PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore what owners of small firms are looking for from new employees. The aim is to pursue this in light of the debate around formality and informality of small firm HRM, exploring the extent to which the small firms studied had formalised HRM practices.Design/methodology/approachThe data reported here were collected in discussions with the owner(s) of 27 small firms in the Latrobe Valley region of South East Victoria, Australia. These firms were participating in the federal government‐funded small business assistance program and data were gathered through a series of visits and discussions with the owners over the period of the assistance program.FindingsIt was found that in those firms where they had formalised HRM practices, which linked directly to their strategy, employers were more able to “sell” their vision for the business to potential employees.Research limitations/implicationsResearch has shown that there is a positive relationship between small firm growth and the formalisation of HRM policies. However, this paper is based on discussions with people who were taking action to acknowledge and address issues affecting their business and so their experience may not be generalisable to other small businesses.Originality/valueThis paper makes an original contribution of exploring the area of HRM in small firms and is hopefully a reminder to small business owners that HRM issues and small business advisers can play a critical role in the structure of their HRM practices – helping them to decide whom they want to recruit and how to go about it.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of workshops as a learning tool for small business owner-managers (SBO-Ms). It aims to concentrate on workshops delivered over 18 months from January 2007 to July 2008 as part of several publicly-funded small business development programmes in two Australian local government areas (LGAs). Design/methodology/approach -Effectiveness is measured in terms of meeting the overarching learning needs and expectations of participants in the context of the programme goals. The paper analyses data gathered from workshop participants either post-workshop, in later focus groups or through a questionnaire as well as additional feedback from participants and the organisers' reflections. The thematic analysis is organised through an analogy of "going shopping", where the SBO-M shopper is buying "learning" when they attend a workshop. Findings -Understanding motivation to participate or the "what's in it for me" is important as SBO-Ms tend to be reluctant, resist or fail to engage with externally sponsored business support initiatives. Workshops were valued for the "space" they create to reflect on practice. For many SBO-Ms, content "comes alive" with discussion while networking helps reduce the isolation SBO-Ms can feel. Practical implications -The shopping analogy suggests workshops must cater for purposeful shoppers as well as browsers, while interaction with others in the workshop is critical to realising the value of workshops. Originality/value -Knowing whether, and how, workshops deliver learning can help to better target and refine these types of support initiatives to ensure they provide positive outcomes for individuals, organisations and economies.

Small business training can facilitate business growth. The authors show that a ‘hands-on’ approach can have a direct impact on a business owner's current situation. They consider this in relation to the problem of being unable to find the right staff, demonstrating that a programme such as the one they describe enables learning and addresses the lack of time and resources faced by many small business owner-managers. Such programmes also accommodate the style, pace and circumstances of the individual learner. This has a number of implications for the delivery of training to small business owner-managers.

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