Like most new limousine owners you will wear multiple hats. You are the:

• Friendly voice booking reservations
• Prompt and courteous chauffeur
• Well connected sales professional
• Meticulous vehicle maintenance technician
• Penny pinching accountant
• Visionary CEO

A one-man show has little time for growth. Finding, training and retaining quality employees to fill each of the above roles should be your main focus. It is also every successful entrepreneur's path to enjoying more free time and income with each passing year.

There is a great book called The E Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber. The main theme of the book is; most entrepreneurs spend all of their time 'working in their business' instead of 'working on it'.

The key idea of the E Myth is to structure your business like a franchise that is going to be sold. This is done by creating detailed job descriptions, specific functions and easy to follow systems. Hiring is much easier when you know exactly the type of person you are looking for, what they will do each day and how to measure their performance.

In the end you have created a company that runs well even when you take time off. An added bonus, as each position is filled you move higher on the corporate ladder and are entitled to greater compensation.

Here are links to articles from LCT Magazine that will help you in your quest to hire a quality staff:

How to Hire Great Chauffeurs, Managers...and Keep Them by Eric Lassiter
How to Hire a Salesperson by Denise Kano
Hiring the Right Chauffeur by Jay Seidel
How To Find Quality Chauffeurs by Rebecca Christiansen
When Your Driver Becomes Your Competitor by Tom Mazza