PressFixer

WordPress Maintenance and Support for Entrepreneurs

productivity

Can you afford to hire help?

by

Your team doesn’t cost you anything.

Your customers pay for them, not you. Your job is to build a business that can afford to have you operating at your peak and a team to support you in doing that.  If you don’t what’s the point?

As CEO, if your business doesn’t generate enough revenue to sustain itself, you must make that your Number 1 objective. If you’re not sure how, get help. Whether it’s reading business books, doing online research or finding a mentor… either figure it out  before you do anything else, or go out and get a job.

Telling you to get a job might seem like the equivalent of me giving you the finger, BUT working for the right employer is a masterclass in building/ running a business. Not only does it provide you with cash flow and the breathing room to invest in your business, it gives you access to mentors (who also pay you to be there).  

Let’s knock these other “reasons” off the table shall we?

“I don’t know how to build a team”

A team starts with one hire. Don’t try to get 10 people at once. You can also start with one hourly or part time person, they don’t need a 40-hour week right away. I guarantee you that the things taking up alot of your time only do so because they’re outside of your genius. A dedicated person can plough through them in no time. Case in point… the first week I hired my assistant, I gave him a MASSIVE to do list. I thought it would take him a week – he was done in a two days.  

That brings me to my next point – when hiring someone you must know in advance exactly what you want them to do. Earlier, I shared with you my list of things I said “No” to… this becomes the to-do list for your new hire. Prioritize it and then delegate it.


“I don’t know where to find people”

I’ve been hiring people through Upwork for years. I generally have gotten some great hires, but my winning process is always to start with a small test and never a big project. See how you work together and how they perform before giving them a larger undertaking. “Hire slow, fire fast.” I don’t know who said that, but I always hire and fire fast. LOL  Why? Because I need my roles filled quickly, so I can move on with the important stuff. Once I’ve onboarded one person for the role, it’s quite easy to add another person because the process is established and it’s just a matter of switching names.

Other sources for finding team members – friends, family, entrepreneurship organizations, facebook groups, LinkedIn, job sites, government programs/ schools (apprenticeships, internships), clients, neighbourhood postings, craigslist/kijiji, church, community centers, local groups, meetups… is it clear that this is a bullshit excuse yet?


“I don’t have the time to train people”

Don’t! Teach them as you go and document every step of the way.

Everytime I did a task for the first time, I opened a google doc called  “Team Training” and documented the process. I also used Loom to make videos of my screen doing these tasks.

Let them train themselves

My policy is “Google First. Ask Second.” It’s actually my status on Slack, so my team is constantly reminded not to ask me things they can find on the internet. I also encourage collaboration between team members –  that’s what slack is for. I’ve grouped members of the team according to their role so they have a dedicated channel to “talk shop”. I also ask them to document all their steps in our internal company files so that, whether they forget or we hire someone else to join the team, the knowledge exists beyond someone’s brain.

Explain the vision.

This isn’t some airy fairy mission statement. Explain to them why you’re building this business, the impact you want to have and how their role fits in the greater picture. This not only gets them excited, it also gives them ideas to support the realization of that vision.

 

Here’s the vision I’ve shared with our team:

At PressFixer, we make it possible for people with big ideas to change the world by removing items from their to do list. Our goal is to provide a service so valuable, our clients feel like they’re ripping us off.

 

Now that the excuses are gone. Let me show you how it’s done…

 

3 Steps to Delegating your tasks

by

You won’t be able to eliminate everything overnight but you will see BIG shifts very quickly.

Think of delegating in the context of the 80/20 rule –  20% of the things you let go of will lead to 80% of the results. Over time you will chip away at the 20% that remains… but even if you didn’t you’d be ok.

So, where do you start?

Let me break it down into three steps:

Process –  You need to map out your operating process to get a sense of what’s not being done/ what should not be done by you. From there, select the work/ tasks that you must do because they require your specific genius. Be picky about how you choose to spend your time (Would Richard Branson be doing this?).  Then evaluate the remaining tasks to see how many other people you need to get them done. Also, take a long look at what can be eliminated all together – especially nonevenue generating tasks.

