A Personal Note from Susan
I was inspired to write on the topic "To Hire or Not to Hire" upon returning from my two-week family vacation, where I unplugged for the entire trip. Although I could spend this entire newsletter writing about how wonderful our time was, I'll just share these few images and let you see for yourself. I've owned and operated my advertising agency, Lighthouse Marketing, since 2001, and over the past 14 years, I've had up to four team members, full-time, working in my home office. During that phase, my business grew to just under one million in gross revenue...exciting times to say the least! I so enjoyed having a team of incredibly talented and capable individuals to bounce ideas past, share responsibilities with, and to cover for me while I traveled (they even helped care for our pets while we were away). Now, although I have some amazing strategic partners, including a virtual assistant (shout out to Laura Abert, President of Chair2Marketing www.chair2marketing.com) who was instrumental in the successful launch of my new business, Tap Into Your Center, I no longer have employees. I actually enjoy the peace of working in solitude, the reduced pressure of covering payroll, and the speed at which I can change my mind and move my business in new directions. The downside, I had two weeks' worth of mail to sort, bookkeeping to catch up on, and tons of client responsibilities to attend to - not to mention we had to bring our cat Tootsie with us on vacation. :) So, what's my point, which do I recommend? To Hire or Not to Hire. That is the Question! I will share that with most business decisions, there are pros and cons to either side. My professional opinion is that if your business is growing steadily, and you have a strong desire to grow from a multi-six figure to a half million or more in revenue, you most likely will benefit from having a full-time team. It all begins with that first hire, even part-time if you are nervous about covering payroll, or being responsible for another human being. What I have found to be true, for myself and many other business owners, is that once you make the commitment to hire, and adjust your expenses accordingly, the business and revenue show up. Not sure why or how this works but it has to do with setting the intention and taking the leap.
If you'd like to reach out and schedule a virtual cup of coffee to bounce this idea around, I'm happy to be your sounding board! Much love,P.S. Stay connected with me, (and read lots of informative & inspiring content) by clicking "like" on my Facebook page here. |