There have been a lot of exciting changes and growth at Lifetime Creations. This blog post is part of our "Business Growth Insider" series. Read our first post here. Our hope is that by sharing our journey and experiences, you may be able to discover something useful to apply within your own business or organization.

It seems like I can't escape the occasional article or conversation of Millennials being a lazy, entitled group of kids who won't get off their phones. If not that blatant, it's almost always implied - even moreso when people discuss Millennials in the workforce. I'm on the cusp of falling into this generation so my opinion may be biased, but based on my experience the stereotypes couldn't be further from the truth.

And they are stereotypes. My first reaction every time I hear someone complain about a Millennial employee is perhaps they just hired the wrong person. But instead of taking personal responsibility for a bad hire, or simply recognizing that an individual has a poor work ethic and isn't a good fit, people are quick to blame the generation as a whole.

I've been fortunate to have worked at a few great places since graduating from college across a few different industries. What made them great was being surrounded by the hardest working people I know. The majority were Millennials, and the majority busted their behinds without complaining. It was ingrained in who they were - and it was definitely not defined by their age. No matter the generation, people inherently have a great work ethic or they don't. 

It's no different at Lifetime Creations. We've hired five Millennials over the past year - two of them being our very first full-time hires last fall. They hustle, are great at what they do, and together have helped us grow our business. This summer, Nick and I were able to take a vacation for a full week while our team took over. Before we hired employees, I never would have thought that would be possible.

If that weren't the case, then it would be a reflection on us as business owners for not doing our job and we would have ourselves to blame. 

Surround yourself with the right people, and you'll never blame a Millennial again.

Stephanie Jensen is Co-Owner at Lifetime Creations, an online personalized gift retailer and promotional products distributor.