Meaning ● Employee-First Strategy, within the SMB landscape, prioritizes employee well-being, development, and engagement as core drivers of business success, rather than solely focusing on traditional metrics. In the context of growth, a properly implemented strategy directly supports SMB scalability by reducing turnover and attracting talent, critical factors for sustained expansion. ● When considering automation initiatives, an employee-first strategy dictates careful consideration of the human impact. This ensures that technological advancements augment rather than displace employees, supporting business process improvement. ● With a focus on implementation, an employee-first approach entails providing thorough training and support for new technologies, allowing teams to adapt and become more productive. Successful implementation also integrates employee feedback into the automation design, producing systems that are user-friendly and strategically aligned with business requirements, and employee needs. A strong employee-first initiative in SMBs can create more robust and resilient teams better positioned to face growth challenges and technological integrations, enhancing business viability. This allows businesses to better support their employees while focusing on new business ventures or optimizing their employee engagement efforts. Employee buy-in helps drive adoption and acceptance, leading to more significant gains for the business.