Small Business Matters
The People Side of Small Business: Hiring, Retaining & Leading Great Employees with Cindi Filer
Your people may be your biggest expense—but they can also be your biggest competitive advantage. For small business owners, finding the right people is only half the battle. The real challenge is building a workplace where talented employees want to stay, grow, and do their best work. In this episode of Small Business Matters, Tim Fulton and Taylor Fulton talk with Cindi Filer, a veteran HR and recruiting expert with nearly 40 years of experience helping businesses find, develop, and retain talented professionals. Cindi shares hard-earned insights on what has—and hasn't—changed in hiring, why small businesses need to rethink how they attract talent, and why your ability to retain great employees may matter more than ever in a tight labor market. She also explains how technology, AI, and changing workforce expectations are reshaping recruiting, why flexibility has become such an important retention tool, and what small business leaders can do to create a culture where great employees want to stay. You'll hear answers to questions like: • Why is the "people side" of business so important to small businesses? • Why isn't simply hiring the right person enough? • What's changed most about recruiting over the past 30 years? • How has AI and recruiting technology changed the hiring process? • What does today's labor market really mean for small businesses? • How should businesses prepare for Baby Boomers leaving the workforce? • What role will AI, outsourcing and Gen Z play in the future of work? If you're responsible for hiring, leading or retaining a team, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Highlights [4:06] What does Cindi do that matters to small businesses? [5:11] How did a degree in mathematical economics lead to a career in HR? [7:32] What prompted Cindi to become an entrepreneur and start Innovative Outsourcing? [9:47] What does her company's expanded HR service offer? [11:24] What's changed most about hiring over the past 30+ years? [15:54] How have COVID, technology, and virtual recruiting changed the industry? [18:39] How would Cindy characterize today's labor market for small businesses? [22:04] How are forward-thinking businesses preparing for Baby Boomers leaving the workforce? [25:55] What are companies doing right—and wrong—when it comes to retaining and engaging employees? [27:52] Why is flexibility becoming so important to attracting and keeping great employees? [35:16] Rapid Fire [38:39] Contact Information [39:06] Takeaways [41:07] SBM News About Cindi Filer Cindi Filer is an entrepreneur, HR expert, and recruiting professional with nearly 40 years of experience helping companies attract, develop, and retain talented professionals. She founded Innovative Outsourcing in 1995 and has grown the company from a part-time staffing solution into a broader recruiting and HR services firm. Cindi specializes in helping small businesses hire well, strengthen their workplace cultures, and become better employers. She is also passionate about creating flexible work opportunities for talented professionals, particularly part-time parents. Contact Information Innovative-outsourcing.com
