Congratulations! The loans were obtained, papers have been signed, the website was launched, employees were hired, and perhaps even profit was made: You’ve started your own business.
You’ve gone through the most trying first years of starting your small business and you know exactly how much sleep, missed family events, and foregone fun and peace of mind it cost to get you where you are today.
You now have some employees to help you take your business to the next level and you are looking forward to taking time to get back to non-business life.
But you don’t. If you are like many small business owners just passing the first, harsh years of starting up and entering the stage of growth and establishment, you now have hard-won staff assistance but are still working yourself to the bone trying to make sure everything is “just right.” Here are 4 tips to grow your business by hiring staff.
1. Trust Your Staff
You hired your staff for several reasons: Skills, experience, or character. Whatever motivated you to hire them should be the reason why you can trust them to do their job now.
Let your staff answer the emails, design the new flyer, conduct the demo, make the house-call, while you devote your time to do the things they can’t do: handle the difficult tasks, take care of business expansion and product development.
Handle the time as wisely as you had to do when you started.
2. Don’t Micro-Manage
As a business owner, you always want to make sure the work is done with the same quality that you would have ensured. But you can’t. And you shouldn’t.
Owners who have worked, sweat, and bled for their business are still working, sweating, and bleeding even when they have employees to assist.
At some point, you have to accept releasing some control to your employees. For that purpose, make a list of the tasks you absolutely have to do yourself vs what can be transferred to your employees.
3. Review Your Employees Periodically
Probationary periods, formal reviews, and a clear system where owners can periodically check up on projects should always be a part of adding and keeping your staff.
You can design a timely system of project review/ performance that provides you with enough assurance that work is being accomplished and provides your employees the time to accomplish the task.
4. Communicate About Your Business’ Next Level
It’s important to communicate the next steps of your business in order to help your employees have an idea of where the company is headed.
This will help them grow and develop, as they take on more responsibilities. It will also reinforce the sense of belonging and ownership, which are key factors to staff retention.