Dive Brief:

• An article at Entrepreneur.com says business owners know the importance of recruiting and retaining the best available talent -- an especially serious challenge for small business owners. 

• In competing with larger employers for talent, smaller companies don’t have the budget to pay top salaries and can’t access the same group discounts on medical insurance, for example.

• One action they can take is have help professionals learn and grow in their chosen trades. 

Dive Insight:

According to author John Rampton, the owner of online invoicing and time tracking company due.com, by investing in learning opportunities, employers show a commitment to their employees’ future. That, in turn, often leads to a greater commitment from those employees to the business.

For example, he suggests offering access to online learning and mentorship. Of the former, he says, "The Internet has simplified the process of learning new skills. Instead of spending nights and weekends on campus at a local college, your employees can learn at their desks or from the comfort of their homes. They’ll appreciate the opportunity to learn a new skill and your business will benefit from a great employee who now has the skills you need."

On the mentoring front, Rampton says many businesses have been founded by entrepreneurs who helped other entrepreneurs build their own businesses. Working alongside a professional growing his own business is the perfect way to learn how to build your own. There is one risk -- that employees may leave to start their own business. But that's acceptable, he says, because the company's reputation as a place that fosters innovation and provides opportunity to grow will remain.