When you’re first starting your online business it makes sense to stay a one-person show. Doing everything yourself keeps costs low and gives you complete control over your brand.

But as your business grows you might find you’re having a hard time keeping up with all the work. Does this mean it’s the right time to hire your first employee?

While it may be tempting to bring in some extra help, proceed with caution.

According to Strategyzer, the second most common reason small businesses fail is running out of money. So don’t add any extra expenses until you’re sure you can afford them.

Generally speaking, you shouldn’t hire an employee if:

• You have the time/skills necessary to do all the work yourself
• You haven’t made any revenue yet
• You’re generating revenue but it’s inconsistent
• You don’t know exactly what you need help with
• That being said, here are a few signs that you might be ready for your first employee.

You have more work than you can handle

Are you a coach or consultant who’s constantly turning down new clients because you don’t have the time? Do you have products flying off the shelves faster than you can restock them?

This means you’ve hit your ceiling as far as the amount of work you can handle yourself. It’s one of the strongest signs that you’re ready for additional help.

In this scenario, hiring an employee will allow you to take on more work/orders, and the additional revenue should cover their salary (and then some).

Your customers are complaining

Good customer service is one of the best ways small businesses can compete with large corporations.

So, if you ever find your customer service is slipping because you’re too busy then it’s probably time to add another team member.

The extra expense might be tough to swallow, but the cost of unhappy customers will hurt you far more in the long run. Seen as an investment, customer support is usually one of the best first hires for growing companies.

You can’t meet your quality standards

The other aspect of your business you absolutely can’t compromise on is quality.

If the quality of your products and services is suffering because you can’t keep up you have two choices: reduce the amount of work you take on or hire someone to help you.

Whatever you choose, make sure to act fast. All it takes is a few bad reviews to damage your reputation.

You’re missing some necessary skills

There may be certain aspects of your business that you’re just not that good at, or that take you too long to do. This could be things like copywriting, bookkeeping, video editing, etc.

Sure, you could learn these skills and do the tasks yourself. But you’ll likely get better results if you hire someone who specializes in these areas.

If you find yourself in this scenario consider hiring a part-time freelancer, rather than a full-time employee. This will give you access to the skills you need with far less risk.

You don’t have time to take a break

In order to launch and run a successful business, you’re going to need to devote a lot of time to it. This sometimes means late nights and working weekends.

Unfortunately, this lifestyle can begin to take a toll on your relationships. It also prevents you from taking a break, especially if you’re a one-person business with no one to take over when you’re not there.

If your workload is negatively impacting your mental health it might be time to hire some help. This will allow you to step away when you need to and come back refreshed and reinvigorated.

Whatever stage your business is in, we’re excited about your journey and are here to support you in any way we can.

Good luck!