Why it matters: In a tight hiring market, top candidates disappear fast... sometimes within days. Small businesses can win by acting quickly and tapping into local networks. The advantage: Local employers can decide faster, offer flexibility, and connect with candidates on a personal level. How to do it: Post jobs where your community gathers, partner with schools, and reward employee referrals. Don’t stop at hiring: Recognize contributions, offer skill growth, and create a workplace people want to stay in. The bottom line: Speed + relationships = a strong, loyal team in any labor market. When the job market tightens, the best candidates disappear fast, sometimes in days, or hours. You might see a great résumé come in on Monday and find out by Wednesday they’ve already accepted another offer. In a market like that, slow hiring isn’t just risky — it’s a dealbreaker. The advantage for small, owner-operated businesses? You can move quicker, decide faster, and connect with people in a way big companies often can’t. You’re not just offering a job; you’re offering a place where someone can belong. The Current Local Hiring Landscape Right now, almost every “Help Wanted” sign in town is competing for the same small group of job seekers. Large employers might have fancier recruitment ads, but they also have layers of approval and corporate processes that slow things down. Local businesses can spot a great fit and make an offer in days instead of weeks. That speed, paired with a personal, community-focused culture, can tip the scales in your favor. Where to Source Candidates Locally The best hires aren’t always scrolling national job boards. They might be the student you meet at a Chamber mixer, the barista who remembers your order, or the neighbor whose cousin is looking for work. Go where people already gather: coffee shop bulletin boards, community Facebook groups, Chamber events. Build real relationships with local schools and training programs so you’re top of mind when they have graduates ready to work. And don’t forget your team’s networks: a good employee referral can bring you someone who already shares your values. Retention Tips That Work for Small Teams Hiring fast is important, but keeping people takes steady attention. Flexibility is one of the biggest advantages you can offer — whether that’s letting a parent leave early for a school event or working around a student’s class schedule. Small, thoughtful gestures like public thank-yous, a shared lunch, or a local gift card can make people feel seen and appreciated. And when you cross-train employees, you’re not just filling skill gaps — you’re showing them they have a future with you. A Local Case Study Consider a local retailer who hired a high school senior for weekend shifts. She could have been just another seasonal hire, but the owner saw potential and trained her in inventory, merchandising, and customer service. Within a year, she was running weekend operations and turning down offers from bigger stores. All because the owner acted quickly and invested early. Quick-Start Checklist for This Month Post your job in at least three local spots. Reach out to a school or training program. Refresh and promote your referral bonus. Plan one new way to recognize your team. Tell people you’re hiring at your next Chamber event. The Bottom Line When talent is scarce, every day matters. Small businesses that know where to look, move quickly, and create a place people want to stay will come out ahead. It’s not just about filling jobs — it’s about building a team that grows with you and strengthens the community along the way. Read More: 5 Professional Development Practices That Will Elevate Your Team's Success From Conflict to Collaboration: Turning Workplace Disputes into Growth Opportunities The Power of 'Entry Interviews' and 'Stay Interviews': Tips from Adam Grant Recognition is Free- But it Might be the Most Valuable Investment You make Rock Stars vs. Superstars: Who's Fueling Your Team's Future? --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.

If the thought of “tracking KPIs” makes your eyes glaze over, you’re not alone. For many small business owners, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) sound like something reserved for corporations with big budgets, bigger teams, and even bigger Excel spreadsheets. Who wants the hassle? But here’s the truth: KPIs are just numbers that tell a story and if you’re not paying attention to them, you’re running your business with the lights off. The good news? You don’t need 47 dashboards or a data analyst to track the KPIs that matter. You just need to choose a few that tell you whether you’re growing, stalling, or unknowingly throwing money out the window. Consider this article a crash course on basic KPIs. KPIs You Should Be Tracking If you’re like most businesses that are just beginning their financial tracking and analysis you’re concentrating on two things—what did I make and how much did I spend? That’s a great start but it’s a lot more nuanced than that. If you’re ready to play in the big leagues but aren’t ready to hire your own analyst, here are 5 simple KPIs you should track (and you don’t need a business degree to do so): 1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) What it is: How much it costs you to get a new customer. Why it matters: If you’re spending $100 to get a $50 sale, that’s not marketing—it’s expensive gambling. How to track it: Divide your total marketing + sales costs by the number of new customers gained in that period. Example: $1,000 spent / 10 new customers = $100 CAC Pro tip: Keep an eye on every month. If it’s creeping up, your ads, outreach, or messaging may need a tweak. 2. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) What it is: The total revenue a single customer brings to your business over the course of your relationship with them. Why it matters: It’s not the first sale that makes you profitable—it’s the second, third, and fifteenth. How to track it: Average purchase value x number of purchases x average customer lifespan. When CLV > CAC = happy business owner. 3. Lead-to-Customer Conversion Rate What it is: The percentage of leads that turn into actual customers. Why it matters: Getting leads is great. Very exciting when someone shows interest in you but converting them is where the money happens. How to track it: (Number of new customers ÷ number of leads) x 100 Example: 10 customers ÷ 100 leads = 10% conversion rate Pro tip: If this number is low, your follow-up process or sales messaging might need work. 4. Revenue per Employee (or per Hour) What it is: A productivity metric that shows how efficient you or your team really are. It’s not about being busy, it’s about what you’re/they’re adding to the bottom line. Why it matters: Working hard is great but seeing results from that work is critical to your business’ success. For instance, imagine one employee having a laundry list of work accomplished over 40 hours but no sales to show for it or an employee working three hours and making the week’s sales number. Which employee is more valuable? How to track it: Total revenue ÷ number of employees (or hours worked, if you’re a solo act). This outcome calculates it in a general sense. If you want to figure out which employee is bringing in more revenue, you will have to create a system to assign sales to individual employees. Some PoS systems allow for codes, for instance, while most CRMs allow you to assign clients to salespeople. This calculation helps you see if you’re scaling well or just staying busy. 5. Churn Rate (a.k.a. Goodbye Rate) What it is: The percentage of customers who stop buying from you over a given period. Why it matters: A leaky bucket never fills, no matter how much water you pour in. How to track it: (Customers lost ÷ total customers at the start of the period) x 100 If this number is high, focus on customer experience, retention, and loyalty programs . Tracking Tips You don’t need to check these KPIs every day. Just set aside one hour a month to review them. Use a simple spreadsheet or dashboard, and ask: What’s improving? What’s declining? What actions should I take based on this? If you’re not sure what the trends mean, try plugging them into the AI of your choosing and ask it to run a basic analysis of the numbers and offer suggestions. KPIs aren’t just vanity metrics—they’re your early warning system, your gut check, and your business GPS. Track them consistently, and you’ll be more attuned to your businesses and where it’s headed. Further Reading: 6 Questions Every Smart Small Business Owner Asks Community-Led Growth: The Secret Sauce Smart Businesses Are Using to Scale Hospitality is the Hidden Edge: Why Emotional Connection Drives Customer Loyalty Think Bigger: How Systems Thinking Gives Small Business Owners a Smarter Edge -------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith