If you are a freelancer or small business person overwhelmed with how to scale your business to accommodate a growing number of clients, it can be hard to know what to do. Just know that it’s a good problem to have especially if they are your ideal client.
If you’re struggling with finding the time to do it all, here are some tips to figure out the best way for hiring help.
Test the waters when getting help
When your services are in demand, it can be hard to scale your business. One person can only do so much and there are only so many hours in the day. If you’re leery about hiring help or if you had a bad experience in the past, consider trying again. You might have to test out a few people before you find a good fit. It can be discouraging if the first person you hire isn’t what you were looking for but don’t give up.
Hiring help is essential to growing your business. If you’re hesitant, start slowly. Try someone out for a few hours a week with small tasks or give them a short term project. See what they are like to work with and see how well they do the job.
This way you can see what it’s like before fully committing to giving them more responsibility. Start by writing down 5 tasks to outsource, so you have a place to start.
Give it time and be as clear as possible with directions
Sometimes if you hire someone there can be mistakes because of miscommunication. Make sure you explain everything clearly. Show examples if applicable and allow them to ask as many questions as they need to in the beginning.
While we all expect jobs to be done right, no one wants to work for an overly rigid person. Make sure you keep the lines of communication open and consider the first few weeks a “training period”.
Some people ask a lot of questions in the beginning because they want to make sure they are doing things exactly the way you like. Once they understand, they can function more independently. You might even want to clarify how often you check in once the person has a handle on the job.
Make an avatar of ideal help
Write down what you would like to see in a person you hire and what you don’t like. Barbara Corcoran once said, “Make sure you pick up people to build your business with, as this will determine 80% of your success. The best people are honest and have lots of enthusiasm.”
Her list of qualities would include enthusiasm and honesty. For example, if someone you worked with in the past was chronically late handing in work on time, maybe you explain how you’re a stickler for deadlines. List 5 qualities you like and 5 you don’t to see. Then word the qualities you don’t like in a different way so it doesn’t sound negative.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking to bring on more clients but don’t have enough arms and legs to do so, use the tips above to hire help and grow your business.
