Many of my clients are business owners and self-employed coaches and consultants— beautiful entrepreneurs doing cool, inspiring work.
My clients recognize that their vision is bigger than “just one person.” They get that they can’t pull it off all alone. They want to find help. They want to build a rock star team.
But where? And who? And how?
My clients often ask questions like, “Where can I find a great assistant?” and “Why can’t I find the right copywriter—I’ve hired three but none of them worked out!” and “My web design totally flaked and the project is delayed—ugh! Why can’t I find the right people?”
If you’re struggling to put together an amazing team… or struggling to retain great people once you’ve got ‘em… or if you’re in the baby stages of your business and you don’t need a team yet (but you might, someday)… here are a few tips for you:
1. When hiring, ask frankly, “How long can I expect you to stay with me?”
Is your new assistant going to stick around for the long haul—or is this just a summer fling before she heads back to college in the fall? Is your new videographer available for long-term commitments—or just quickie projects here and there?
“How long would you be willing to stick around and work with my company?” is one of those questions that most biz owners never ask—but it’s so important.
I asked my previous assistant (the Amazing Ashley) this question, right off the bat. She answered honestly, “Two years.” (It ended up being two and a half wonderful years.)
I was grateful for her transparency. Once it was time for her to move along to the next chapter of her career, we were able to make a smooth transition—no awkward, abrupt ending!
2. Treat your team like GOLD.
Like any relationship, the relationship between you and your team needs to be nurtured. So, once you’ve snagged someone amazing—show the love. This may sound obvious, but it’s one of those things that many people forget to do.
I recently sent a framed piece of artwork to one of my team members (she just bought a house) and you better believe I’m sending birthday flowers to my new assistant, Larissa, (and her favorite chocolates, too). These kinds of thoughtful touches go a long way.
These days, many biz owners work virtually. Maybe your designer is based in Portland, and your accountant lives in Austin, and your assistant hops between NYC and LA. All the more reason to send the occasional video message, heartfelt card, flowers, or gift in the mail. Show your peeps, “I really, serious appreciate you.”
3. Most importantly: know what you want.
Be the captain. Steer the ship. You can’t hire a copywriter and say, “Um, I want to do a newsletter that’s, you know, inspiring and stuff… ” and then expect her to turnaround a piece of content that you’re going to love.
It’s great to delegate tasks to your team, but first, you need to lay out your vision—and you need to do it clearly.
Be specific. What’s the story? What’s the message? What’s the specific end-result you want from this email sequence, social media ad campaign, product label, book cover, etc.? What’s the feeling? The look? The mood? The more specific you can be with your team, the better results you’ll get.
Here’s to bringing your biz to a whole ‘nother level in 2018… with the best possible squad by your side!
PS. If you know an amazing writer, editor, proofreader, assistant, designer, photographer, Facebook ad strategist, ANYBODY who helps entrepreneurs to shine, send their info to: support@shyatt.com. My clients are always looking for great people to hire—so feel free to send over your top recommendations. I will check ‘em out and potentially pass their names along. Thank you!
