A business owner called me last month, frustrated.
“I’ve had a job posting up for 60 days. Three people applied. One didn’t show up to the interview. One wanted $30 an hour with zero experience. The third lasted two weeks before quitting.”
Sound familiar?
Every service business owner I talk to says the same thing: “I can’t find good people.” Whether you’re running a restoration company, law firm, or accounting practice, the hiring struggle is real.
But here’s what most business owners don’t realize. The good people ARE out there. They’re just choosing to work for your competitor down the street.
Why? Because your competitor has something you don’t. And it’s not higher pay.
In this article, I’ll show you what actually attracts top talent to a business, why most companies are invisible to their best candidates, and how becoming the “employer of choice” in your market solves your hiring problem permanently while boosting every area of your profit.
The Real Problem Isn’t the Labor Shortage
Yes, the labor market is tight. Yes, fewer people are entering certain professions. And yes, younger workers have different expectations than previous generations.
But those aren’t the reasons you can’t hire quality people.
The real reason? Your business has no employer brand. No clear message about why someone should choose to work for you instead of the 20 other companies in your market doing the exact same thing.
Think about it from a job seeker’s perspective. They search “restoration technician jobs near me” or “legal assistant positions” and see 15 nearly identical job postings:
- Competitive pay
- Great benefits
- Growing company
- Team environment
Boring. Generic. Forgettable.
There’s nothing that makes your opportunity different, better, or more appealing than anyone else’s. So the best candidates (the ones who have options) don’t even apply. They go to the one company that actually stands out.
What Top Talent Actually Wants (It’s Not What You Think)
Most business owners assume hiring is about money. “If I paid more, I’d get better people.”
Sometimes that’s true. But usually it’s not.
Here’s what actually matters to high-quality candidates:
Work-life balance. The number one factor for most employees today. They want a life outside of work. Flexibility, reasonable hours, and respect for their personal time matter more than an extra $2 per hour.
Growth opportunity. Top performers want to get better at their craft. They want training, mentorship, and a clear path forward. Dead-end jobs attract dead-end employees.
Company reputation. People want to be proud of where they work. They want to tell their friends and family about their employer without feeling embarrassed. Your reputation in the community matters.
Respect and recognition. High performers want to feel valued. They want leadership that listens, appreciates their contributions, and treats them like professionals, not disposable labor.
Alignment with values. This is the one most business owners miss. Employees want to work for a company that stands for something beyond just making money. Purpose matters.
When you offer these things and communicate them clearly, you don’t have to beg people to apply. They come to you.
How Hiring Problems Destroy Every Area of Your Profit
Before we talk about the solution, let’s be clear about what this hiring struggle is actually costing you.
Most business owners think of hiring as an HR problem. It’s not. It’s a profit problem that shows up in all seven areas of your business growth:
Lead Generation: You can’t generate more leads if you don’t have capacity to serve them. Turning down opportunities because you’re short-staffed means lost revenue.
Conversion Rate: When you’re stretched thin, your response time suffers. Studies show responding to a lead within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes increases conversion by 400%. But you can’t respond quickly when you’re doing everything yourself.
Closing Rate: High-quality staff build trust with prospects. When customers sense you’re overwhelmed or understaffed, they worry about service quality and go elsewhere.
Average Transaction Value: Skilled employees can upsell, cross-sell, and deliver premium services that command higher prices. Untrained staff or constant turnover means you’re stuck with basic, low-margin work.
Transaction Frequency: Satisfied customers come back. But when staff turnover creates inconsistent service, customers don’t return. You lose the repeat business that drives sustainable profit.
Strategic Partnerships: Other businesses won’t refer clients to you if they’re worried about your capacity or quality. Your reputation among referral partners depends on having reliable staff.
Cost Management: This is the killer. Recruiting costs, training costs, mistakes from inexperienced staff, and lost productivity from constant turnover can destroy your profit margins. Some studies suggest replacing an employee costs 2-3 times their annual salary when you factor in all the hidden costs.
Bottom line: You can’t grow profit without good people. Period.
The Solution: Position of Market Dominance
Here’s the framework that solves this problem: Position of Market Dominance.
It’s a carefully crafted message that differentiates your business in the eyes of current and potential employees in a way that makes you the logical and obvious “employer of choice” in your industry and geographic area.
A Position of Market Dominance has a specific structure, a one-two punch:
- It must address the most pressing issue or concern prospective employees have with your industry and other employers.
- Then it must offer a clear and compelling solution to that issue or concern.
Let me show you what this looks like in practice.
Example 1: Accounting Firm
Most accounting firms struggle to hire and retain quality accountants. Why? Because the industry has a reputation for brutal hours, especially during tax season. Seventy-hour weeks, high stress, no work-life balance.
What if an accounting firm recognized this and created a Position of Market Dominance like this:
“Can’t Face the Long Hours and High Stress of Yet Another Tax Season?