Plan – Now that you know what you need to hire for, it’s time to plan who and when you’ll hire. Group the tasks that complement each other and use the lists to write job descriptions.  Keep in mind that sometimes you can find multiple skills in one person. For example, my assistant graphic designer can also make videos and manage my social media posts. You want to prioritize your hires according to your business objectives. That means you may have 3 positions identified but you start with your first hire. Then when a specific objective is met, you make your next hire. In this ramp up period, you may find yourself doing the work of the missing people, but if you follow the Maker’s schedule, you’ll also have plenty of creative time to drive growth.

I took this to another level by drawing an organizational chart with my role and all the roles of future employees. I matched this against the responsibilities and then prioritized which hires would be most critical for my success.

Integrate – Find and hire your first person. Document the processes and systems as you go, learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward until you’ve built out your whole team.

Reminder: Be fast to fire if they aren’t demonstrating the ability to fill the role you’ve created for them. At the same time you have to be patient with yourself and with them in the first 2 weeks… you’re both learning a new way to work.

 

Don’t forget to Leverage Technology!

Get a Help desk for managing your business email

No more direct to inbox communication. Everything should go to a centralized inbox where your team (and on a rare occasion you) can respond/ react to messages coming in. Some options include LiveAgent, HelpScout, Zendesk, Freshdesk. Research them and decide on your tool. The best option is the one you actually use.

It took a while to train my clients, and I didn’t want to forward my personal emails to the helpdesk… so whenever they sent me a task that wasn’t for “me”, I forwarded it to the helpdesk and asked them to send it to the helpdesk in the future. They’re getting the hang of it now. If you don’t have a business email ( @your.com) – resolve this ASAP.

 

Use a Project Management tool

You need to stay on top of your team. After all, you have an objective to achieve, which means you need to measure performance. Don’t skimp on this, and don’t operate on “trust” alone. A PM tool will help you to make sure you’re both on the same page, keep track  of progress and allow you to quickly identify communication breakdowns. It’s also great for looking back at old processes and improving them over time.

 

Use a password management tool

If you’re sharing passwords, use LastPass or Dashlane to distribute sensitive information. That way, you won’t worry about someone you let go being able to access your stuff. If you have to let go of a team member, you take your passwords with you.

 

Share documents for easy collaboration

Process Street is good for documenting standard operating procedures, but a nice low tech way to do it is with Google Docs. In addition, some help desk tools and project management tools have wiki features that you can make private.

 

Online Alternatives might help reduce your hiring costs!

Sometimes, the things you want to delegate can be solved without an in-house hire. For example our WordPress management service can help you to eliminate all your websiteelated tasks. Another example is Rev, which is used for transcription services. Hiring an outside company is generally cheaper than bringing on an employee or contractor. It’s great for specialized tasks and short term projects (like audio production which I get done on Fiverr).  

 

___

 

This series was born out of my own journey to becoming the CEO, and if you implement the tips I’ve shared, you will be well on your way. I want to leave you with one short reminder of what it means to assume this position and it’s a 4 word manifesto.

The CEO’s Manifesto

Create
Delegate
Do (less).

 

It’s about being the visionary, the creative, the dreamer who inspires the team and gives them the fuel to co-create with you so you can do more of your genius and less of everything else.

What’s one thing you can delegate right now?

Might I suggest your WordPress website?

 

The one question every CEO must ask themselves

by

“Would Richard Branson be doing this?”

If you were running a successful global empire, how would you spend your time?

My mentor once gave a presentation about what it takes to build a business that generates $100,000/mo in revenue. He said that he asks one simple question to evaluate his daily to-do list, “Would Richard Branson be doing this?” If the answer is no, the task probably shouldn’t be on your list. Obviously, you can replace Richard Branson with your business idol, but the point is still the same.

If you were to follow the Maker’s schedule, what tasks would pass the Branson test?

When you only have one item on your daily to-do list –  you get really clear about what REALLY matters. As a result, the things that push your business forward get done because you have the time to research, think, plan, question and innovate. The end result is better than anything you could cobble together in between a packed schedule of calls.

Here are a few things I’ve done in an uninterrupted day…

  • Map out a 5 year plan vision and game plan, with milestones, KPIs and performance targets
  • Draw the organizational chart and task process for every key role in the business
  • Write and post job descriptions for hiring new team members
  • Research and select the technology that would not just meet the needs of the business today but also where it plans to be in 5 years
  • Decide on the marketing approach for new services
  • Create marketing content
  • Think and implement clever ways to hit my monthly sales goals

So, what did I say “No” to…

  • Being chained to my computer and phone 24/7  checking email and messages
  • Waking up every day feeling unsure of what the day would bring and what problems I’d face – reacting to things as they happen
  • Reacting to “urgent” emails, being interrupted by phone calls or having “surprise” projects with short timelines
  • Editing my website content
  • Talking to tech support about hosting problems
  • Ending the day feeling unaccomplished and frustrated

Start thinking about (not just who, but the characteristics of) the person you want to take over your “No” list.

