Starting a business is an exciting and daunting experience. You may believe you are a jack of all trades but this may mean that you are master of none. It is important to know what your strengths are in the business and hire staff members who can fulfil the positions where you are weak. There are six key positions every small business should have fulfilled.
1. General manager
This is the person who oversees the whole business and works on the strategies to improve the various aspects within your business. They are in control of your staff, operations, and customer care.
2. Bookkeeper/ accountant
Cash flow is one of the critical points of keeping a company afloat. You need to know how you are getting money in and how much money you are spending. By having an accountant, they can help you with your financial strategy and they can assist with you being tax compliant.
3. Marketing guru
When you start hiring a marketing employee, it is important to look for someone who is comfortable with all aspects of marketing. You want someone who can look after all your marketing needs. As you grow you can look into getting different people for the different aspects of marketing.
4. Administrative assistant
Admin sometimes stands in the way of entrepreneurs focusing on getting more business or streamlining their products. By hiring an admin assistant or virtual assistant, you will be able to delegate tasks which take your time away from more critical parts of your business.
5. IT technician
Not everyone is a computer whiz. When your systems are down then you will struggle to run your business. Therefore, if you have a tech company or computers are critical to the operation of your business, you may consider having an IT technician on staff.
6. Human resource manager
Hiring and managing people can be complicated. It is important that you know the ins and out of local legislation and that you are on top of your payroll.
When considering hiring for these positions there are four questions to ask yourself:
1. Is my company ready for expansion? It is important to analyse your current growth and see if it is sustainable or a seasonal boost. If it is sustainable growth, then you should look into hiring a full-time employee. If it is a seasonal boost, then you should see where you can get seasonal help from during those times.
It is important to analyse your current growth and see if it is sustainable or a seasonal boost. If it is sustainable growth, then you should look into hiring a full-time employee. If it is a seasonal boost, then you should see where you can get seasonal help from during those times.
2. Which skills are my weakness? You need to become self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Those areas where you are weak are the first areas you should hire employees in. By hiring employees who complement your strengths, you will be less frustrated and save money from not doing things which are not within your primary skill set.
3. Does the new potential employee complement my company’s culture? When hiring employees, it is important to consider their personality as well as their skills. They may be experts in their field but if they cause the rest of your staff to feel inadequate it could be a problem further down the line.
4. Does the employee raise the IQ of my business? When considering to employ a person for your business, you need to hire excellence. You want someone who will help you to do better not bring your business down. Sometimes these employees will be more knowledgeable about their field than you are and that’s OK. You should not be intimidated by the intelligence of your fellow employees.
By answering these questions, you will be well on your way to hiring premium staff for your business.
In conclusion, when your business begins to grow, you need to seriously consider the six positions highlighted above and who will fulfil them. It is also important to consider hiring slow and before the need arises so that your staff member will be ready and the best fit for your business.
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