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156. How Should You REALLY Pay Your Employees? 💰

Let's settle one of the biggest debates in the home service industry...


Hourly pay or commission?

If you've spent any amount of time in entrepreneur Facebook groups, you've probably seen people passionately arguing for one or the other. Some swear hourly is the only fair option. Others will tell you commission completely changed their business.

So... who's right?

Honestly?

Neither.

In this week's episode of Hustled Up, we're breaking down the pros and cons of different pay structures, sharing exactly what we use in our own cleaning company, and explaining why the way you pay your employees is only one piece of building an incredible team.

Because here's the truth:

A great pay structure won't fix poor leadership.

And great leadership won't magically make an unsustainable pay structure work.

You need both.


There Is No "Perfect" Pay Structure

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that there isn't one universal answer.

Hourly pay has advantages.

Commission has advantages.

Salary can work in certain situations.

Bonuses. Profit sharing. Performance incentives. Every business is different.

The real question isn't, "What does everyone else do?"

The better question is: "What behaviors do I want to encourage on my team?"

Every pay structure naturally motivates different behaviors. Hourly employees may feel less pressure to rush and have more time to focus on quality, while commission-based employees are often rewarded for working efficiently and maximizing their schedules.

Neither is automatically better.

They simply produce different outcomes.

Your Pay Structure Shapes Your Company Culture

Something we loved talking about in this episode is that compensation doesn't just affect payroll—it affects culture.

Think about it.

Are you rewarding efficiency?

Attention to detail?

Teamwork?

Going above and beyond?

Customer experience?

Your pay structure sends a message about what your company values most.

That's why we encourage business owners to stop asking, "How much should I pay?" and start asking, "What kind of team am I trying to build?"

Because those answers should work together—not compete with each other.

Leadership Matters More Than Payroll

This might have been our biggest "hot take" of the episode.

There are people making incredible money who leave jobs because they have terrible bosses.

There are employees who stay with companies because they feel appreciated, respected, challenged, and supported.

Money matters.

But it's not everything.

The way you communicate.

The way you give feedback.


The way you recognize great work.


The way you handle mistakes.


Those things matter just as much.


If your employees only hear from you when something goes wrong, that's a leadership problem - not a payroll problem.


Creating a healthy company culture means celebrating wins just as much as correcting mistakes.


Don't Copy Someone Else's Business

We also talked about something we see all the time in entrepreneur groups...


Business owners copying someone else's pay structure without understanding the numbers behind it.


Just because another company pays commission doesn't mean commission will work for you.


Just because another owner pays hourly doesn't mean that's automatically the right choice either.


Your market is different.


Your expenses are different.


Your pricing is different.


Your goals are different.


The best pay structure is the one that's intentional—not copied.


Do the research.


Run the numbers.


Figure out what allows your employees to earn a great living while still protecting the health of your business.


As Holly likes to say...

Math is the path. 😂


Charge What You're Worth

One conversation in this episode that we're especially passionate about is pricing.


Because if your business isn't charging enough...


...you probably won't be able to pay your employees what they deserve.


One of the biggest shifts we made when growing our company was realizing that raising prices wasn't about becoming greedy.


It was about creating a business that could support our technicians, our office staff, and our future growth.


Your field employees are the people serving your clients every single day.


Investing in them isn't an expense.


It's an investment in the quality of your business.


Final Thoughts 💛

If there's one thing we hope you take away from this episode, it's this:


Don't rush your decision.


Whether you're hiring your very first employee or you're rethinking your current pay structure, take the time to build something intentional.


Think beyond the paycheck.


Think about leadership.


Think about culture.


Think about systems.


Think about accountability.


And most importantly, think about the kind of workplace you'd actually be excited to work in yourself.


Because at the end of the day, the goal isn't simply to hire employees.


It's to build a business where great people want to stay.


We're cheering you on every step of the way. 💕


Listen Here


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