It’s time to hire — YAY!
And you’re pumped about how your new team member will make life easier — DOUBLE YAY!
So you set out on your unicorn hunt — WAIT!!!!
Let me stop you right there, my beautifully ambitious friend. This unicorn hunt? Ain’t happenin’!
It’s nothing personal, I see entrepreneurs make this mistake all the time. They get overwhelmed in their business and are finally bringing in enough revenue to justify hiring support. Then, the dreaming begins.
They imagine they’ll find someone who can take a little of this and that off their plate. Someone who can grow with them and continue to take on whatever tasks and responsibilities make their skin crawl.
The problem is this unicorn clone-a-preneur doesn’t exist.
Sure, you can search a freelancer marketplace and find a $10 an hour VA who says they can write your copy, post all of your social media content, communicate with clients, do your bookkeeping, design your logo, build your website, and plan your next event. But what starts out sounding like a steal ends up feeling like you’re the one who got robbed.
Exceptional team members are experts in their field.
Hiring specialists is the BEST scaling move you can make.
Specialists have spent years honing their skills and refining their craft. They stay on top of trends in their area of expertise and are always learning new ways to do what they do better!
When you get specific about the support you need and find people equipped to fill in those gaps, you’ll 10x your results compared to hiring that $10 ‘unicorn.’ I always recommend starting with a time and task audit to determine what you can outsource to optimize your schedule.
Experts work best together.
I love to think of a team of experts as layers of support. You can read alllll about these layers on my blog here.
The four layers of support are implementers (aka hands-on doers), managers, strategists, and visionaries (in most small businesses, this is just the CEO). When you start thinking about support in terms of layers and the specialties within them, you approach hiring in a completely different way.
Your implementers could be:
- Virtual Assistants
- Graphic Designers
- Video Editors
- Content Creators
- Podcast Editors
- Copywriters
- Social Media Managers
- Other Implementation Specialists
Your managers could be:
- Online Business Managers
- Executive Assistants (in some cases)
- Launch Managers
- Project Managers
- General Managers
- Customer Service Managers
- Other Management Specialists
Your strategists could be:
- Marketing Strategists
- Ad Strategists
- Launch Strategists
- Brand Strategists
- Brand Voice/Messaging Strategists
- User Experience Strategists
- Online Business Managers (in some cases)
And your visionary role might be inspired, encouraged, or expanded by:
- Life Coaches
- Business Coaches
- Specialty Consultants
- Personal Mentors
- Professional Mentors
While your CEO time and attention can be protected by:
- Personal Assistants
- Executive Assistant
- A variety of personal service providers
Some people don’t have the strength to resist the temptation of the unicorn. Don’t be some people.
Many business owners struggle to make the leap from unicorn hunting to intentionally hiring specialists for a few reasons. Let me help you think through the excuses I hear most often so you can make some powerful CEO decisions about how you’re going to go about building your team.
They say: “It’s too expensive to hire specialists.”
I understand that hiring a podcast producer for $100+ an episode or copywriter for $100+ an hour might sound outrageous compared to that $10 an hour faux-nicorn. When you hire a specialist, though, you have to look beyond their hourly rate.
Consider:
- What is the quality of work this person will deliver?
- How much time is this person’s work going to save me/other team members?
- How much of your time will this person require for training prior to the work?
- How much of your time will this person require for management/guidance during the work?
- How many corrections, edits, and fixes will you have to make to this person’s work?
- What’s your likely turnover rate for this person? (i.e., when will you have to find someone else to replace them because they’re not delivering)
In the end, you might just realize that a $10 an hour contractor is more expensive than a $100 an hour expert.
They say: “I don’t have the time to manage several contractors.”
I hear you! You’re trying to hire team members to save time, not spend more time on your team. In my experience, contractors who charge expert rates (anywhere from $30 an hour up, depending on their field) require far less oversight than those who charge less. Many highly paid contractors prefer less communication, fewer meetings, and more workflow efficiency. They have systems in place to stay on top of client needs and don’t need as much prompting from you.
Just as a ‘cheap’ team member can end up being more expensive financially, they can be expensive in time, attention, and frustration, too.
They say: “I don’t want to spend all of my time hiring new team members.”
I know I’m biased when I say hire your OBM first, then! An OBM can help you assess your team’s needs, create excellent job descriptions, and even handle interviewing candidates to make sure you find the perfect fit. Once your team members are hired, an OBM can help you onboard and manage your team members, too!
Get into CEO mode and identify your team gaps with my FREE 7 Pillar Business Assessment here!
February 13, 2024
