2025 is now underway and no doubt growth is high on your list of priorities this year and one question may be do you recruit your first employee? And with there being 5.45 million small businesses in 2024 you’re probably not alone!
I wrote a blog last month highlighting the 5 signs that could indicate your ready for a VA however if that option doesn’t work for you, you may want to consider recruiting your first employee. As scary as this may sound, it could be the level of support you need to push your business forward.
Here are my 5 signs to look for:
You have work piling up that’s not getting done
You must consider if you actually have enough work to justify the extra help and if that will be that case for the foreseeable future. If this a random spike in business you are looking to cover or a seasonal spike, I suggest you check out our 5 Signs you may need a VA blog, but if not, this is one of the biggest indicators that you are ready to recruit your first employee.
Your financial position is a strong one
You must make sure you have the money to pay your new employee. Up to now, if you’ve had a tough month, you can make decisions as to what you pay yourself and what you put back into the business, when you take on an employee they need paying, good month or bad! I was given the advice when I set up to aim for 3 to 6 months wages in the bank before you hire. This gives you a bit of a safety blanket and should allow you to sleep at night.
You are turning down work
There are only so many hours in a day and one of you. Being busy is great, however, if you are losing work due to not being able to get it booked in a timely manner then I would strongly suggest this is a time to recruit your first employee.
You need to free up your time
If you find you are regularly losing days of the week to tasks that are not revenue generating or don’t fulfil you, this is a sign it may be time to recruit. As the business gets bigger and busier, so too does that list of back office and admin tasks. Ask yourself if the best use of your time is sending invoices and payment reminders or would you be better out networking and building the brand while someone back in the office can do the keyboard leg work.
You lack skills in a particular area
With the best will in the world no single person is an expert in every field. Is there an area in your business that would benefit from an expert? Very much like I did when I first brought Emily onboard, her HR knowledge is far superior to mine, so it made sense to bring her in to build that.
Trust me I know how scary it can seem taking the leap for the first time, but when you have done it, you’ll wonder why you were ever worried about it. I’d love to help as may small business owners as possible this year with hiring their first employee and remember it doesn’t have to be full time!