Hiring Meets Marketing: Westie Magnuson on Recruiting Talent Through Brand Storytelling

In this episode of The Kee To Growth Podcast, host Jen McKee welcomes Westie Magnuson, co-founder of HireAligned, for a deep dive into the realities of hiring, recruitment, and culture-building in the home services trades. The conversation explores the practical side of scaling a team as you grow your leads, drawing on Westie’s extensive experience with plumbing and HVAC companies and his journey into talent acquisition. Jen and Westie reflect on how their panel appearance at Service World Expo brought up themes of imposter syndrome and the importance of aligning your expertise with industry needs. A key theme throughout the episode is how recruiting in home services is much more than just posting job listings—it’s about building intentional boundaries, staying present in your local community, and leveraging both hard and soft skills to create a culture people genuinely want to join. The discussion explores actionable recruiting strategies, from one-to-one interactions at supply houses and local lunch spots to boosting personal social media presence. They emphasize the power of authentic storytelling and celebrating team wins on social media to attract top talent, noting that candidates often resonate more with individuals than strictly corporate profiles. The episode also touches on the messy middle of managing a fast-growing shop, including the urgent, human side of hiring under pressure and the emotional toll it can take on leadership. Westie shares hard truths about the realities of hiring from various pools—those with no experience, new graduates, and those already working elsewhere—framing growth points rather than pain points and discussing the impact of industry trends like acquisitions and rollups. Together, they talk through the role of clear communication for retention and the necessity of being proactive about team needs instead of always reacting to vacancies. Rounding out the conversation, Jen and Westie connect hiring to marketing strategy, highlighting that speed to lead is as vital in recruitment as it is in sales. Westie offers tactical, non-traditional channels for generating more calls—including yard signs, door hangers, and field service reps—which require an intentional approach but often yield strong, lasting results. The episode closes with a reminder that genuine curiosity and a willingness to move quickly are keys to sustainable growth in both marketing and recruiting. Timestamps and Topics Discussed 00:01 Introduction to Westie Magnuson and his background in the home services industry 02:27 Lessons learned scaling a company from 30 to 90 employees and writing about culture-based hiring 03:22 Service World Expo panel—navigating imposter syndrome and industry trends 06:30 Most common hiring and culture questions from contractors and business owners 07:10 On-the-ground recruiting: connecting at supply shops, lunch spots, and through curiosity 08:32 The role of personal and company social media in attracting top recruits 10:26 Framing marketing and recruiting as parallel processes and the power of one-to-one outreach 13:03 The challenge and opportunity of hiring trade school graduates and building team bandwidth 15:42 Building an intentional, communicative culture and setting clear expectations for new hires 18:18 Speed to lead in recruiting—reducing friction and making fast, informed hires 26:27 Non-traditional channels for marketing and lead generation in the trades (yard signs, door hangers, field service reps) Connect with Westie Magnuson: Linked In:   / westiemagnuson   Facebook:   / westiemag   Instagram:   / westiemag   Connect with Hire Aligned Instragam:   / hirealigned   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hire... Website: https://hirealigned.com/ Email Contact number: westie@hirealigned.com Contact Number: +19714646245 Meet Your Host: Jen McKee Jen McKee is the founder of Kee Hart Marketing & Events, specializing in award-winning social media strategies for trade services. With expertise in content creation and personal branding, she helps businesses forge authentic connections with their audiences. As the host of the "Kee to Growth" podcast, Jen simplifies marketing strategies and empowers businesses to thrive. Tune in for actionable insights and inspiring stories to elevate your brand! Connect with Jen on Facebook:   / jennifer.hartman.73   or LinkedIn:   / jen-mckee-72114824   Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Kee to Growth in your favorite podcast player. The Kee to Growth Podcast is Powered by: Kee Hart Marketing, the social media company for the trades. Learn more at www.keehartmarketing.com This episode was produced and brought to you by the Skilled Trades Syndicate @ServiceBusinessMasteryPodcast https://www.servicebusinessmastery.com/