The Secrets to Successful Hiring

Justin Goodhart hit rock bottom with hiring.

He was so desperate for staffing that he printed flyers, drove around town for three hours, and walked into coffee shops to hand them out. He bought drinks just so he could pitch baristas on event work.

His regular staff? They were leaving him on read. They’d worked a ton of events but were ready to move on. He was begging people who didn’t want to work.

That’s where the hiring playbook was born.

The Hardest Part of Event Businesses

Finding, onboarding, and retaining amazing people is the hardest part of running any event business.

You have massive seasonal fluctuations. Part-timers and full-timers with different availability. Events on weekends when everyone else wants to be off. And you need people who can represent your brand when you’re not there.

“People are the source of the most challenges and the most incredible things you’ll experience. Same is true here.”

At levels 2 and 3, this becomes critical. You’ve had so much success as an owner-operator that you can’t keep up. Operations pulls you away from sales. Quality starts slipping. Something has to change.

Step 1: Tap Your Network (Then Accept It Will Run Dry)

Start with people you know. Friends, former coworkers, referrals. These early hires believe in you personally and will go the extra mile.

But you’ll tap out your network eventually. Maybe it takes months, maybe years. When you’re begging people who have stopped replying, it’s time for a system.

Step 2: Write a Job Post That Sells

Indeed is where Goodhart Coffee starts every search.

Most job posts are boring lists of duties and responsibilities. Justin’s approach: sell the opportunity.

“When you join Goodhart, you might get more appreciation than from any other job you’ve ever had. You’re serving delicious free coffee in unexpected places. Unlimited snacks. The warehouse time is chill, the driving time you listen to music and vibe, then service time is engaging.”

Make people think “this is too good to be true.”

Also critical: pay above market rate. Event work is hard. Price your services so you can afford to pay well. That high number on the listing gets attention.

Step 3: Filter on Deal-Breakers

Not everyone who applies is worth interviewing. Define your absolute non-negotiables upfront and filter ruthlessly.

For coffee catering, Justin’s deal-breakers:

1. Must be able to lift and carry a 60-lb espresso machine
2. Must have reliable transportation
3. Must have minimum 3 days per week availability

That third one is universal across event industries. If someone only has one day available, they’re not building skills, not getting enough hours to care deeply, and not worth the training investment.

From 50 applicants, you’ll probably interview 10 and hire 2-3. But those 2-3 will be excellent because they passed real filters.

Step 4: Pre-Record Your Pitch

Justin got tired of repeating the same 15-minute explanation of the role to every candidate.

So he recorded it.

Now before any interview, candidates receive a video series explaining Goodhart, the role, the expectations, and the vibe. They see Justin, see the warehouse in the background, and get the full picture.

Benefits:

• Saves time: No more repeating yourself
• Self-filtering: Some candidates realize it’s not for them
• Better interviews: Those who stay come with better questions
• Higher commitment: They’ve already invested time

Step 5: Watch the Interview Before the Interview

The actual interview is just part of the evaluation.

What happened before matters too:

• Did they answer all the filtering questions?
• Did they follow instructions? (If you asked for a photo, did they include it?)
• Did they show up on time?
• Did they write a personal note about why they want THIS job?

People who personalize their application, who explain why they want to work for your specific company, go straight to the top of the pile.

“These signals matter more than polished answers to standard questions that anyone can look up online.”

Step 6: Bet on People, Not Resumes

Here’s a counterintuitive insight from years of hiring:

The person with the best resume often isn’t the best hire.

Some of the best hires have gaps, less experience, and rougher edges on paper. But they blew away interviewers with passion, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the role.

“You can’t fake enthusiasm and you can’t teach people to be cool. But you can train job skills.”

Take the barista with two years of experience and a great attitude over the one with seven years who seems aloof. The attitude is the hard part. The latte art can be taught.

Questions That Actually Work

Standard interview questions get standard answers. People prep for “what’s your biggest weakness?” and similar cliches.

Better: ask questions that make people think.

Questions about current events (related to the role). Questions where they have to defend a position. Questions about how they’d handle specific scenarios.

You’re not looking for right answers. You’re looking for how they think, how they communicate, and whether they can handle the unexpected.

Training That Scales

Once you hire good people, you need systems to get them up to speed without draining all your time.

Video training libraries. Documented processes. Shadowing protocols. Checklists for setup and breakdown.

The goal: a new hire can become event-ready quickly, without requiring hours of your personal attention every time.

Red Flags and Accountability

Events happen when you’re not there. How do you maintain quality?

Build feedback mechanisms into your operation:

• Post-event client surveys
• Staff self-reports
• Photo documentation requirements
• Clear escalation paths when issues arise

When problems surface, address them immediately. Coaching first. Clear expectations. But also know when to cut ties. One bad staff member at one event can damage your reputation for months.

The Bottom Line

Hiring is the hardest part of scaling. There’s no shortcut.

But there is a system:

1. Write job posts that sell the opportunity, not just list duties
2. Filter ruthlessly on deal-breakers before interviewing
3. Pre-record your pitch to save time and pre-qualify candidates
4. Watch behavior before the interview as much as during it
5. Bet on enthusiasm over credentials when forced to choose
6. Build training systems that scale without requiring all your time
7. Create accountability mechanisms for when you’re not there

Justin went from printing flyers in desperation to running a multi-city operation with a team he trusts. The playbook took years to develop. But now he knows how to hire in a new city where he doesn’t know anyone.

That’s how you break through level 3 and keep growing.