Small businesses are definitely the growth engine for the United States. What will help us escape the lingering effects of the recession will be fast-growing businesses that need to hire new employees. While most small businesses are still struggling to get back to pre-recession levels, there are certain service businesses beating the odds and starting to heat up and hire more. CNNMoney.com did a recent article to highlight eight fast-growing small businesses which have been hiring new employees the past year. These owners and companies give us all hope and inspiration.

Of the 8 businesses profiled by CNNMoney.com, 2 of these fast-growing businesses happen to be Growth Coach clients. We are very proud of these clients and the Growth Coach franchise owners/coaches that helped these clients achieve breakthrough success using our proven and guaranteed business coaching process. Tim Shepelak served Home Helpers and Mike Ehrler served Acadia. Both stories are told below.

As the President and Founder of The Growth Coach franchise system, I am proud of the positive impact our business coaches are having throughout North America by helping small business owners to achieve greater success, fulfillment and balance. That’s our vital mission. When such small businesses become more successful, stable and grow, they in turn end up retaining more and hiring more employees … as a result, they make a difference in such a way that entire community benefits. That’s very gratifying and fulfilling to me and our business coaches.

Having recently congratulated both John Squires (Home Helpers) and Marge Murphy (Acadia Lead Management Services) on their national publicity and successful growth, both owners were very gracious, humble, and quick to point out how much The Growth Coach process helped them to elevate their mindsets, leadership, skillsets, habits, and business systems in order to create the foundation for such robust growth, sustained success, and the need to hire more employees. No doubt about it, both these owners were fully responsible for their superior results, we merely functioned as their GPS System, helping to keep them and their businesses on track. We simply help our clients achieve greater clarity, confidence, and capabilities as well as make quicker course-corrections, when necessary.

Small businesses that are actually hiring!

Congress has been under fire to pass legislation to help Main Street. Even though many small businesses are struggling, here is a handful of companies that are growing.

Home Helpers and Direct Link


Home Helpers’ president, John Squires, and his wife.
Location: Media, Penn.
Employees hired in last year: 50 caregivers, 3 managers
Total Employees: 175 caregivers, 12 managers

Aging baby boomers have become a booming business for John Squires. In his area of Pennsylvania, more than 20% of the population is over 65. “The growth of our business really comes from a reputation, but it also comes from the fact that people don’t know where to turn,” Squires said. He has 175 non-medical, companion caregivers working for him, and a staff of 12 to manage employee and client schedules. He is hiring and looking to open a second office.

While aging boomers don’t necessarily need — or want — to move into assisted living centers, many need help getting to the doctor’s office, making dinner and remembering to take medications. And the “sandwich generation” — those adults taking care of both their parents and their children — can’t do it alone. Home Helpers also accommodates in-home care of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

CNNMoneyRead on CNNMoney.com

Acadia Lead Management Services


The management team of Acadia Lead Management Services.
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Employees hired in last year: 2 full time, 8 consultants
Total Employees: 6 full time, 35 consultants

Time is money, and Marge Murphy has built her company on the idea that hiring her will save businesses both. In the last year, she hired 2 full-time employees and 8 consultants. Murphy hopes to double her business in the next 3 years. What Acadia does is follows up on any type of leads a company may get, and finds the contacts that might turn the leads into sales. “The economy and the downturn — it has actually been an upturn for us, because we can help people find clients,” said Murphy, owner of Acadia based in Dayton, Ohio.

For example, when a company goes to a trade show, it leaves with a bowl full of business cards. Murphy and her team will go through the cards, call each contact and gauge their level of interest. Then they provide the company with a list of which sales leads are “hot,” so it can focus its energy — and dollars — efficiently. “Companies can bring us in when they need us,” she said. “We do the behind the scenes work.”

CNNMoneyRead on CNNMoney.com

I am proud of both of these Growth Coach clients and their dedication to their on-going growth and development. As I always say, a business will not grow unless the owner grows. Both of these owners chose to grow themselves and their businesses by investing in on-going coaching and accountability with The Growth Coach.