How to Expand Your Staff

When I first started my business I would hire people who I liked to do specific jobs for me. Then I would be surprised that they didn't have the skills needed to do this. They would be pleasant but didn't think the way that I did or approach things in the same manner. They couldn't read my mind!

Now I had another problem. I didn't want to fire someone who I liked. So I would buy a piece of crystal and give it to the individual stating that I was very thankful for the work that they had done indicating that I now needed someone who could take me in another direction. What a goofy way to do business!

Well, I have had to change my perspective as well as my procedures and now really understand how to do this.

First of all, you need to know exactly what things that you need to hire others to do. This means that you identify all the repetitive tasks that will relieve you so that you can focus on doing the tasks that bring in the most income for the business. Even if you enjoy doing these things, it is likely not financially wise for you to continue.

Write a list of every single thing that must be done but holds you back from doing more billable hours. Beside each item, write down the amount of time that you can reasonably expect that thing to be done. It might be sometime that needs to be done daily (like answering the phone and booking appointments) or weekly (like janitorial work) or monthly (like paying bills) or even something that is a one-time project (like categorizing the library).

Once you have written out the list, see if there are things that can be grouped together. You might, for example list tasks that can be done from a distance by a Virtual Assistant (such as telephone reception or financial tasks). There might be other things that could be done by a contracted worker who only comes to your office once a month (like bookkeeping and filing). Other tasks might be outsourced to companies that are specialized (such as product production and delivery).

You see, before you even consider hiring staff, it is important that you know what you need to have done and then use creative thinking to consider all the options to have those tasks done.