From Soloprenuer to CEO: How to prepare to bring on employees
You can no longer deny it. You’re ready to transition from Soloprenuer to CEO! The numbers are saying what you have been thinking and it looks like it’s time to start hiring. Business growth is natural and a positive thing in every sense. However, learning how to manage growth will make or break your business.
With growth comes the need for an extra headcount and along with that comes increased risks. Often, small businesses do not have dedicated HR departments and that usually means that people who are already busy will have to pitch in. This is bound to reduce efficiency. Here are some tips on how to keep your business on track as you prepare for your transition From Soloprenuer to CEO.
Take Stock of your Process and your People
Before diving into any major changes, it is recommended to audit your existing staff and determine if everyone is positioned in their optimal role and are operating at maximum efficiency. Adding more workers when your existing businesses processes aren’t nailed down can sometimes do more harm than good. I recommended taking time before opening the hiring process to assess if certain employees can function more efficiently – maybe in different roles or perhaps with just different tasks. When it comes to hiring, the key is making sure that you have established businesses processes in place with existing team members operating at optimal efficiencies.
Determine Your Biggest Need
Now it’s time to assess what new role needs to be filled in your business to create the biggest impact. Does the new role facilitate more sales generation? Or does the existing team need assistance? Be clear on the specific need and provide exactly that. Think about whether these roles need to be full time? If they can be handled part-time or by a contractor, there may be cost savings. Depending on the type of business you operate, try to forecast when you will need to hire e.g. A wedding planning company can forecast high seasons and can more easily identify a need for part-time or contracted staff for this period.
Build a Recruiting Process That Scales
It is important to understand what you value about your company culture before you start hiring. You’ll want this to come through clearly in your job description to ensure that this culture that you value remains intact. Also, make sure that your business’s values and missions shine through in the job description. This will ensure that an interested applicant will know what they’re signing up for and can increase your chances of finding a great fit.
Word of mouth travels and happy employees will spread the message so that you will have a greater number of talent to choose from every time you hire. As you grow, attempt to automate your hiring process where possible including areas like social media outreach and automated candidate messaging.
Be Thorough in your Onboarding
Employee onboarding is just as critical as the hiring process. A solid onboarding process helps to ensure that your new hire doesn’t feel lost, unwanted, or feel as if they’ve been tossed in the deep end. A solid onboarding helps facilitate a smooth transition into their new role.
Successful onboarding will not only set up new hires for success but it will also help boost their chances of staying around and increase their productivity! Set strong expectations with your new hire on their first day, work with them and show them exactly what your goals are and what success looks like. This will help them feel a part of the team right away and motivate them further to go a good job and contribute right away.
Starting a business and growing a business are extremely different things. As such, hiring is a process that you want to strive for to help your company evolve and become larger and more established. It is important to formalize your businesses processes, evaluate your existing workload, and determine your current capabilities to prepare yourself for growth, hiring, and your transition from Soloprenuer to CEO.
