Help Wanted: A Hilarious Handbook for Hiring Help Without Losing Your Sanity!
When and How to Hire Help
Help Wanted: A Hilarious Handbook for Hiring Help Without Losing Your Sanity!
When to Hire Help for Business Owners
When You’ve Become a Human Octopus: Juggling multiple roles? If you’re typing with your toes, while leading a business call, and eating your lunch, it’s time to hire. If you and your current team are consistently overworked and deadlines are being missed, it’s time to consider hiring or at least outsourcing help.
When Coffee is Your Best Friend: If caffeine has replaced water, you’re overworked. Find help before you start speaking in coffee memes. Are you seeing gaps in skill within yourself or your current team? Identify areas where your current team lacks expertise. Hiring can bring in necessary skills and knowledge.
When Your Cat Has a Business Card: If your pet is part of your staff, it’s a sign to hire a human. Are you experiencing a boom in business growth? Well first, congratulations! I hope you are taking time to celebrate. Second, as your business expands, additional staff can help manage increased demand and maintain service quality.
When Your To-Do List Needs a To-Do List! If your task list is reproducing like rabbits, get an employee or better yet one of our DIFY Implementers before you need a task management intervention. Are there new projects on that To-Do list? If new projects require more hands or specific skills, hiring can ensure successful project execution.
When You Start Losing Potential Customers: If you are booked a month out for your services you will lose potential customers. Let’s face it, we live in a time where everyone expects instant gratification and everything on demand. I mean Amazon delivery has ruined the customer wait time!
When You Start Doing 50% of the things You Don’t Want or Enjoy Doing in your Business: If you are spending 50% of your time doing things you don’t enjoy, you don’t want to do, you don’t have the skills to do quickly and easily- then it’s time to outsource those tasks. The 80/20 rule applies to everything including this. You should be spending 80% of your time on the part of your business that drives revenue and profits and 20% or less of your time on the parts of your business that need to get done but don’t directly drive revenue or profit.
When You saved for this day! You have 3-6 months saved in your business operation reserves that covers the cost of this new hires salary for at least three months. Why? It will take any new hire (employee, contractor, consultant, coach) at least three months to turn a profit for you on their position. They will need time to understand your business and properly execute on the metrics you set in place.
"If my cat had a job, she’d be the ultimate supervisor—constantly napping on the job, demanding attention, and always expecting to be paid in treats!"
How & Who to Hire
Define the Role & Expectations (And Make it Sound Fun): Clearly outline job duties goals, metrics and your 90 day probationary period, but spice it up! Instead of “Spreadsheet Manager,” go for “Excel Wizard.” 90 days or three months gives you an easy out if they are not getting it and not trending towards profitability in their role. Every new hire should be contributing to revenue and profits after their first three months. If they are not, let them go. Hire slowly and fire quickly.
Write a Job Description (With Personality): Include required skills, but also mention your office’s unofficial nap corner or Taco Tuesdays. Are you ready for a part-time or full-time position? Do you want an employee or contractor? A consultant, coach or individual contributor?
Advertise the Position (Everywhere): Post on job boards, social media, and maybe even a skywriting campaign (okay, maybe not skywriting). But also start with your network, your customers, your partners! They are great candidates as they already know about your business or industry.
Screen Resumes (Without Nodding Off): Shortlist candidates who make you think, “Wow, they might actually enjoy working here.”
Conduct Interviews (With Snacks): A well-fed candidate is a happy candidate. Throw in a quirky question, like their opinion on pineapple pizza.
Check References: Verify their past, but also ask the fun stuff, like how many office plants they’ve kept alive.
Make an Offer (With Flair): Send an offer that says, “We want you” but also “We have a sense of humor.” Maybe throw in a funny meme.
Onboard them (With a Party): Welcome them with a tour, a fancy pen, and an initiation ritual that involves cake and/or champagne!
Conclusion
Hiring doesn’t have to be scary, overwhelming, or dull. By injecting humor and personality into your process, you’ll attract amazing talent who’ll love the vibrant culture at your business. And remember, if your cat starts interviewing candidates, it’s definitely time for help.
Need help figuring this out? We’re here for you!
Schedule a free 30 minute 1:1 Strategy Call with Bre today here.
Together we will figure out what type of person you need, to do what, within your budget, and how to find, train, and retain them.