As an entrepreneur, you’ve accomplished many things in your business. For one, taking the leap to become an entrepreneur is something to be proud of on its own. Yet, now that your customer base is growing and you’re finally starting to see results — being in business overwhelms you.
At this point, you may realize that it could be time to hire your first employee. However, this could be making you feel anxious. Entrepreneurs are used to controlling everything in their business. After all, your business is like your baby and the thought of having someone else come in to help you manage things can be frightening.
When Should An Entrepreneur Consider Getting Her First Employee?
Yet, you must be sure you’re doing the right thing by knowing when it’s the right time to hire your first employee or two. Here are some telltale signs to watch for in your business.
1. You’re Feeling Too Overwhelmed
You know it’s time to hire when you keep putting off important tasks that you’re too busy to work on in your business. As an entrepreneur, your business forces you to wear all the hats, including CEO, marketing, accounting, customer service and more.
Aside from not having the time, you may not be an expert in everything you perform in your business. You likely know where your strengths lie. However, it makes sense to hire your first employee for the things you’re falling behind in or don’t have enough skills.
2. You Have Clear Procedures and Processes
Suppose you have established routines and clearly defined procedures in place. When you have a good system for providing your offers, this is a good sign you should hire your first employee.
When onboarding a new employee, you want to ensure everything goes smoothly. They’ll need to know their tasks and that you’re ready to train, offer guidance and a steady workload from the first day.
Of course, you can’t expect everything to be perfect. You may need to make new adjustments over time. However, no employee wants to come into a business that’s in disarray. If you know you can offer them simple tasks and guidance, your employees will be less likely to feel bored or overwhelmed.
Plus, they’ll be more likely to stay for the long run.
3. Your Business Can Afford It
Even if you’re overwhelmed, it’s best not to consider hiring an employee unless your business can afford their wages.
The first thing you should do is look closely at your finances. You might consider starting by hiring a part-time employee to help you manage customer service, process orders and assist you in marketing your business.
And it doesn’t need to be someone that works in person with you every day. You could hire someone remotely to keep scheduling simple.
Approximately 72% of companies are planning to provide flexible working hours. That’s because most employees want to work from home, which helps them manage a better balance between work and family.
Nevertheless, hiring the right person can allow you to get back to focusing on the things that matter most to you.
4. You’re Losing Clients Left and Right
If you’ve gotten to the point where you’re losing clients because you’re slacking, it’s time to hire someone. Your business can’t afford to lose clients for several reasons.
For one, it hinders your ability to grow. Secondly, this puts you at risk of damaging your online reputation.
The best solution is to prevent yourself from getting into this situation by hiring your first employee.
5. Your Are Turning Down Work
If you’re turning down work, it’s not because it’s uninteresting or not worth your time. In fact, the job might perfectly align with your offerings, and it pays well.
Turning down good opportunities can affect your business in the long run. Therefore, this is a good sign that it’s time to hire an employee.
Once you hire a helping hand, you’ll be able to take on more offers and allow your business to grow exponentially.
6. You Have More Than One Freelancer
A great strategy for new businesses is to start by hiring a freelancer. You can employ them in areas you need help with and limit various risks. Plus, hiring an independent contractor is easy since multiple platforms assist you with this.
However, there comes the point in time when you need to bring on a full-time employee. If you have one too many freelancers working for you, this should be a sign.
While freelancers can be truly helpful, they also work for themselves. In other words, you have no control over everything they do — especially regarding their availability.
Therefore, having someone on your payroll is easier and you can rest assured knowing that you can depend on them to accomplish work.
7. Your Customers Can’t Reach You
Your customers may be able to contact you in various ways — phone, email, social media, live chat or text. Yet, if customers can’t reach you, this isn’t good for business.
For example, research shows that 24% of customers expect a response to their inquiry through social media within the hour. Meanwhile, 31% expect a response within that same day.
If you can’t spend time answering customer inquiries, your customers will move on to someone else. In turn, you lose profits and business to your competitors. This can take a toll on your business down the line, which you’ll need to take care of immediately by hiring an employee.
They can help you reduce the pressure by answering questions and handling customer communications, increasing your bottom line.
Take the First Step and Hire an Employee
Hiring an employee can be nerve-wracking yet exciting. It’s a huge first step for you in your business. However, it’s important to look at these signs to determine whether it’s time to hire one.
You won’t want your business to suffer because you don’t have time to do everything at once. Therefore, consider taking that leap in hiring your first employee if the timing aligns with your business.
Ciao,
Miss Kemya
