B2B Thinking, B2C Reality: The Shift in Attracting Talent

Written by Josh Law

I was thinking more recently about the difference between B2B and B2C. Business-to-business versus business-to-consumer. Pretty straightforward: B2B companies sell to other businesses; B2C companies sell to individual people.

A friend of mine just started a pickleball business—memberships, courts, events. It’s a great place, indoors year-round, built for all ages. A cool business doing something good for the community. He came from a plumbing background, though, and it got me thinking about how different those businesses really are.

From the outside, they may seem pretty similar: Profit & Loss, overhead, taxes, labor, facilities, etc. But the difference—the real difference—is in the go-to-market strategy. And more specifically, in the type of customer they’re reaching.

In B2B, you’re usually meeting a need. Your customers need a part, a service, a supplier. There might not be a ton of options. In some cases, you’re one of a few players in a relatively narrow space. They’re going to find you, (or they already know about you) and in time, you build a reputation that keeps the deals coming. Branding still matters, but it’s not always the difference-maker related to finding new customers, or getting repeat customers. 

But in B2C—like my buddy’s pickleball company—you’re mostly appealing to wants. People don’t need to play pickleball. They want to. It’s emotional. It’s driven by lifestyle, desire, curiosity, community. And for most B2C businesses, competition is high and loyalty can be relatively low. You have to get in front of people, win attention, and build trust quickly. That takes a whole different playbook.

Now, here’s where it gets fascinating: workforce.

Hiring talent today looks a lot more like B2C than most industrial business leaders may realize.

You’re no longer just filling jobs—you’re marketing an opportunity. And your audience? They’re individuals with wants, not just needs.

They’re not combing through job boards because they need a paycheck. Many of them already have one. What they’re looking for is something better. Something meaningful. A place that feels like a fit.

So now you’re not just competing with “unemployment.” You’re competing with dozens of other companies that are actively marketing their work culture, flexibility, pay, purpose—you name it. The labor market has flipped. People have options. They don’t need to work for you.

You want them to want to.

And that’s the shift. That’s where so many B2B-minded businesses hit a wall. Because the truth is: hiring today is less about selling a job and more about earning trust, and promoting your culture. Just like B2C, people are choosing companies that feel like a fit for them. Not just a paycheck—but a place, a team, a story they want to be part of.

So what’s your story?

That’s what prospective employees are looking for. They’re not looking for a one-size-fits-all list of benefits—they’re looking for a signal. Something that resonates. Something that feels honest and human and maybe even aspirational. Your employer brand isn’t about puffing yourself up—it’s about showing people what it’s really like to work with you, and giving them a reason to care.

Because whether you’re hiring for one key role or building a team of A-Players, it’s not just about skills anymore. It’s about fit, trust, alignment, and belief.

We’ve spent a lot of time helping companies think through this.

If you’re starting to feel the shift and wondering what to do about it—we’re here.

Not with some sales pitch, just with a shared understanding of how hard it is to get it right—and a few tools that might help. We have a dedicated process to uncover whether we can be of any help to our clients. If not, we openly and proactively tell them we aren’t a fit - but if we do uncover a clear opportunity to support their growth - we talk about what they might look like.

At the end of the day, attracting talent isn’t just a hiring challenge—it’s a brand challenge. And like any good brand, it starts with knowing who you are, who you’re for, and why it matters. If you can tell that story well, the right people will find their way to your door.