Some contractors don’t want to hire employees in their contracting business, in this article we will go over why I think it is smart to hire employees, especially as you start to grow.
Get More Done
Productive employees will allow you to get more work done. Not only will help with a lot of the “doing” aspects of the job like swinging the hammer, digging the hole, pouring the concrete, etc. it will take a lot off your plate.
When I hired my first employee we could get 2x as much done at a time due to having 2 sets of hands working on a project at a time. Working in a contracting business, we have to remember that we are selling “labor”. The more you can get done the more you can bill out for.
BETTER COMPANY MORALE
Sometimes working by yourself all the time can be tedious and not as enjoyable as working with someone else. When I work with my employees we regularly crack jokes and enjoy each other’s company better than if we were just working alone. I have found that working in a team lifts everyone’s spirits and makes the work go by faster. Not to mention working in a team shows everyone that there is room to grow in the organization and that you aren’t just a solopreneur, not that there is anything wrong with that.
FRESH IDEAS & NEW PERSPECTIVE
A lot of the time the owner may become stagnant only working by themselves. A lot of the time I have found that new employees bring fresh concepts and ideas to the workplace. This could allow you to expand into new markets, figure out a problem, or just create a better place to work. It is always helpful to have a fresh set of eyes look objectively at your business and see where you and the team could improve.
WORKLIFE BALANCE
A lot of entrepreneurs I meet and come in contact with work a ton. Most wake up at 5 am and don’t go back to bed until around 11 or 12 pm at night! Hiring an employee will allow you to better optimize your schedule since you will be getting the work done twice as fast. When I first started my business I was putting in 100 hr workweeks Monday through Sunday. I had no social life and no family time since I was killing myself every day at work. Something flipped though once I hired my first employee. I started getting off earlier, my time was freed up and I no longer had to put in those grueling 100 hr workweeks. I love my businesses but 100hr workweeks are not sustainable for anyone.
SPECIALIZED SKILLS
As business owners we may be skilled at many things within our business however there are always things we lack. Maybe it’s running reports, marketing, advertising, after-job customer support, etc. One of the first team members I hired in my business was a CPA to help with my bookkeeping. Let me tell you, this took a TON off my shoulders!
Hiring a new employee that excels in these skills can help skyrocket your business into success! Instead of trying to figure out everything, hire someone that can take a lot of these mentally draining tasks off your plate.
Remember, your business is like a symphony. Your job is to be the conductor, not the flute player. Even if your business is still small, you can hire out tasks that you lack and it will make not only your organization run better, you will have peace of mind.
