Free and Fearless

Free and Fearless


Are You Ready to Hire? (+ 6 Hiring Principles I’m Following)

March 30, 2021

Hey and welcome to another episode of the podcast, where I’m gonna cover a topic I’ve never discussed before. And there’s a reason why. I’ve never done it before. 

I’m talking about hiring. And whether it’s a full-time employee, a whole team, or a part-time contractor like in my case, there are some things to consider before you do that, there are decisions to be made, and there are some underlying principles to follow to make sure you do what’s best for the business.

Tune into the episode below:

Show Notes:

* [2:42] How and when I finally took the decision to hire someone* [5:55] The 1st thing you need to consider if you’re thinking of hiring* [7:49] A powerful exercise to figure out what needs to be outsourced* [9:14] How much responsibility are you ready to handle in your business?* [11:22] How to be the best employer/client you can be* [13:46] One of my main rules in business* [14:33] Why I’m hiring a woman* [16:40] Why you should hire someone smarter than you* [18:41] An easy way to be more inclusive when hiring

Transcript

I gathered all the information I’ve heard and read about hiring (cause you know, every business book, podcast, course, shares a bit on that too). In the last month, I also listened to the exact podcast episodes by my favorite entrepreneurs and mentors where they share how they built their team, how their first hire went, what mistakes they made, and what their advice is for anyone out there hiring for the first time.

From all that, I took what resonated, as well as relied on both intuition and logic, to start outlining my exact hiring process and taking decisions in advance.

So far it’s going well. I actually learned more about business over the course of 1 week than I did in months in the past. That’s because I got out there and:

* published the job post saying exactly who I’m looking for* let people reach out to me* heard what they had to say* we chatted a bit, which led to having my first impression of them* I created a Google form with the right questions so I can narrow down the candidates* checked out the websites, social media and packages that some of them offer* and outlined my next steps.

I’m not used to working with people but I really felt ready for this. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but it wasn’t till I got back from my spontaneous vacation in Spain, totally recharged and with a new perspective, that I said to myself: ‘No more thinking about hiring. I’m doing it. It’s a step-by-step process and I start by deciding what I want to outsource first, who I’m looking for exactly, what that person can bring to the table, how I can offer them the most amazing long-term collaboration, and where I should post about the offer so that others who’ve already decided they like my business and want to work together can reach out to me.’

Before my vacation, I was scared, overthinking, and not really taking any actual action. I let fear guide me.

After this so-called mini retirement, where I took a step back from all business activities and could clearly see what I’ve been afraid of, I took decisions that weren’t based on fear. They were simply what’s best for the business.

Because I’m now ready to take more responsibility, even if that means some of my freedom will be taken away. I have a lot of it now and I’ve enjoyed it all these years.