Around this time, you’ll start to feel like you can’t actually do this because you can’t afford to hire someone… I’ll explain how to do that next.

 

Letting go of what you hate

by

“If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business—you have a job. And it’s the worst job in the world because you’re working for a lunatic!”


This is a quote from Michael E. Gerber, and it made me clutch my figurative pearls.  

At the time, I was voluntarily working 80+ hour weeks – bedtime at 4am, waking up 5 hours later, skipping breakfast and then working through lunch. It was insanity and it was also my life.

I was so exhausted that I was GIVING CLIENTS AWAY, and I did this for MONTHS, eventually shrinking my client list down to ⅓ of its size.

My business had become a self imposed nightmare…

Until the day my mentor asked me a life changing question –

“Why don’t you eliminate the stuff you hate and keep the business?”

So, now I pose the same to you – how much time are you spending each day doing stuff that is not your genius? Work you tolerate or more realistically do begrudgingly in the name of “saving money” or “because you’re the only one who can?”

Think about it a moment… how many hours of your day are wasted on things like email, answering questions on Facebook/ Instagram, invoicing clients, making graphics on Canva, updating your website… how would you like to spend your time instead?

If you’re a photographer it might look like more time shooting on location/ building your portfolio, experimenting with new techniques, attending a workshop…

For a coach it might be getting up to date on the latest training, reading the stack of books you’ve been meaning to get to, formulating your own coaching process, designing a live event, creating a certification program, writing a book…

Working outside your genius isn’t just mind-numbing… it’s limiting!

So, what’s the answer?

Delegation!

 

Over the next few pages, I’m going to cover exactly HOW to delegate and address your concerns like… How do I afford to hire help? I don’t know how to build a team, I don’t have time to train people, I’m already so busy…  stick with me!

 

Rethink the way you manage your schedule

by

“When you make music or write or create, it’s really your job to have mind-blowing, irresponsible, condomless sex with whatever idea it is you’re writing about at the time. ”
― Lady Gaga

And that creative process cannot be rushed… or condensed into 1 hour or even 90 minute blocks. It doesn’t follow an agenda, which I would know because my last 3 planners were all  blank after January. Every year, I promised myself to “get organized” and use my planner, but it wasn’t until this year that I figured out why I could never make a planner work.

Around the time when I was building PressFixer, a friend told me about The Makers Schedule.  It’s one of those underground cult favourite opinion pieces like Kevin Kelly’s 1000 true fans (a must read if you haven’t).

Written in 2009, the Makers Schedule post helped me to understand why I wasn’t growing my past businesses at the rate I wanted to and why each day seemed unproductive, even though it was completely packed with meetings and to do lists. I’m sure that for a fellow creative, it will also bring clarity to you.

The big problem was that, by trying to run my life like a manager, I never had enough time to really get into a creative flow. I’ll let Paul Graham, who wrote the original post, explain it…

“When you’re operating on the maker’s schedule, meetings are a disaster. A single meeting can blow a whole afternoon, by breaking it into two pieces each too small to do anything hard in… [con’td]  But in addition there’s sometimes a cascading effect. If I know the afternoon is going to be broken up, I’m slightly less likely to start something ambitious in the morning.”

I used to have 3 – 5 meetings each day, then I’d find myself up all night long working on the projects that didn’t get completed that day. It was the reason I couldn’t sleep at night and why I eventually just felt like quitting all together.

After reading the Maker’s Schedule article, I immediately changed my calendar to only allow meetings in the evening, near the end of my work days. That means that from the time I wake up, I’m free to be creative until 4 or 5pm each day.

Having those 6- 8 hour blocks of uninterrupted productivity has been a game changer. It’s not a perfect practice yet, but just following this for even 2 days a week will move your business forward in the right direction.

I’m sure your next question is How do you find the time when there’s already so much to do in a day? I’m going to cover that next.

 

 

 

Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels