I just returned from the NAMS10 conference in Atlanta (Novice to Advanced Marketing Systems) where, in a closed mastermind 
meeting, the recurring question about hiring help ended up on the table. The small business owner who asked the question made the following points:
- She is running 4 separate businesses from her home (with her husband helping in two of them).
- She is working 12 to 16 hours a day and can't begin to get everything done.
- She is a home-based business owner and isn't so sure how she feels about having someone work in her home.
- She has considered getting office space but will lose time and money if she does that.
- She doesn't know if she needs a personal, on location assistant or a virtual assistant.
- She feels like by the time she trains someone she “may as well do it herself.”
Does this sounds familiar to you? As we provided suggestions for this business owner it become clear that three things were getting in her way of moving her business forward and getting more sleep herself.
- Her perfectionism keeps her from letting go of work she should have handed off a long time ago.
- She is very resistant to taking the time for setting up systems and business operations. (All her systems are in her head).
- She isn't up to speed on what constitutes an employee versus a contract worker.
We all have different working styles, and we need to take these styles into account as we ramp up our businesses. Some of us are comfortable having someone work in our home-based business office and like the idea of a personal assistant. Some can't imagine working with someone virtually – thousands of miles and several time zones away. Almost all of us have to do the personal growth of learning to systematize our business, battle perfectionist tendencies, and delegate.
Entrepreneurs are great at thinking no one can do it better than us. We are wrong! Without getting someone else to handle portions of your business you literally will never be able to grow. Resistance to letting go often surfaces in a statement like, “I just can't afford to hire someone even part-time right now.” The real truth is, if you are pulling the weight of 4 separate businesses you cannot afford NOT to hire someone. And you can't afford not to get a lot better at setting up your systems, too!
As you staff up, get clear about what constitutes an employee versus a contract worker. There are substantial tax penalties for small business owners who say they have contract workers but actually have employees – and the Internal Revenue Service will be more than happy to point out the error of your ways. Here's a link from the IRS that gives you tips about employees versus independent contractors. If you're considering hiring someone to work from your home, here's an article written from the employee's point of view about how to set up your home.
The bottom line? Spend your time doing what creates income – that's not usually shuffling papers or hiding out on social media. If you want to grow your business find people who can support you, do the things that are eating up your time, and take care of the things you aren't particularly great at or don't like to do. Is it usually a stretch financially and personal growth wise? Yes! You didn't think you'd build a business without taking risk and changing, did you? 🙂
By the way, if you want to attend the next NAMS (February, 2014 in Atlanta) you can use my affiliate link to early-bird register by clicking here. It's one conference I rarely miss! And if you secretly know you need help but keep telling yourself you can't do it, consider an hour of strategy time with me – we'll get to the bottom of the question and develop a plan.
Hi Sue. Thanks for this post about an issue so close to my business heart! I need help in my business but my issue is this: I’m having trouble transitioning from start up to steady income producing business (so that I can contract with a virtual assistant and feel secure about making my payment every month). I feel stuck…between a rock (start up erratic income) and a hard place (need to get help to help the business grow). Besides a V.A. I’d like to be able to spend some project money for web development and graphics design work, not a huge amount but still needs some bucks. Currently my biz pays for itself and that entails monthly fees for social media automation (HootSuite), email management (AWeber), business networking (BizNik), hosting and domain registration, and two mentoring programs (Get It Done Right and Action Plan Marketing).
Any suggestions for me? Right now I am intently focused on getting more paid work and I’m considering doing some freelancing work through a couple of directories/sites (e.g. Elance, Warrior Forum, etc.) and taking up substitute teaching again to get a bigger weekly income and project bankroll for moving forward with assistance.
Warm regards,
Kate
P.S. I’d like my future budget to include the expenses for attending a couple of live events like NAMS. I feel it’s so essential to be able to meet and connect F2F.
Hi Kate,
It might be that you didn’t have deep enough pockets when you started your business, there was no budget built in at the beginning to get the help you needed that you really can’t do yourself. In that case, your idea to work freelance part time and save what you need very faithfully, reinvesting it in your business, could work. But I would keep that to a minimum time frame each week and look at how long you realistically think you could do it without sacrificing the opportunity cost of marketing your own business and taking on new work within your own business. That’s the trick and the balancing act.
Sue Painter
Sue – No one can do everything, be great at everything, or handle everything for their business all by themselves AND be able to serve their clients well — at least without becoming ridiculously exhausted, burnt out, and delirious!
The best piece of advice I ever received was to hire help BEFORE you need it. It has helped me grow my business and hire employees!
I love that you’re bringing the fears many small business owners have about hiring help to the front of this conversation and providing some resources.
A considerable amount of thought needs to go into how to build your team. You bring up a few of them in this article.
Sue, I wish everyone had the mindset to realize how important it is to have help. Even though most of us here are “solo entrepreneurs,” I realized very quickly that I needed help – especially with the tech stuff. For several months just about every penny I earned went back to pay my support but she helped me grow my business so much quicker than I ever could have fooling around with stuff that I didn’t “get.” Great post!
Good tips. I have heard this said many times and I believe it. You are here to do your mission in life and you need to do it. But other people have their mission and you are cheating them of the opportunity to do it if you do their job also. So delegate and hire the help you need.
Sue, I’m glad you mention perfectionist because this holds many women back! and there is a pill for that! seriously…it could be a sign of low serotonin and tryptophan is amazing! I’m a reformed perfectionist so I get it! This, plus imposter syndrome/”who am I to be doing this” and anxiety – also signs of low serotonin – hold up a lot of women. Perhaps this woman you discuss needs support in this area too!
Thanks for the IRS links Sue! Those are very helpful.
You’re welcome, Jessica.
Sue
Great advice Sue – I agree our job as the business owner is to “Spend your time doing what creates income!”
I agree, Sue! You can’t afford not to hire some help as a small business owner. You cannot do everything yourself and the sooner you realize it, the better off you’ll be.
Tiffany, I know you practice what you preach, isn’t it amazing how much time it frees up?
Sue, this is excellent advice. I know that I work much better when I have others with me, not just helping but helping with ideas! They are great to brainstorm with.
Mary Ellen,
Yes, I love ideas from team members.
Sue