’t like writing, but everyone I tried to work with charged a lot and gave me very basic stuff that I could’ve written myself. I had better luck connecting with local freelancers through LinkedIn or their own websites.
No matter where you find someone, expect to have to try a few before you find someone whose style is a good fit for you and who produces good results consistently.
Training. You’ve got a motivated and engaged employee willing to go the extra mile for you. You pinpoint where her skills are weak, and you develop her. You give her honest feedback about where she’s screwing up, narrow her job duties, and ask her to stick to her defined duties until you feel she has mastered them. As she masters skills, gradually add more responsibilities.
This is a management failure. Stop letting her run around like a bull in a China closet and manage her. If you find that she doesn’t want to be trained or managed, and she may not since you’ve let it go on for so long, you may have to let her go.