5 Truths About Growing Your Team
Hiring for your online business is completely different from hiring for a big company. But many online entrepreneurs fall into the trap of thinking they need to go about hiring the same way as large corporations.
Either because they came from the corporate world themselves and saw it done a certain way — or because they just think that’s how it is supposed to be done.
So, I’m here to give you some insight into hiring for your blog or digital business with five simple truths.
5 Truths About Hiring For Your Digital Business
These five truths will help you approach hiring for the very specific needs of your business — not a big company.
1. You don’t have to hire a full-time employee.
It is very common for online entrepreneurs to think they have to hire someone full-time, but it isn’t true at all — and it can actually hold many people back from hiring.
And it makes sense why so many people think this way. Most entrepreneurs have had full-time jobs in their pasts. Most haven’t done freelance work. So they don’t realize that hiring a part-time freelancer is an option.
While things are starting to shift and freelancing is becoming more common, full-time jobs are still the norm, especially in the United States.
The good news here is that you don’t have to keep doing everything all by yourself, even if you aren’t ready to hire full-time employees.
You can start with one part-time freelancer and grow from there by adding specialists you need, when you need them.
2. Freelancers are affordable.
Another belief that holds back many entrepreneurs from hiring the support they need is that they think freelancers are too expensive.
But here’s what most people don’t realize: Freelancers are far more affordable than employees.
While they usually charge a higher rate than an employee. You don’t need nearly as many hours.
The other thing to keep in mind is that freelancers in the United States are responsible for their own employment taxes, and they don’t have an employer providing health insurance and other benefits. So when they are setting their rates, they are keeping those things in mind as well.
Quick reminder that I’m not an accountant and cannot give tax advice. But I can recommend that you learn more about the differences between employees and freelancers on the Internal Revenue Service website if you’re in the U.S. or find the information for your country.
Finally, hiring a freelancer can also free you up to do more of what you need to do to generate more revenue in your business.
If you’re finding that the belief that freelancers are too expensive is holding you back, consider how much time and energy you would have if you outsourced some of the things you don’t like doing.
3. You can hire a freelancer for a few hours a week.
From time to time, I hear my clients wonder whether anyone will apply for their job posting because it’s only a few hours a week.
If you’ve ever wondered this yourself, you’re not alone.
But here’s the thing… People who do freelance work typically have different values than people who want a full-time job.
Freelancers thrive on freedom, flexibility, and variety in their work.
They want freedom in terms of the work that they are doing. They are looking for flexibility in how, when, and where they work. And, they want more control over the variety of work they are doing.
And they know that the price of these things is less stability.
On the other hand, I once heard a podcaster tell her community that you can hire someone for as little as one hour a week.
And while technically that’s true, you’re probably not going to get the best freelancers to apply. At only one hour a week, a freelancer would need to have many, many clients to have a viable income.
The final thing to keep in mind here is that just because you don’t want to work as a freelancer doesn’t mean other people don’t.
When I first started hiring and was still fresh out of a full-time job at a Fortune 500 company, I struggled with this myself. I knew freelancing was something people did, but I’d still think, “Who would want to work only a few hours a week?”
Eventually, I realized that freelancers have multiple clients, so they weren’t relying on me to be their sole income. I also discovered that many of them have other side gigs, passion projects, and hobbies outside of their work.
4. You can get help with the things you hate doing.
So many bloggers and digital entrepreneurs have admitted to me that they feel bad having people help with the things they don’t like to do.
And I really get this on a deeply personal level because I struggled with it in the early days of building my team.
But what I didn’t realize is how much other people love the things that I don't like. And that's what I think is so beautiful about people in general — we’re each so different.
We have different combinations of strengths, personality traits, skills, and experiences. When you put that all together, it can be a really joyful and fulfilling experience for the freelancer to use their gifts in your business.
This has really come to light for me during the last couple of years with respect to recruiting.
For my clients, recruiting a freelancer is very heavy. But to me, it’s light and easy.
When they hire me to recruit for them, I can almost see the weight being lifted off of them. And I get to carry that weight. But to me, it’s not heavy because I have a lot of strengths, experience, and talent in this arena.
5. You’re ready to hire.
If you’ve been waiting to be ready to hire, I’m here to tell you that you may never really be ready.
But, if you’re on the edge of burnout (or way past it)...
If you’re missing out on opportunities in your business because you can’t take on more…
If you are doing all the things you can do instead of the ones that energize you…
You are ready to get some support.
But, just because you’re ready doesn’t mean you know how to get started. I recommend you follow my philosophy and hire slowly.
Hiring your first team member should be a thought-out process, not a knee-jerk reaction to being overwhelmed.
And that’s where I come in.
Ready to Grow Your Team?
If you’re reading through this blog post and thinking — wow, I guess I am ready to hire! — you are at the right place.
Because I can help you. With all of this.
I’ve been exactly where you are. And over the years, I’ve put the work into developing tried-and-true strategies for finding and hiring the best freelancers — something I wish had been available to me when I hired my first virtual assistant back in 2016.
Take a look at how I can help you here. We can work together as much or as little as you want. What matters most is that you get the support you need to make your first hire.
Wondering what else you need to know about hiring freelancers?
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