Ep: 35 - Stop Settling: How Great Companies Find Great People

Why Hiring Feels Impossible (and the Surprisingly Simple Fix) | Conner Klassen on Home Service HiringThe host of Locally Owned interviews Conner Klassen, founder of Home Service Hiring, about why local business owners struggle to find and keep good employees. Drawing from his upbringing in a family window-cleaning business and a year of 100% turnover, Conner argues the core issue isn’t a lack of good people but insufficient applicant volume and weak screening. He explains that hiring is sales—selling opportunity—and shares how social media ads can generate hundreds of applicants, shifting owners from desperation to selection. He emphasizes reputation and how businesses treat people, plus a vetting rule of “multiple people, multiple channels, multiple days” to uncover red flags early. Conner also shares lessons from repeated sales failures, outlines how his company screens applicants and provides a 45-day good-fit guarantee, and offers his book The Ten Hiring Sins.00:00 Hiring Myth Busted01:06 Meet Conner Klassen04:17 Turnover Wake Up Call07:20 Genius With 1000 Hands09:18 Recruiting Is Volume12:12 Good People Are Rare15:30 Define Your Ideal Hire17:23 Social Ads For Applicants20:20 Sales Nos To Lessons27:59 Reputation Recruits Talent32:08 Multiple People Days Channels36:31 Pre Interview Screening39:21 Gold Refining Analogy40:47 Boredom Needs Challenge44:57 Mentor Challenge Accepted47:45 Learning Facebook Ads50:01 From Skill to Business52:47 Courage Over Readiness55:14 Beyond Indeed Recruiting58:29 Weeding and Shortlists01:01:46 Good Fit Guarantee01:04:39 How to Work Together01:06:56 Host Closing ReflectionsConnect with Conner:Home Service Hiringhttps://homeservicehiring.comNeed help figuring out the next stage of leadership in your business?If you've reached the point where you know more of the same isn't the answer, but you're not sure whether you need an office manager, operations manager, salesperson, or something else entirely, let's talk. Click the "Let's Talk" link in the show notes and schedule a conversation. I'd love to help you identify the next step toward building a business that can grow beyond you.Let's Talk:https://calendly.com/dpastor-streetsmartentrepreneurship/discovery