Being the owner who is always recruiting
Great owners never stop hiring. They just don't always have an open role.
Keep a short bench list
Three to five people you'd hire today if the right slot opened. Coffee with one a quarter. That bench fills the next opening in days, not months.
Tell people you're hiring, even when you're not
'We're always looking for good [role].' That sentence, repeated to suppliers, customers, and friends, surfaces candidates you'd never see through ads.
Hire ahead of the need
The cheapest time to hire is when you're not desperate. The most expensive hires are the panic hires made the week somebody quit.
Take your version of this question further
This is one operator-tested angle on the question. Your shop, your size, your trade, and your team change the answer. Ask your specific version inside Ask a Shop Owner to get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.