THE RIGHT HIRE

The Neighborhood Cup in Aliso Viejo has had about 25 employees come and go in the year that it's been open.

"We do have a lot of turnover," said Jennifer secofsky, who owns the coffee shop along with her dad.

Much of the turnover is because many of the student workers go home in the summer,

"Few leave because they don't like it," she said.

Secofsky said she's worked to make the coffee shop a warm and friendly place where musicians perform and artists show off their work.

"But we're a coffee house and we're competing with Starbucks," she said. "They pay $9 an hour."

That's a big challenge for many small business owners: finding quality people to work for low wages.

Secofsky said she can't offer her workers much more than $7.50 an hour, which is a bit above California's minimum wage of $6.75. She isn't able to pay Starbucks-like benefits, either.

But there are some fringe benefits at the Neighborhood Cup.

Neighborhood Cup offers flexible work schedules, free coffee and half-price specialty coffees. secofsky gives bonuses such as gift certificates when the coffee shop breaks sales records. Workers also get a couple extra dollars an hour in tips.