How to grow?

[boddy09]

We had had a good business year with plenty of work coming in for my husband. The question is, how do we grow from here? I have been putting off actively seeking new clients as my husband doesn't have any more time to take them on. The answer surely, would be to employ another consultant. Which comes first though, the new employee or the work? If we employ someone now I would have to look for more business very quickly but if I find the work first there will be nobody with time to do it. Help!

 

[virtuallysorted]

I'd suggest getting someone in place on a self-employed basis - they would work as an associate, but have the same skills as your husband and be able to run events as a stand alone?

Caroline

 

[samuelsun]

Hi,
Look for a employ like your husband having the same qualities .. Then you will grow your business very fast ... But the employ is sincere in his work and also with your company .. Then it is possible and also easy ...

 

[garyk]

Why not look at possibly increasing your husbands efficiency. Look at what takes time, what can be outsourced and most importantly what can be systemised.

The idea being that when you take someone on they are following procedures which means they will get up to speed quicker and also be more efficient.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

I'd suggest getting someone in place on a self-employed basis - they would work as an associate, but have the same skills as your husband and be able to run events as a stand alone?

Caroline

I know where you're coming from but you do need to be really careful doing that. You cant just decide to treat someone as self employed, whether they are or not depends on the circumstances - many people get caught with tax and penalties for getting employment status wrong.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

We had had a good business year with plenty of work coming in for my husband. The question is, how do we grow from here? I have been putting off actively seeking new clients as my husband doesn't have any more time to take them on. The answer surely, would be to employ another consultant. Which comes first though, the new employee or the work? If we employ someone now I would have to look for more business very quickly but if I find the work first there will be nobody with time to do it. Help!

Its a really difficult stage to be at - having a sucessful business where the sole proprietor is rushed off his/her feet and considering taking on your first employee.

Inevitably your husband will have to bear in mind that with his first employee for a short period their will be a reduction in his income and probably a loss of his time training etc.

You need to think it through carefully and work out the total costs involved of employing someone to really see if its viable and something you/he wants to do.

 

[louisex1]

You don't say what the business is but could you offer any work experience at a reduced rate to university students, build up the client base and then recruit them as a graduate?

 

[Philip Hoyle]

Why not look at possibly increasing your husbands efficiency. Look at what takes time, what can be outsourced and most importantly what can be systemised.

The idea being that when you take someone on they are following procedures which means they will get up to speed quicker and also be more efficient.

Absolutely hit the nail on the head there.

What you and he think you need is a clone of your hubbie. That's not going to happen as you'll never find such a person. You need to seriously think about everything he does - a sort of time & motion study, and then break it down into different "jobs". Then you can think about which of those jobs can be most easily done by someone else. Then appoint someone less skilled/experienced to do the bits of the job that are most easily passed over. Your husband then has more free time to continue dealing with new customers, but only at the level that needs him personally, and you have ANother who can continue to do more of the other work.

Systemisation is also essential. Normally "one man bands" have too much in their head or on scraps of paper or disorganised computer files. No-one, however good, will ever be able to follow it, so when you expand, your new staff will always be struggling, simply because they don't have systems to follow and little, if any, "history" to look back upon. That's why he thinks he needs a clone because he needs someone as good as him to be able to fill the gaps and know what they're doing. It needn't be like that. By organisation and systemisation, probably 75% to 90% of his job could be done by someone with far fewer qualifications and far less experience. It's a lot easier to train someone when they have access to systems and good organised files to refer to.