I’m heading out the door to the airport to go to our home in Palm Springs with my hubby and the kiddos. Vancouver weather has been depressingly grey, so sunshine, here we come!
The mad rush to get the kids ready and make sure we’ve got everything on our list was so much easier this time because for the first time ever, we’re bringing our nanny on vacation too!
I’m beaming with excitement and feel blessed that we can afford the luxury. A little over a year ago I was hesitant to hire a nanny. I was worried about the cost, the idea of having someone else living in our home and if I’m completely honest, part of me thought I’d be less of a “mom” if I got help.
Maybe you can relate.
Maybe you’ve been on the fence about hiring help in your business. Knowing that it would make your life way easier, but concerned about
… the cost
… trusting someone else to be part of a business that you’ve worked so hard to create
… feeling that you should be able to do it on your own.
You’ve heard the saying “it takes a village to raise a child.”
What about carrying that belief over into your business?
You don’t need to go it alone. Hard work alone isn’t going to make you successful. Just like me making school sandwiches doesn’t make me a better mom.
You may not have the ability in the early stages of your business to afford much help, but one of the best investments you can make in your long-term success is to start building your success team.
Who should be part of your long-term success team?
1. A mentor/coach. Leading you down the shortest, fastest route to achieving your goals.
2. Virtual Assistant. Even if you can only afford a few hours per week, hiring a VA will save you countless hours in “figuring out all things tech” and take away the dreaded tasks that suck up all your time and energy. All those administrative tasks that take time but don’t result in income.
3. Web designer/graphic designer. Although I don’t recommend brand new online business owners to create a traditional website until they’ve monetized their business first, but it’s important to have a visual representation of high-end brand if you want to sell high-end offers. This could even start with simple well put together FB post graphics.
4. Lead Generator/Ads Expert. Learning to generate leads on your own in the beginning is key. It’s a skill set that will carry over to multiple businesses. But you can’t maintain your focus on keeping up with this as your business grows. Having someone on your team who focuses 100% on lead generation such as Facebook ads is worth it’s weight in gold. Lower lead costs and tracking to make sure you don’t set it and forget it only to realize you’re no longer making a return on your investment. This way you are always staying on top of new ways to bring in dream client leads.
5. Copywriter. Writing compelling copy is a skill set you want to master on your own first, but once you’ve mastered it and your business gets busier and profitable, it’s time to outsource.
So who do you hire first?
Great question!
I would begin with help on strategy. Hiring a coach or working with a mentor to help you compress your timeline. The investment in a business coach will save you thousands of dollars and time spent on “figuring it out” on your own.
Maybe you don’t feel ready yet. You want to first build a baseline or get that next client to pay for a coach. But what if hiring the coach was the very thing that would get you earning the consistent income in the first place?
If you can’t afford 1:1 support yet, then invest in a self-study program to walk you through step-by-step the initial set up of an online business like 90 Days to Getting Booked and Getting Paid.
Next, you’ll want to hire a VA to take over some of your basic tasks that are time-consuming and not producing any income. These include scheduling, client contracts, posting, FB group management, simple page set ups like opt-in pages, sending out newsletters, copy editing, autoresponder set up, follow up on payments, etc. You can start with packages as little as a few hours per month and expect to pay anywhere from $10-$75 per hour depending on level of expertise and experience.
Next, you’ll want to get a basic graphics package to start with before building out your entire website. You want to feel confident in the look and feel of your brand, because that way you’ll show up in a much bigger way when you do.
From there, your next hires will depend on your business model, your zone of genius and the speed in which you want to grow.
Just remember you do not need to do this alone. You do not need to do everything.
Success comes with leveraging the expertise of others and staying in your zone of genius.
It’s mission critical as a business owner to master Marketing and Sales. You can’t just spend your time mastering your craft as a coach, consultant, graphic designer, copywriter, or ____________ (fill in the blank).
A business only becomes successful and sustainable when leads are coming in, sales are being made and clients are happy.
Hire before you’re ready and make decisions from where you are going not from where you are now.
What’s one thing you would love to get off your plate right now?
P.S. Looking for a streamlined way to master your marketing and sales so you can be bringing in dream client leads, build a raving fan base (aka FB group) and sign up perfect-for-you clients on the regular? Keep your eyes open, I’ve got a Grow Your FB Group 2.0 free mini course coming, just for you. Click here to get on the waitlist.
