My Employee Quit… Here’s What Happened

This past Wednesday I found out my employee was putting in his 2 weeks notice.

To be honest, it was a gut punch.

The timing felt terrible. We’re just stepping into the busy season, and even though I had already been thinking about hiring, I wasn’t planning on being forced into it quite this fast. For about 30 minutes, I just sat with it, prayed, and worked through that initial wave of stress.

Then I responded to him and told him the truth: if he needed support moving forward, I’m here for him.

I meant that.

That may sound strange to some guys in business, but I really do believe that if we keep giving, it comes back. Luke 6:38 came to mind immediately: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom...” That verse gave me hope in the moment. I felt like the Lord was reminding me not to clamp down in fear, but to keep my hands open.

So instead of spiraling, I just started taking the next step.

I put together a hiring video.

I built out a hiring page on the website.

I started posting.

I took phone call after phone call with applicants.

I listened to their stories.

I tried to stay calm and present instead of reactive.

Within just a few days, I had screened over a dozen people.

Out of that process, I found Bryan, who I believe is a great cultural fit with a lot of upside and long-term potential. I also connected with Samuel for part-time help, and there’s another strong candidate in the mix as well. So what started as a moment that felt like loss quickly turned into a moment of expansion.

Even more interesting, my former employee may still become part of the bigger picture. Instead of viewing him only as someone leaving, I can now potentially send overflow work his way on a subcontract basis at around a 60% commission, which should put him well north of $50/hour whenever I’m overloaded.

That changes everything.

Now I can market more aggressively.

Now I don’t have to panic if the new guys take time to learn.

Now I have more bandwidth, not less.

Now I can build without rushing.

That’s the part I think is worth sharing with you guys:

What looked like a setback was actually God making room.

And now, according to that same principle of Scripture, I’m watching it happen in real time. I kept trying to give, to support, to stay open-handed, and now I’ve got multiple solid people ready to help me move forward and grow.

It also gave me a story I can tell future hires:

I’m not here to use people up.

I’m here to help them succeed.

If they work with me, I want them to win.

And even if they eventually move on, I still want to be the kind of man who can look them in the eye and say I tried to help.

That posture doesn’t weaken your business.

It strengthens it.

So if any of you are in that moment right now where something unexpected just hit you in the gut, here’s my encouragement:

Take a breath.

Pray.

Don’t panic.

Take the next step.