This month, we are concluding our series on building a sustainable business. Hiring is one of the best ways to do just that. Even one new team member can make a huge difference in your business. Let’s dive in and discuss hiring your first assistant.

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcast or Spotify!

As business owners, we tend to wear a lot of hats. We cannot do that forever! It’s important to get other people on board, equip them to understand your business, and show them how they can support you.

10 Free Reels Ideas

Before we talk about hiring your first assistant, I want to tell you about my 10 free reels ideas! It’s one of my most downloaded freebies. You’ll receive 10 ready-to-use reels ideas for your business including concepts, text boxes and captions. The download gives you everything you need in order to start posting for your business right away! Click here to grab it now!

My Hiring Journey

I went through more than five virtual assistants before finding one that stuck. The one that did stick ultimately phased out of the business due to what she specialized in doing and the responsibilities I was looking to fill. I tried multiple approaches. I trained my sisters on how to be my virtual assistant, and I also used a few different virtual assistant companies.

Advice for Hiring

Here is my advice on what to look for, how to spread the word that you’re looking for someone and how to ultimately find the right person when hiring your first assistant.

My main advice is to hire for personality, natural gifts and values rather than an existing skill set. I see entrepreneurs hire for advanced skills in a specific area without truly understanding what they’re hiring for. There are pros and cons to both sides.

Personality VS. Skills

Let’s suppose you hire someone because they’re experienced in a specific area. The first problem is that you did not ensure you mesh well on a personal level. You don’t know if you’ll get along well long term. The second problem is that they might set up tons of systems for your business, but you have no clue how any of it works. 

I urge you to get in the dirt of your business and know exactly how everything runs before you pass it off. You will not have to manage it forever. If someone has a teachable and humble heart, you will be able to teach them almost anything. You’ll figure out, together, what their skill set is and how you can lean into it.

Three Steps for Hiring

If you’re going to hire, here are my recommended steps:

Create a Job Description

First, create a job description. Outline the tasks they’ll be doing and the natural abilities they need to have. For your first hire, I advise going with a virtual assistant or a contractor. If they have their own business and multiple clients, you can start with hiring them for a few hours per week and expand as your business grows. Alternatively, you could hire an employee. This will require more setup and cost on the front end. 

Conduct Several Interviews

Second, whether you’re hiring a contractor or an employee, have a minimum of three interviews with each candidate. When I hired my administrative coordinator, I scheduled four interviews before hiring her. I had candidates fill out an application, answer some audio questions, get on a phone call, do a Zoom interview and I did an in-person interview with Maggie, the girl I hired, because she happened to be local.

Budget Your Time Well

Third, know that you’ll be spending more time teaching and working with your new hire in the beginning. This will take extra time out of your schedule. It’s helpful to refer to a previous episode about safe-proofing your business. Be prepared with lots of workflows and SOPs for everything in your business. Set aside time to be attentive and train your new hire well.

Next month, we’re starting a new series on building online income. In week one, we’ll talk about whether your should grow your audience or launch your course first. Be sure to tune in!

See you next week at 7 AM!