Should you hire employees as a solo business owner? What about outsourcing to contractors? Can you successfully do business as an individual without employees… and what if you don’t WANT to hire employees as a solo business owner?
We’re going to answer these questions in this blog post!
The article originally appeared as the July 6, 2024 edition of the Solopreneur Diary Entries weekly newsletter.
It’s been about 14 years since I started my business, and I would estimate that close to 95% of business owners I’ve met have this one very specific (and misguided) belief about *productivity and success* in business:
They think they need to hire a team.
They believe that if they continue on as a one-person business, it means that they are “playing small” (often because other people have made them feel bad about being a solo business owner, like it’s “not good enough”).
They believe that the only way they can enjoy true time freedom is by hiring contractors or employees to help them out.
They believe that the “next required step” to growing their business is to have people working for them.
“What if I don’t WANT to hire employees as a solo business owner?”
There’s nothing wrong with hiring contractors or employees, IF that’s what you genuinely WANT as a business owner.
…But too many business owners do it for the wrong reasons:
Too many business owners hire employees because they think it’s the “only” way or the “best” way.
Too many business owners hire employees because they think they “should” do it — not because they genuinely love the idea of managing people and leading a team and overseeing all of those interactions (including being responsible for those people’s livelihoods).
“Can I successfully do business as an individual without employees?”
Yes, and here’s why:
Hiring a team is NOT a replacement for having good (sustainable, long-lasting, right-for-you) systems and processes.
When you don’t have the right business foundations in place, hiring a team can actually make everything a whole lot WORSE rather than easier!
It can REDUCE your productivity and HINDER your success.
That’s the caveat: Your business foundations need to be strong and healthy if you want to successfully do business as an individual; as a solopreneur…
…But even if your business foundations are NOT strong and healthy, you’re simply going to set yourself up for trouble if you try to do the (misguided) “quick fix” of hiring employees instead.
So even if you like the idea of hiring a team, make sure you start with strong, stable business foundations!
Make sure your business runs smoothly as a one-person operation.
Make sure you understand all of the inner workings of your business at a deep level.
When you do this, you might very well realize that you don’t want to hire a team, after all — you can quite easily manage it all yourself!
(Or, if you DO decide you still want to hire a team, you’ll be able to bring them into a wonderful environment they can flourish in, in which they can help your business thrive even more.)
Pssst… Did you know I have a free, on-demand training that helps you map out your business foundations using anti-hustle, personality-based productivity methodologies?
SHOULD you hire employees as a solo business owner?
A huge aspect of this question — just like many others! — ALWAYS comes down to determining what it is that YOU want for your own life and business. This can be tricky when external factors are trying to tell you what you “should” want (but that’s a topic for another day)!
Should YOU hire employees as a solo business owner? It depends:
- Do you prefer working alone or in a team environment?
- Do you love the idea of growing your business into an empire, or are you more interested in having a lifestyle business (where you don’t need to factor in a bunch of other people)?
- Do you have management and leadership experience, and/or an interest in learning those skills?
- Are you prepared for being responsible for other people’s livelihoods?
- Are you thinking about hiring employees because you genuinely want to do it, OR is it because you feel frazzled in your business and it seems like the “only” or “best” way to get back on track?
These are just a few of the questions to ask yourself when identifying whether you should hire employees as a solo business owner (Stay tuned for a future blog post, when we’ll be exploring this through the lens of HOW to decide whether to stay solo or hire employees).
It is a very personal decision, and not one to be taken lightly!
What to do before deciding whether you should hire employees as a solo business owner…
Remember: The most important thing to keep in mind is that you need to start with strong business foundations first, BEFORE you even think about hiring employees.
You are never too beginner OR too advanced to check in on your business foundations and make sure they are strong and sustainable. Revisiting your business systems and processes regularly is, in fact, a wonderful way to ensure you continue to have excellent work/life balance while achieving your goals!
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when assessing your business foundations…
- Is there a purpose to every single system, process, tactic, and strategy in my business? (When you identify the purpose, check that THAT purpose also has a purpose!)
- What would happen to my business if I removed any of these foundational components? (This is a handy way to determine what’s truly necessary and how everything interlocks together)
- Is this the most streamlined and simplified version of each system and process, or can it be improved upon? (Spoiler alert — it can almost ALWAYS be improved upon!)
If you asked yourself the above questions and realized that your solopreneur business foundations need a little love…
…Or if you’re eager to see just how much you can accomplish as a solopreneur, without needing to go through the hassle of hiring contractors or a team (because you don’t WANT to hire employees as a solo business owner!)...
…then I’ve got just the thing for you: Productivity Powerhouse!
Productivity Powerhouse is the best productivity e-course for solopreneurs...
You’ll learn how to create the perfect-for-you business model, complete with your business plan, systems and processes, strategies and tactics, schedule and time management methods, and more:
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It originally appeared as the July 6, 2024 edition of the Solopreneur Diary Entries weekly newsletter.
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