Confession:
I waited THREE YEARS to hire an executive assistant. I was overwhelmed, could barely keep up with my schedule, and losing control by the time I hired her… but it took me THAT long to get over myself and my completely nonsensical worry that I would not be able to pay her, or find enough for her to do. HAH! What a riot. She helped me make so much extra time that I DOUBLED my income that year.
THE MOMENT I hired her, my game CHANGED and I stepped into a more powerful future. Once I did, and a year went by with a totally transformed mindset – I hired three more people: we have a director of operations, a community director and a head designer in house now, and guess what? WE ARE ABOUT TO HIRE a superstar coach, too.
Let’s just say I now consider myself a pro. First, because I have already had to let go of people, and gleaned some insights there, but more importantly, because I have fully come to understand and embrace the power of hiring UP as part of growing UP in your business.
I hope you can hire someone to help you soon. To get you started, here are some best tips:
JUST DO IT.
Yeah, in the words of my favorite team, Nike (hi, friends!) — as I learned with my very first hire – STOP WAITING SO LONG AND JUST GO FOR IT. If your business is earning a cent over $100k per year, hire a virtual assistant RIGHT NOW. Now, I can’t tell you how to profile this as I know neither your business, nor your level of organization, but I can say ASK FOR REFERRALS from people you trust and you should be ok. DO NOT GUESSTIMATE, though – go through 3 months together with a contractor (easier hires than in house) and if it works, great. If it doesn’t– KEEP MOVING.
WHEN YOU NEED A SPECIFIC ROLE FILLED, BE SPECIFIC
I like to say my job descriptions are not ambitious but they are detailed because what I 100% know is WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO DO.
In fact, I outline a task list for prospects and go through each point to gauge qualifications. Then, post-hire, I watch them in action. This, by the way, takes care of training, too – and eventually will be our SOP: our standard operating procedure for hiring and onboarding.
A tiny disclaimer here: keep it professional. Assistants and operations managers do not pick up dry cleaning. Most of us aren’t running a business like the Kardashians and people don’t appreciate that. TREAT PEOPLE AS YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO TREAT YOU.
DO NOT HIRE ANOTHER “YOU”
I never work with, nor would I marry, someone with my behavior style. Don’t get me wrong – I am awesome. But I really need diversity. I need people who are even more methodical and by the book than I am, who may have a slower pace but are meticulous, and who do not need to be as front and center.
So to anyone out there who hires people because they remind them of themselves… this seemingly innocent perception: “If they’re like me, then they’ll work as hard as me,” – is wrong. It’s not their business. It’s yours. At best, they will take everything they learn from you and just start another company. At worst, it will be a warped and unethical version of that.
WHEN YOU ARE READY, HIRE MORE.
My most recent hire has the title of Director of Operations. It may sound grandiose from a business coach, but you know what? That’s what we need: we have complex systems in place, a two-pronged business that evolves, we run events every month and we serve hundreds of people. THAT IS THE LEVEL AT WHICH WE HAVE ARRIVED and it must be met with real talent.
This year, I finally embraced that who I envisioned hiring was in fact connected to the size of my dream.
I urge you to do the same. DO NOT GET STUCK thinking “small is beautiful,” it’s not why you started this. Please get excited and take the plunge. Remember, my first assistant helped me DOUBLE my income in one year and that was even with how short-sighted I was at the time. It is YOUR time to take YOUR business to the next level.
If this email was useful to you and you are ready to gain access to this level of thinking for your business and to more concrete know-how just like this, join me for my upcoming free training session this Wednesday, 3.8.23, at NOON CENTRAL USA TIME:
OVERCOMING THE 5 OBSTACLES TO RISING TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF YOUR BUSINESS
This Live Training will teach you what the 5 wrong moves are that most entrepreneurs make that block their Zone of Genius and hinder their rise to FULL potential.
Are you READY?
| I AM READY TO SIGN UP! |
See you there,
Coach Keren