3 Proven Hiring Tips that Will Help Your Small Business Grow

When I talk with small business owners about the issues they’re facing, time and time again the same topic comes up: hiring. Whether they’re trying to find the right person to fill a particular role or they’re trying to get help for an understaffed team, many small business owners are finding it challenging to build the team that will drive their company forward and help them grow.

I completely understand why hiring is such a challenge, especially for a small business. Not only is the hiring market itself difficult to navigate right now, but the stakes are higher for a small business owner. Unlike a company with hundreds of employees, each person you bring onto your team has the potential to make a huge impact, both to your culture and to your bottom line.

This challenge can be compounded by the fact that size does in fact matter. When a candidate joins a large, well-established team, they know exactly what they’re signing on for. Their role really won’t change unless they get promoted to a new role. For some, this structure is comforting; for others, it’s stifling.

One of the constants in a growing small business is change, and it’s essential to find employees who are comfortable with and thrive on the variety and challenge that comes with growth. It can take a bit longer to find the superstars you’re looking for – the ones who will stand beside you and fill in the gaps as they appear – but the process is worth it. I’d love to share some tips to help you navigate these challenges!

Tip 1: Get Clear on Who You Need

As your small business grows, you’ll find that your team members will often need to wear multiple hats – and which hats they wear will fluctuate. My company has grown from just me and a small team of VAs to a team of 20+ in just 3 ½ years, and the roles have changed quite a bit in that time.

When we first started out, I was wearing a lot of hats. I wrote the marketing material, researched the marketing tactics, handled the sales, managed client care and service, planned and produced our courses, did all of the promotion, and worked closely with my Bookkeeper to manage the money. I wrote and revised the business plan, created a lot of our systems, and kept track of my emails and schedule.

It was a lot of work, but in that first year – which incidentally was also the year the pandemic hit – my company went from $0 to $1 million.

As we approached this point, I got serious about hiring. My first two hires were an Executive Assistant and a Client Happiness Coordinator. Both of those superstars are still with me today, but in different roles.

You see, I don’t just look for a single skillset when I hire. I look for traits, perspectives, and abilities that will allow them to fill different roles as we grow. I look for people who understand both the rollercoaster and the unique benefits of being part of a dynamic, growing team.

Tip 2: Communicate Your Core Values

Even when we go through challenging times, one thing I consistently hear from my team members is how much they love being part of our team. That might sound like a humble brag, but it’s true.

I currently have team members from North America, Central America, Europe, and Asia. In the past year or two I’ve also had team members from Africa and South America. We also work with various vendors who are located in various places. All of these people have different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and strengths – but what we share is our Core Values.

Building and managing a virtual team comes with its challenges (just like running an in-house team does), but getting clear on and communicating your Core Values will pave the way toward finding the amazing team members who align with your vision, your values, and your goals.

When you’re growing a small business, having a team that aligns with you is essential. Skills can be taught – alignment and attitude really can’t. So before you hire that new team member, really take the time to dig in and ask questions to find out if the person is in alignment with your Core Values!

Tip 3: Create a Hiring Plan that Fits Your Goals

This one sounds like it should be pretty obvious, but it’s a step that often gets overlooked – either because the owner is too busy or because they just don’t know how to do it.

This is completely understandable. It certainly wasn’t something I was taught in law school!

Building your hiring plan really is necessary, though. It’s something that I build into my business plan, and I update that plan quarterly. I know who I need, which roles I’ll need them to fill, and what finances and systems we’ll need to have in place to bring them on.

However, we also don’t wait until we absolutely need that person to start looking for them. Finding, vetting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding the right person can take anywhere from weeks to months, so we have a consistent pipeline open to help us find the right person at the right time.

We also have systems already set in place to efficiently and effectively onboard new team members, both to get them up to speed on their role quickly and to help them find where they fit on our team. We can’t always control when we’ll find the right person, but once we do, we can help them find success in their role quickly!

Back to creating the hiring plan: you might be wondering how we actually do this. Honestly, it’s a blend of analysis and communication. Here are several things I consider:

• While I’m updating my business plan every quarter, I think through who I’m going to need to help me meet our goals.
• I update our GAP Analysis to see who we have in various roles and how well they are doing as compared to how important the position is.  This helps us determine an objective GAP number that can then aid in establishing the urgency to fill various roles.
• I also talk regularly with my COO and department heads, both to get their perspectives and to make sure I’m not missing anything. Different personalities and strengths lend themselves to different roles, and getting those perspectives from the people who work directly with the tasks involved is incredibly helpful.
• Lastly, I review my numbers and talk with members of my Financial Team to get their insights. This is an essential part of building your strategy! There are tons of people I would LOVE to HIRE (and in fact I have several in the pipeline), but I have to make sure it is in alignment with our numbers.

Taking the time each quarter to update our Hiring Plan is vital to telling us where we are and what is coming!

By the way – if you would like help creating and implementing the strategy that will work best for you, please contact us – our Strategy, Systems, and Financial Coaches are happy to help you develop that!

As you approach the process of building your team, remember the tips above – they’ll save you a lot of trial and error that can affect your growth!