The foundation of every strong company is a robust workforce. Recognizing hard work, getting rid of slackers and creating a strong company culture can do wonders for employee retention rates and increase productivity. Your sales will reflect this increase, and increased sales are always good.

So how do you create a strong workforce? Here’s a few things that worked for me.

• Recognize Hard Work

You’d be surprised by the results that a little empowerment, engagement and motivation can produce. Taking a little time out of your busy schedule to recognize those on your workforce who are giving 110 percent can go a long way. Little motivators on a regular basis, such as a compliment or a simple pat on the back, can make a world of difference.

When a salesperson makes a sale, they ring the bell and are celebrated at Absolute Perfection.

In our office, as I’m sure many others do, we keep a bell. Whenever a sale is made, you ring the bell. Everyone claps and congratulates each other. It’s really remarkable to see and a great motivational tool.

• Get Rid of the Bad Eggs

Every company has that one bad employee. Or maybe there are 15 of them. While they may be helping you get by (I know good help is hard to find), it’s possible they’re doing more damage than good. In the long run, you want employees that are supporters, promotors and passionate about the work they do, and more importantly, the company they work for.

We have had “bad eggs” and the best thing I’ve learned to do is replace them ASAP. Recruiting a team that enjoys showing up each day is going to change your company culture in a really good way.

• Create a Culture for Success

One thing I love most about what I do is how well my team collaborates with each other. Even with three extremely diverse divisions (window tinting, applied graphics and digital marketing services), I’m constantly seeing collaboration across the board. Whether they’re working on internal efforts or producing something for a client, everyone is willing to lend a hand to one another.

In a 2012 study by Time Magazine, 1,240 workers that were 18 or older were asked to nine reasons for staying with a current employer. About 56 percent of employees said feeling connected to the organization was a strong reason they stayed with the company and 51 percent said that their co-workers played a big part in continuing to work for the company.

• Delegate the Duties

When your company is growing quickly, your workforce has to as well. Over time, it becomes impossible to be everywhere at once. This is where delegation of duties comes into place. Right now, we have division heads who ensure productivity is on point.

As much as I want to be involved in every aspect, which I manage to do on certain days, I’ve realized that letting other people take the lead has really evolved the company. Hand-holding doesn’t fly around here. With our culture specifically, we try to operate autonomously at the lowest level possible; however, we still have the division heads there to enforce guidelines when necessary.

Sometimes, you have to put your faith in your employees—that’s why we make sure to hire star players at Absolute Perfection.