Solopreneur Tips: Having Successful Employees

As a solopreneur, you might have started your business alone to see if your strategy, service, or product can work out successfully. However, there comes a time, if your business is growing in revenue and traffic, that you may be open to creating a team and welcoming employees onboard. Here are some steps to follow to promise a smooth transition from one person to a team. 

Determine If You Are a Solopreneur or Entrepreneur 

As a solopreneur, you are managing your whole business. This means you aren’t only running the business, you are also operating as an employee; instead of delegating tasks, you are the task-maker and task-doer. In special cases, a solopreneur might hire a contractor to perform certain tasks. On the other hand, entrepreneurs begin their business as a solo venture but eventually hire a staff to whom they can delegate projects to. Entrepreneurs step into managerial roles while solopreneurs stay open to all aspects of their business.  

Network for the Right Employee Fit 

As a solopreneur, you are passionate about your business, so you need to find people who also share that same excitement for your visions. While an employee needs hard skills that will fit the job description, it’s more important that they can fit the culture you want or exhibit. Start with using your immediate network for possible leads or references. Talk to family, friends, business mentors, or even social media acquaintances to share that you are looking for employees. People close to you will share or at least understand your values as a person and business owner. 

When in the process of interviewing for a spot on your team, make sure you are interviewing multiple candidates in multiple stages. This will help you gain more knowledge about the person and clarity on whether they can fit the vision of your business. 

Always Promote Effective Communication

Once you find the employee(s), contractor(s), or team member(s) to come abroad, ensure that you are working to keep your employees happy and keeping morale high. A successful business is only as good as its employees. Through transparent communication, you are letting your new hires know the ins and outs of the company and the expectations you have for them. The communication should always be an open dialogue; listen to their opinions and respect what they have to say. This can help establish trust between you and your new employees helping work efficiency and boosting morale. 

What Happens if a New Hire Does Not Fit?

You can do all the prepping and planning you want. However, sometimes, new employees might not work out. And that’s okay. Before you jump into any impulsive decisions, you need to start by having a candid conversation with them. Through this conversation, let them share any issues or concerns they have with their job or with the business. Were there mismatched expectations between you and the new employee? Was there not enough training or onboarding? Are they overwhelmed with the tasks at hand? Are they dealing with personal things?  

You may agree with your employees focused on giving them more resources, or removing responsibilities. However, there are times when there is no clear solution except to let them go. Make sure that you approach your employees with patience, empathy, and understanding. 

Hiring new employees as a solopreneur can be exciting, but it can also be a little overwhelming. Check out our event, Start-Up Tuesday: Building A Team: adding the right contributors, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

Categorised in: Business Strategy