At Acme Accounting, Work from Home, Get Half-Day Fridays…
Not Only During Tax Season But All Year Long!”
Imagine how this message would be received by accountants at other firms who are expected to work 70+ hour weeks and commute to an office. The reaction would be immediate and positive.
This firm just became the employer of choice. Not because they pay more. Because they solved the biggest pain point in the industry.
Example 2: Restoration Company
Restoration work (fire, water, mold damage) is physically demanding. Technicians work long hours, often on-call for emergencies, and deal with stressful situations. Many companies treat technicians as disposable labor.
What if a restoration company positioned itself differently:
“Tired of Being Treated Like a Number?
Join a Restoration Company That Invests in Your Skills, Respects Your Time, and Pays for Your Certifications.”
Suddenly, this company stands out. Top technicians who are burned out at other companies will apply here because the message speaks directly to their frustration and offers a clear alternative.
Example 3: Law Firm
Law firms have a notorious reputation for overworking associates and paralegals. The industry expects 60+ hour weeks, weekend work, and constant availability. This is especially hard for working parents.
What if a law firm created this Position of Market Dominance:
“Want a Legal Career That Doesn’t Require Sacrificing Your Family?
Flexible Schedules, Remote Options, and No Weekend Expectations. Period.”
This firm just became the most attractive employer for experienced legal professionals who have young children or want a life outside of work.
How to Create Your Position of Market Dominance
Creating your employer Position of Market Dominance requires understanding what frustrates potential employees in your industry.
Start by having conversations with your current team, past employees, and even candidates who turned down offers or left after a short time. Ask them:
- What frustrates you most about working in this industry?
- What do other employers in this field do that drives you crazy?
- What would make a company the obvious choice for you?
- What benefits or perks matter more than money?
The answers will reveal patterns. Common themes will emerge. Those themes become the foundation of your Position of Market Dominance.
Then, and this is critical, you need to actually DELIVER on what you promise. You may need to innovate, change policies, or invest in new benefits to offer a clear and compelling solution to the issue you’ve identified.
If you’re not willing to do that, don’t create a Position of Market Dominance. Empty promises will backfire and destroy your reputation faster than saying nothing at all.
But when you DO create an authentic Position of Market Dominance and deliver on it, several things happen:
Lower recruiting costs. You spend less money on job ads because candidates come to you.
Easier to hire top talent. The best people apply instead of settling for whoever shows up.
Higher employee referrals. Your current team refers their skilled friends because they’re proud of where they work.
Better retention. People don’t leave great employers, so turnover drops and profit increases.
Enhanced reputation. Word spreads in your industry that you’re the place to work, which strengthens your brand with customers too.
Position of Market Dominance Affects Customer Acquisition Too
Here’s the bonus most business owners don’t expect: Your employer brand affects customer perception.
Customers notice when employees are happy, engaged, and proud of where they work. They also notice when employees are burned out, disengaged, or complaining.
Unhappy employees negatively impact the customer experience. They provide worse service, make more mistakes, and create a negative atmosphere that customers can feel.
When you become the employer of choice in your market, your employees become ambassadors for your business. They speak positively about your company to friends, family, and customers. They deliver better service because they’re invested in your success.
This creates a powerful flywheel:
- Better employer brand attracts better employees
- Better employees deliver better customer experiences
- Better customer experiences build stronger reputation
- Stronger reputation attracts more top talent
The business that wins the talent war wins the market.
The Bottom Line
If you’re stuck in the endless cycle of “I can’t find good people,” it’s time to stop blaming the labor market and start looking at your employer positioning.
The best candidates ARE out there. They’re just not choosing you. And it’s not about pay. It’s about whether your business stands for something meaningful in the eyes of potential employees.
Develop a clear Position of Market Dominance that addresses the biggest frustrations in your industry and offers a compelling alternative. Then deliver on that promise consistently.
Do that, and you’ll transform from a company that begs people to apply into the employer everyone wants to work for.
Want to Uncover Hidden Profit Opportunities in Your Business?
I’m currently interviewing service business owners across multiple industries for the second edition of my book on profit strategies. During these 45-minute conversations, we identify hidden opportunities that most businesses miss, including how your market positioning affects every area of profit, from hiring to pricing to customer retention.
These aren’t sales calls. They’re research conversations where I share concepts from the Pathway to Profit framework and get your perspective on what’s working and what’s broken in your industry.
If you’d like to be interviewed and receive a complimentary copy of the book when published, schedule here: https://mediaaceadvisors.com/contact/
There’s no cost, no pitch, just a strategic conversation about growth.
About the Author:
I’m Ryan Herrst with Media Ace Advisors. I help service business owners (annual revenue $250K-$3M, 10 or fewer employees) identify hidden profit opportunities and create clear pathways to growth. My approach focuses on systematic improvements across all seven profit levers, including the often-overlooked connection between employer positioning and business profitability.