For many business owners the idea of either hiring someone or bringing in staff can be daunting. And due to the nature of business it’s often something operators fail to plan for, instead waiting to be overwhelmed before they reach out and seek assistance.

So before you hit that critical point, here are the telltale signs it’s time to step up and hire help to take your business further.

You have no time

Small business may be challenging and intensive, but if you have no time for other pursuits or your family life is suffering, it’s time to work smarter not harder.

Contrary to what many business people feel, bringing in help can actually make money rather than just tax from your earnings, allowing you to concentrate on building a business or completing tasks in your area of expertise.

 

You cannot meet deadlines

If your time management is excellent, but you consistently fail to meet deadlines it’s definitely time to seek help. Pure and simple it means business demand is exceeding your ability to supply.

 

You’re saying no to jobs

One person can only do so much. Many businesses get to a point where the operator is undertaking the maximum amount of work possible, and has to turn down work. This presents the opportunity to scale up with the help of an employee/contractor/outsourced tasks.

The truth is if you’re at maximum capacity, so is your earning potential. Bringing someone in to handle extra work allows you to grow as a business and increase the financial return.

 

Unable to plan for the future

Successful business is about planning and creating goals that ultimately enable the lifestyle of your choosing. In short, you need to be captaining your ship, not frantically rowing in circles or constantly bailing out water.

So if you’re busy, but stuck in a holding pattern that won’t allow you to plan, you need to look at delegating tasks.

Too much time on jobs that others could do

Yes small business requires the wearing of many hats, but chances are you’re spending too much time on jobs others could do.

Look at the jobs you do each day and account for them. How much time is spent on administrative tasks that someone else could easily do like invoicing, answering the phone or fiddling around with your website?

These are the first areas you can either outsource or bring someone in to handle.

 

Enthusiasm is dwindling

Small business is a job, and chances are some days it inspires you more than others. But if you feel like you never have free time and all your days are spent playing catchup it’s hard to maintain passion for your enterprise.

Before you reach the point where that enthusiasm totally wanes, bring in the assistance you need so you feel like you’re on top of tasks and your business is going somewhere.

 

Four quick ways to get the help you need

  • Outsource tasks to experts like website managers, bookkeepers etc.
  • Hire a virtual assistant or freelancer for admin tasks
  • Bring in an administrative assistant part time or permanently to handle a variety of small tasks.
  • Bring in a co-worker or contractor to do some of the core jobs that you do

 

The final word

Make no mistake if you’re busy and your business is profitable that’s a good thing, presenting you with the opportunity to build your business further by bringing in the help you need.

The key is to seek assistance proactively rather than in a reactive crisis mode, because the sooner you have the right help in place, the sooner you can get back to business.