How to Know When to Hire your first employee?

It’s actually been a long time coming, as I’ve been waiting for Amy, who will take on the role of production manager, to finish grad school.

It’s a big step, but I feel absolutely certain it’s the right step for my business. But that brings up a question that I know many of you are wondering:
“How do I know when it’s time to hire my first employee?”

Well, here are five steps you can use to help you decide if hiring someone is in the near future:

1. Figure out what kind of work you need done. Before you can begin to think about hiring an employee, you need to figure out what kind of work that employee would do. Every time I was working in my studio or office and thought to myself, “someone else could do this,” I made a note in my phone.

When you’re thinking about what work needs to be done, you should also think about what work could be getting done if someone else could do what you’re currently doing. I decided to hire someone to handle the bulk of my (jewelry) production because I saw the same pattern all the time. I would leave a trade show full of all kinds of design and marketing ideas, but never get around to executing them because I had to fill orders. Having someone to help with production frees me up to tackle activities that will help grow my business.

Read more here:
http://www.craftmba.com/2011/01/13/hiring-first-employee/