FEELING THE URGE TO HIRE? Save Money by Trying These 3 Things First Hiring is one of the most exciting parts of entrepreneurship. It feels like proof that your business is thriving and moving toward its goals. In theory, every new hire will help your company grow and bring in more revenue — but that doesn’t always play out. The truth is that new hires are expensive. According to a 2016 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, it takes $4,129 and 42 days on average to bring in a new hire! Our job market right now is even tighter. Companies can also waste money by hiring the wrong people or hiring at the wrong time (ex. when they can’t afford to or could boost revenue elsewhere). If you’re getting the itch to hire right now, consider these three other ways to tighten your ship first. 1. Incentivize efficiency in your current team. In last month’s newsletter, we explained how to keep great employees: Overpay them, offer them lots of vacation time, and treat them the way you would want to be treated. Those things also work as incentives! Try them and your team will stick with you and perform well. You can also set goals with built-in rewards that are tied to key performance indicators (KPIs) for each team member, and create a system that benefits high performers. 2. Upgrade your problem customers. Every business has ball-and-chain customers. These people are high- maintenance or low-margin and suck up time, money, and energy. To propel your company forward, do what you can to upgrade these problem customers. If they refuse, your company will be lighter without them, and if they accept, you’ll be in a better financial position to hire. 3. Streamline your offerings. If a restaurant has Italian, Chinese, and Mexican food on the menu, you should probably head for the hills. Why? Well, because when you try to do too many things, you can’t do any of them well. The same is true for your business. If you have dozens of products and services, you can benefit from reducing them to the ones you’re truly excellent at. Your company will stand out from the crowd, and you’ll increase your efficiency.
One upside to spending more than a year at home was that many people donned their aprons, learned new recipes and techniques, and began cooking meals regularly in their own kitchens. Even as restaurants reopen, over 70% of Americans say they’ll keep their new habit of cooking at home because it’s healthier and cheaper. That said, the average American can only whip up about five meals without a recipe at hand, and many people cook and eat the same types of protein and vegetables over and over. One easy way to avoid boredom is to keep your main staples but diversify your sauce routine! When in doubt, learn one creamy sauce and one herb- or citrus-based sauce. Here are a few examples that work particularly well for chicken, America’s favorite animal protein. These can be used with your other favorite meats and your favorite vegetable preparations, as well! 5-Minute Honey Mustard Sauce To avoid hearing “chicken again?!” add this honey mustard sauce from PinchOfYum.com to your repertoire. Simply whisk together 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp white vinegar, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper for a delicious topper for all meats. Simple Lemon Herb Sauce Want a lighter, healthier option? Go for an oil-and-herb sauce like FoodNetwork.com’s “Chicken With a Lemon Herb Sauce.” In a blender or food processor, add 1 peeled clove of garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup freshly chopped herbs of your choice (they recommend a mix of parsley and mint), 1 1/2 tsp ground pepper, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, and 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Pulse all ingredients together until well mixed and the herbs and garlic are coarsely chopped. Quick Miso Maple Sauce This umami-filled sauce from Kitchn.com brings a lot of flavor with just three simple ingredients: 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and 1/4 cup miso paste. That’s it! Whisk the ingredients together and pour over oven-roasted, pan-seared, or grilled chicken and serve. These three sauces are a great place to start, but if you find yourself uninspired in the kitchen, just look up “simple sauces” online and the protein or vegetable you’re preparing. The internet will come to the rescue every time! CookWith the Same Ingredients Without Getting Bored THE SECRET SAUCE
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