How do you know when it’s the right time to grow a team? Back when I first started my business, I can remember asking myself this question — and even asking other people! I had no idea when I should take the plunge.
It was something I was pretty nervous about. You’re building your business and it’s your first employee! Do you even know how to manage someone else? How to delegate to them? Can you afford to do it?
There are so many questions that run through your head.
If that sounds like you, I hope this post takes some of the pressure off! Here are a few ways that you can tell if you’re ready to grow a team.
You’ve Reached Your Hourly Maximum
Are you working so hard in your business that you are working more than 8 hours a day, every day? Are you able to take weekends and holidays off? Do you sometimes find yourself working well into the middle of the night — or getting up before everyone else in the house to have more time to work?
If you can’t physically work any more hours, but you’re still not reaching your income goals…that’s a pretty good sign that it’s time to grow a team!
You might also want to consider raising your prices. But I have a feeling that you need some extra help. Raising your prices only helps so much. You may find that no matter how high your prices are, you still have a steady influx of work that you can never quite seem to finish.
You end the day feeling like you still have so much left to accomplish, and you’re burnt out and stressed.
Hiring a team member will help relieve some of that stress so that you can focus on the top-level tasks that are making you the most money.
You might also want to try reducing your current workload if it’s way too much. Ideally, you don’t want to have to work more than a regular full-time job (40 hours per week). You may even want to work less (that’s totally okay!).
Having a team can help you do that.
Related: What Types of Employees Should You Have on Your Team?
You’re Overwhelmed with Minutia
Do you find yourself spending way too much time doing things like…sending invoices? Answering emails? Posting on social media? Formatting emails and blog posts?
Things that, while important, are taking up way too much time on your already-full plate?
The great thing about having a team is that you can offload some of the administrative and “busy” work so that you can focus on the things you love doing.
Your business should allow you to be creative and shine in your area of expertise. You shouldn’t have to focus on other stuff that someone else is more than capable of doing for you — things like arranging meetings, scheduling Instagram posts, and responding to FAQs.
Your Growth Shows No Signs of Stopping
Has your business been growing month after month with no seeming end in sight? Are you scaling? Are you launching new things frequently?
If your business is trending upwards and you’re consistently growing every month, it might be time to hire some help!
If you are going to get nothing but busier, that’s a good sign that you should grow a team now before you’re so overwhelmed that you don’t have time anymore.
Having a team is a whole new chapter of your business, and it takes some patience and a little bit of time to get it set up correctly. If you know now that your business is going to keep expanding, it’s time to start the hiring process.
Get everything in place so that when you start to get even busier, you already have a team there to help you. You don’t want to scramble to hire and train someone at the last minute while you’re drowning in work.
Related: How to Launch a New Service in Just Six Steps
You Think You’re Not Ready Yet
You know how people say that “there’s no right time to have a baby”? Well, I think the same thing is true with a team. You will never feel 100% ready.
If you keep saying “once I do X I’ll hire someone” or “once I get Y it’ll be time to grow a team,” that is a sign of nothing else besides the fact that you’re putting it off.
The biggest piece of advice I can give you is that you will never feel completely ready and it’s SO much better to start the process before you feel like you absolutely need to.
The alternative is that you wait until you’re so overwhelmed and busy that you can’t even take 5 minutes out of your day to think about hiring someone — nevermind properly onboard or train them.
That’s a position that you do NOT want to be in.
Get ahead of the curve and grow a team now before it’s too late.
You’re Profitable and You Can Afford It
Obviously, having a team costs money. So you need to be able to set aside a certain percentage of your revenue to go towards paying for that team. The amount is totally different for every situation, so I don’t have a recommendation for how much.
But if you’re consistently making a profit every month, that’s a great sign that you’re ready! Use that profit to pay for your new team members.
The great thing about when you grow a team is that your team members allow you to take on more work, complete projects more efficiently, and ultimately make even more money.
I could never have a 6-figure business without my team. Having their help is what allows me to take on the number of clients that I have. If it was just me, I’d have to settle for a low income or have prices so high that I’d feel like I was scamming people! Or I’d have to scale in a different way and not be able to help people by providing services anymore.
By growing my team, I have been able to keep my work hours from getting too crazy, focus on the high-level strategy I am good at, and expand my business. My team has helped me reach so many goals, and I’ve set even bigger ones to achieve!
So now it’s time to ask yourself: are you ready to grow a team? I know it’s scary to consider, but it can ultimately lead your business to so much more. I’m so excited for this next step in your business!
