Your business is growing and it’s time to hire your first employee. It can be a bit daunting to hand over some control over some aspects of your business. You’ll see it’s worth it in the end.

 

In The Beginning

 

When I started Just Sell Homes in 2015, it was a one-man show, as it is for many entrepreneurs in any industry. Originally, my services were much cheaper. I would take care of all of a client’s ads for only $425 per month. Within about 6 months I reached $17,000 in revenue per month. I often gave discounts to friends and family, sometimes as low as $250/month. I had well over 40 clients and was working 12 to 15 hours everyday. 

 

Entrepreneurs run into this issue all the time. We start out undervaluing our product or service, take on every client, and do everything ourselves. This leaves us exhausted, overwhelmed, and overworked. 

 

Once I realized I was undervaluing my services and raised my prices, most of my clients left, with only a couple remaining. My business has grown since and not only did my pricing change, but so did my ideal client profile. Today, we sometimes talk people out of hiring us just as much as take clients on. 

 

Time To Hire

 

So, the business is growing, it’s a one-man show, and you’re working during every waking hour. Maybe you have a significant other. Maybe you have a child on the way. Either way, chance are you’re having difficulty creating a healthy work/life balance. 

 

It’s time to hire someone you can trust to help your business reach new heights while allowing more time for other important things in your life. (I.e. sleep…)

 

Now that you’ve decided to hire, you need to make a list of the main criteria you’re looking for in an employee. Read this blog post to learn more on what to look for in an employee. Next, write up the ad for your job listing.  

 

Time To Type Up Your Ad

 

My top 2 tips for writing up a job listing are:

• Write it in your own voice
• Add a hidden question/request at the bottom of the ad

 

Writing it in your own voice is an easy way to display your company’s culture. It will attract those who can connect with it. Adding a hidden question or request is a great way to narrow down your applicants, especially if you receive a large number of them.

 

For example, a year ago I put out a job listing for a social media marketer. When it comes to hiring, a good work ethic and fitting in well with the Just Sell Homes culture are the most important criteria. When people apply I focus on the cover letter and don’t spend as much time looking at their credentials. 

 

In the job listing, down at the bottom, I asked the applicants to include the name of our private Facebook group. You’d be surprised how quickly we were able to narrow down the applicants. We started with over 100 applicants and narrowed it down to around 15 people in one shot. 

 

Most people mentioned our Facebook page, some said it was a trick question, others simply didn’t mention it. Either people didn’t take the time to really read the ad, or they clearly did not understand the basics of social media. 

 

Extra tip : If you already have employees and are looking for a new hire, pass on your shortlist of applicants to the person they will be working closest with for the initial vetting.  

 

The person we hired not only had experience with social media and presented a detailed pdf with details on how they would improve our platforms, but their cover letter indicated they’d clearly done their homework and connected with the culture of our company. 

 

Just like anything else, it’s a learning process and you’ll find the best and most effective system that works for you and your company. In the end, you want to build a team that will keep things running smoothly even when you have to step away from the office for a longer period of time.

 

We Can Help You

 

“Andrew, you’re right, it’s time to hire my first employee!”

 

We can help create the ad for your job listing and target it to your ideal employee. You can book your free consultation here. We’ll discuss your goals and figure out the best way we can grow your successful team!

 

Got any topics you’d like us to cover in a future episode or a guest you’d like us to sit down with? Let us know in the comments below! You can also reach us on Facebook and Instagram.