“One big family!” There are benefits to pulling from a pool of people you know when you’re first starting a new business venture. There’s also a lot of risks! What happens when you hire a sibling or a friend of a friend, and your expectations of their capabilities don’t line up? Mark Schneiders has accomplished the almost unimaginable - owning and managing a company where almost everyone is a first-degree connection or “once removed from the family”. Listen to this episode to hear his tips and tricks on this mastery!

Takeaways 

• “There is an entrepreneurial paranoia, you’re often taking risks… and we find ourselves pushing forward, doing what you have to win, to overcome, to adapt.”  
• As a business owner & leader, when you take ownership of problems and manage them the business takes off and breeds success.
• One of the best tools Mark employed is a culture Index. This helped him understand how his employees need to be motivated, led, talked to, and utilized. 
• Not every employee will think like you or work like you, and that’s a good thing. 
• Biggest challenges about recruiting and working with family members: especially early on it can feel like you never get a break - 24/7 spouse, kids, parents, siblings, house!
• Define your process and set your expectations. When you don't, chaos can creep in, and when your employees are your close friends and family, it can lead to friction.
• Mark’s advice: “Be honest... it’s more than okay to express yourself. It’s okay to say I don’t have the answer and I need your help.”

Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-schnieders-2739b2121/
• Website: https://www.stridemobility.net

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1fba44a7-752b-4ac0-a0a4-11ab25506ed5/ceo-confidential
• Apple Podcast - ‎https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ceo-confidential/id1197044116
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2v6qyhzcD7Mk2yqhyobnRy
• Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2VvY29uZmlkZW50aWFsLm5ldC9mZWVkLnhtbA
• Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/ceo-confidential
• YouTube - https://youtu.be/QUGbJg8ckCU