Every small business owner should feel confident in his or her ability to hire great team members. That’s a key part of running the business! But too many find themselves hiring people who seemed to say all the right things in the interview but just don’t fit the roles they were hired to fill.
The YOLO Principle by Rebecca Barnes-Hogg is an easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement guide for small business owners who need to find and hire top talent. In a refreshingly simple and entertaining way, Rebecca serves up seven bite-sized, easily digestible chapters full of insights, case studies, worksheets, and awful poetry that will cure your hiring headaches by teaching you how to:
- Unleash your inner artist to create a purple unicorn (ideal employee), so you can stop settling for Lazy Larry or Diva Debbie.
- Ask Insightful Interview™ questions to learn the truth about your candidates instead of relying on rehearsed answers.
- Keep the keys away from that employee who will drain you of every ounce of your time, energy, and sanity—and money too.
We asked Rebecca a few questions about the book and her journey as an author.
Rebecca on Working with SPARK Publications
I’ve seen way too many bad books, and I wanted my book to stand out as professional and high value. Without the SPARKlers, my book would have been lost in a sea of mediocrity.
What do people really need to know about this book?
Too many small businesses lack the financial capacity to hire an expert recruiter to help them. This book removes the financial barrier and gives them expert advice. I wrote it because I simply hated watching small businesses struggle to hire the people they needed to grow their businesses and increase their profits. I wanted to save every small business from costly hiring mistakes, constant turnover, and the stress of dealing with problem employees.
What surprises did you encounter on the road to writing and publishing the book?
The biggest surprise was how much people loved my awful rhymes and kept calling them poems. The other nice surprise was realizing that I had already written a large portion of the book. I’ve been blogging for about two years and had so much high-value content that only needed to be packaged with some other elements to create a great book.
What role did SPARK Publications play in publishing your book?
The SPARKlers were an awesome creative, design, and editorial team. The team was fun and easy to work with. They really are the geniuses who made my book come to life in a way I never imagined. I’m so proud of my book, and I can’t wait to write another one.
Do you have any advice for other authorpreneurs?
Writing a book is easier than you think. When you write about your passion and what makes you feel fulfilled and happy, the thoughts and ideas flow. Sometimes it’s hard to turn it off. Please stop believing you are not an author. You have valuable information to share, and a book is the perfect way to build your business or advance your career. I’m happy to share my experience and the resources and tools I used. Just reach out to me, and we’ll talk.
What’s next?
I have some great things in the works. Look for workshops on The YOLO Principle. I’m doing webinars and podcast interviews. The TYP (The YOLO Principle) Community is launching soon. It’s a cool online membership community for continuing support and additional resources like how to use social media to recruit, using an applicant tracking system, automating your recruiting for increased efficiency, and a lot more bad rhymes to keep things light and fun.