4 Signs it might be time to grow your team!
There are many things to consider when looking to grow your team by bringing on another employee or freelancer. As well as this, hiring is a difficult decision and can be a big change for any business. After speaking with many business owners about their experience growing their team, we’ve gathered the top signs it might be time to add to your headcount.
You’re turning away work.
While a ‘Booked out until *4 months time*’ post feels and looks pretty great on Instagram, getting to a point where you’re at or over capacity may mean you have to say no to (or don’t get approached for) amazing opportunities for your business. Freelance, casual or fixed term contract arrangements might be great short-term solutions to get you through a busy phase, or if the enquiries keep flowing and you’re looking to grow, it could be time for a more permanent solution.
Your quality of service is slipping.
Most service-based business owners love being able to deliver excellent customer service. Often it is a key driver behind your business – you knew it could be done better! So, if you notice your service is starting to slip, whether it be response time to enquiries, turnaround time of projects, or following through on your nurture process, it’s time to consider help. Do you need another one of you to be delivering your service to your clients, or do you need an assistant or VA to help you to manage the key touchpoints across your client experience?
You’re being asked for services outside your skillset.
As a business owner it’s important to understand what our key skills are and to niche into those. But if there are services that are well aligned to your core offering, or are services you offer but don’t love doing, it might be time to get someone else involved to take on that piece. You have likely heard that it’s important to hire for your gaps whether that’s in your knowledge, experience or behaviour preferences, and it’s a good rule to live by!
You’re working more than you want to be.
There is no magic number of hours because this will be different for everyone. There is definitely an expectation that business owners will work more than the average employee, but the beauty is that you get to decide what that looks like for you.
Bonus: You love working with others
It’s no secret that being a business owner can be lonely. If you are someone who gets energy from other people, love a good brainstorm session or having the big picture ideas and seeing someone else do all the detailed bits – a team member might be exactly what you need!
The truth of the matter is there is never a perfect time to hire a new staff member. If you’re facing the challenges above though, it’s important to consider looking for a new member of your team to make sure you’re not compromising yours or the rest of your team’s performance. If hiring is a daunting prospect for you, or you just want support in finding the perfect person for your team, we’d be more than happy to help you out.