3 Considerations When Hiring Help

Perhaps you have been running a lean interior design business for some time now.

But as your business grows, so will your responsibilities and the pressure that comes with wearing too many hats. 

While I know it can seem like a huge leap of faith at first, even if you only have one project, an assistant can help your project(s) move faster and make you more profitable.  

Hiring is one of the best ways to fast-track your business from a baby business to a burgeoning design operation.  

Consider starting with a part-time contracted position (Check with your bookkeeper or CPA on what qualifies as a contractor in your state). This could be a remote virtual assistant that helps with purchasing, tracking products, or putting together specs. Or - my preference - it could be a local assistant who can join you for consultations to take notes, site surveys to help with measuring, picking up and dropping off samples, meeting with trades, and assisting with installations. 

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HERE ARE 3 TIPS TO HELP YOU PLAN FOR THE HIRING PROCESS: 

1. Clearly Define the Role 

Decide what things you want to offload. Usually, these are the tasks that you aren’t great at doing and don’t enjoy. The book Rocket Fuel outlines the Visionary/Integrator relationship.  Most people are one or the other...rarely both. 

The Visionary is usually great at casting the vision, setting the culture, and thinking about the “big picture”. However, the Visionary is usually not great at follow-through, getting into the details, and can get bored easily. If this is you, an integrator role would likely be the perfect match.  (Fun fact...this is me and I couldn’t dream of running my business without my “integrator” at my side.)

The Integrator, on the other hand, excels at execution, follow-through, and makes sure the day-to-day tasks run smoothly. They are decisive, adaptable, and driven to meet goals. However, the Integrator is often the unsung hero of many businesses. 

Once you have decided exactly what role you want to hire for, you’ll want to put together a detailed job description you can share with your network. 

2. Don’t Rush the Process

Hiring good people takes time. You’ll want to allow time to spread the word, review candidates, interview, onboard them, and plan for a trial period. 

There are many ways to announce this role. You could start with your community by sharing with your social networks and via social media. If you want to cast a larger net, you might consider paying to post the job on forums such as Indeed or Ziprecruiter. 

Reviewing candidates not only means interviewing them but also checking their references or any other investigative work you may consider. 

Onboarding your new hire will take weeks. You will want to create an experience for them that helps them feel part of the team, gets them excited, and provides them with the tools they need to start working independently. 

A 90-day trial period is a period of time where you both know it’s a paid trial. They should be given the kind of work that is expected of them once fully integrated into their new role. A great candidate will come with a baseline of knowledge but will still need to be shown your business’s processes and procedures. 

Have check-ins (usually 30 & 60 days) to document their progress. If you feel that this person isn’t growing into their role, they might not be a good fit and you will need to let them go. But being fired shouldn’t be a surprise to them. 

3. Pay Well 

Pay should be based on experience. Obviously, the more experience they have, the less training they will need so they can be integrated more quickly into the role. If you’re hiring someone with lots of potential, but who lacks the specific skills you need, create a structure where they can quickly earn more once they demonstrate proficiency and growth in those areas. 

Compensating your team appropriately will help them feel appreciated and valued. The result is you create a culture that works hard and demonstrates pride and ownership of their role. 

While hiring does take time and can be scary the first (or even 100th)  time, doing so will allow you to have more time to do the work that excites you, move projects along faster, allows you to deliver projects affordably to your clients while also making more money! It’s a win-win-win. 

I’ve been very fortunate to have had fantastic people work with me over the years. Many of them smarter than me and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Occasionally some don’t work out and that’s okay too. We all learn from it and move on.