When I started my small business, I was committed to treating my employees well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an employee, I\u2019d worked for bosses who took their employees for granted, and I knew how de-motivating that could be. I knew that I didn\u2019t want to be that kind of boss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
If you want to build your small business, be committed to your employees. (Photo: reklamlar \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even more importantly, in a small business, your employees are<\/em> your business. Companies big and small have learned that when they focus time, attention and resources on their employees, their business thrives. But sometimes that message takes a while to get through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you are growing a business, everybody spends a lot time talking about financial performance but financial performance is just the byproduct of having great people,\u201d said Clint Carnell, CEO of a skin health company based in Long Beach, Calif., called HydraFacial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carnell credits much of the growth of his company, which counts celebrities including Taraji P. Henson and Cardi B among its clientele, to focusing on employees and building a vibrant corporate culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Culture has been the thing that we\u2019ve worked hardest to build,” said Carnell, who has also expanded the number of employees from 145 to about 450 since 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HydraFacial teamed up with the business magazine \u201cFast Company\u201d to launch \u201cGlimpse\u201d \u2014 a conference focusing on both employee and customer experience and satisfaction. Held in June in Las Vegas, Glimpse brought together some of the leaders in these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of them was Zappos, probably best known for their above-and-beyond customer service. But much of that customer-centric treatment actually comes from how they treat their employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cZappos is a customer service company that just happens to sell shoes and clothes,\u201d is the way the company’s Audrea Hopper puts it. Hopper described Zappos\u2019 core value to “Create Fun and a Little Weirdness\u201d and how that contributes to building a highly dedicated team. According to Hopper, a specially dedicated\u00a0\u201cFun-gineering\u201d team supports the personality of the brand by creating experiences for employees and consumers alike with a one-of-a-kind \u201conly Zappos would do that\u201d attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n