This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
I'm always excited when someone in our community goes from side hustle to small business and they start thinking about growing, scaling, hiring. And of course, that's not always the goal, just to be clear. Some people start income generating projects just because they want some extra money, they're trying to get out of debt. Or in some cases, they wanna build their business as a solopreneurship. And never actually hire someone.
So I think that's admirable too. Nevertheless, it is definitely a big success when someone who wants to grow their business is able to move into hiring. So today, that's what we've got here on the podcast. By the way, this is Side Hustle School, my name's Chris Guillebeau. And today, a listener from Salt Lake City, she's ready to hire her first employee after growing her stationary brand slowly and steadily.
That would be stationary in terms of notes and cards, not a stationary as in a business that's not moving anywhere. I think it's actually moving in a very good direction. So what does she need to know? Where can she in fact find this first employee? That is the question, her version along with some context.
And then of course, my answer coming up after this quick sponsor message. [Music]
Hi, this is Clarice from East Jordan, just outside of Salt Lake City in Utah. My stationary brand has grown a lot over the past year and I'm ready to bring on someone else. I've done some small contracting work through Upwork in the past and didn't have the greatest experience, but that may have had something to do with me since I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for. Now, I know what I want.
Someone who's mostly full-time and has some key skills that I lack, but who's also willing to jump in anywhere. After all, right now, it's just a business of one person. So there's not a lot of specialization going on. So how do I find this person? Most people I know aren't looking for work or if they are, I don't necessarily wanna hire them.
I look forward to your advice. [Music]
Awesome, congratulations Clarice. Sounds wonderful. So glad that you have built your business to the point of being ready to grow and hire somebody. It also really helps that Clarice has defined what she's looking for.
Someone who's mostly full-time has some key skills that she lacks, but who's also willing to jump in anywhere. I think when you're looking to hire your first contractor employee, it's so important to be specific on what you want. And one key question that's gonna help here, it's gonna help narrow it down even further. Are you looking for someone local or can they be fully remote? If it's the latter, if it's fully remote, you have a lot more options, right?
Just because so many people are doing remote work now and also because of all the online platforms that support hiring contractors who are working remotely from anywhere in the United States or anywhere in North America or anywhere in the world, depending on your preference. We recently had a question about hiring your first contractor or virtual assistant. And in that episode, I think it was episode 21, 22, so just about 10 days ago or so. In that episode, I recommended three online platforms, Fiverr, Upwork, and OnlineJobs.ph. Now each one is good for some things and not as good for other things, but one of those platforms could likely be your best solution for finding employee number one, at least if you're able to work with someone who is entirely remote.
Now, if you're looking locally, that does change things a lot. In that situation, you probably wanna look at whatever platforms are popular and local in your area. It could be Craigslist, it could be something more formal like LinkedIn Jobs or ZipRecruiter. Just be aware that those platforms tend to attract professionals who are looking for probably a higher salary than you might be able to pay at this point. So sometimes finding a hybrid solution can be good in this situation.
You wanna find somebody who maybe eventually is full-time, but not at first. You want someone who can do specific responsibilities and then if they have the aptitude and the desire and willingness, and you also have the desire to continue working with them, then you can kind of move it to a full-time basis. But there's kind of this tricky spot of trying to hire someone for your first employee who is local and you're not looking for that highly formalized role or relationship. So that's why I think whenever possible, it's gonna be better for you to go with a virtual assistant or somebody who can do their work remotely. That's what I think about that.
Of course, Clarice, we are cheering you on. We're excited for you. We're excited for all of our listeners who are making progress. And if you listeners, you have a question or a comment, sidehustleschool.com/questions. Let me know what's going on.
We'll continue to feature them, along with updates from listeners as they launch and grow their projects. Take care of yourself out there, and of course, come back tomorrow. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
