Small business owners struggling to hire and retain talent in a competitive labor market can turn to a systematic approach revealed by Shannon Black, Chair of SCORE Austin, in the latest episode of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast. Hosted by Bryan Eisenberg, Episode 82, titled "Shannon Black | The Hiring Secrets Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know," offers practical strategies developed from Black's experience as a former math teacher and founder of Sunrise Montessori.
Black, who successfully sold her school, emphasizes timing as a critical factor in job postings. "The best time of the week to put an ad, to place it, is actually Sunday morning," she tells Eisenberg. "It takes Google and other search engines about 24 hours to go through and pick up the SEO in your ad. The number one time of the week that people look for jobs are Mondays during lunchtime." This insight, published on July 14, 2026, comes as Central Texas businesses navigate post-COVID hiring shifts and challenges like AI-inflated resumes.
To improve ad visibility, Black recommends using 30 or more hashtags at the bottom of listings to capture search engine optimization without rewriting copy. She also advises avoiding "masculine" language that may deter female applicants and suggests a 10-minute Zoom pre-interview with unexpected questions, such as "What is your favorite color?" to gauge candidate fit.
The conversation delves into SCORE's free mentorship model, a national nonprofit offering over 1,000 workshops per month and virtual mentor matching at score.org. Black previews an upcoming women's conference, a trades conference on June 13, and a four-day workshop series on valuing and selling a business. She highlights successes like helping a client launch a successful Austin clay studio and points to entrepreneur Desiree Fox of V Wear Love as an example of the idea-stage founders SCORE serves.
Eisenberg shares his own hiring wins after applying Black's tweaks at his home care agency, along with a lease near-miss rescued by Round Rock realtor Bacha Porter. Black, who recovered from a baby rattlesnake bite while gardening, credits St. David's in Round Rock for the antivenom treatment that allowed her to record the episode.
For small business owners seeking to build a strong team, Black's Sunday strategy and SCORE's resources offer a practical path forward in a tight labor market.
