Building a business means doing all the things but can cost you more money than what your time is worth. You know you can use the help, but hiring team members can be really tough to do when you have little to no budget.

It’s hard enough to find the right people, but then you have to worry about how you’ll afford to pay them. And if they’re not a good fit, you have to go through the whole process all over again.

Do you have a dream of building an all-star team to help you take your coaching or consulting practice to the next level but feel limited by having a tight budget? Creating an unstoppable team doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. 

Hire Before You Think You Need To

One of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make is waiting to hire someone when they are completely swamped or have a big deadline looming. It takes time to create a job description and go through the search and interview process, so the last thing you want to do is wait until you’re in a pinch.

The freelancers you can easily use early on in your business would be a VA and social media support for three to five hours a week.

If you just pushed back and said you can’t afford it, let’s do some simple time and ROI math. Think about a simple time-consuming task you repeatedly do, like uploading contacts into your CRM. Then do the math on what you charge per hour versus hiring a VA for $10 (or less) per hour. The money spent is more than worth the time you’ll get back to focus on income-producing activities.

Simple steps you can take now are…

• Look at the repeatable tasks you do each week
• Add the steps to a spreadsheet or word document
• Tweak once you get your system down

Start looking for the right person before you need them. That way, you’ll have time to know what you really need in the way of support and can take your time in the search and hiring process.

The Best Places to Find Top Talent On a Budget

If you have the flexibility for someone to work virtually, it will expand your talent pool exponentially. Where you look for talent will depend on what you are hiring for.

Depending on the job/task you can find freelancers…

• Through referrals
• Niche-specific Facebook groups
• LinkedIn
• Indeed
• Fiverr
• Online jobs.ph
• My favorite – Upwork because you can access a larger talent pool all over the world that fit within your budget.
•  

My web developer came through a referral and found him through a referral. Kris is in Iowa and has a small agency (team) that all work virtually, so they don’t have the overhead of an office. I have two copywriters who both came through referrals. One was seasoned, so her rates were more than Sarah, who was just starting out. Four years later, she has a thriving business, and in turn, her rates reflect that.

Upwork is my favorite platform for finding qualified freelancers on a budget. Right now, I have a dedicated VA, a YouTube expert, and an Instagram expert.

The video will give you the extended search process and here are the cliff notes:

• Do a keyword search in multiple ways since freelancers will use keywords in their profiles
• Notice the amount they’ve earned
• Read through reviews, and if you like what you see, then also
• Look at their portfolios

When it comes to hiring for budget concerns, consider looking for freelancers who specialize in certain fields or tasks rather than a generalist. If you find someone who says they have the experience to ‘do it all’ for $10 an hour, I’d be hesitant.

While there are some constraints when hiring globally, if you are flexible in communication styles, you may find that long-term rock star team member!

Keep in mind they are being offered a LOT of opportunities. To make your stand out, you must have a clear job title and job description, so the freelancer knows exactly what the role will entail. If you haven’t hired someone for this position, then ask how many hours a week they anticipate needing and why. Always ask for examples of projects completed like yours.

Simple Onboarding for Success

Once you’ve made a hiring decision, the onboarding process is critical to ensure they hit the ground running. To help your new team member get off on the right foot, create an organized onboarding process that covers all of the important details. This should include information about the job, their roles and responsibilities, procedures, and expectations.

Start by providing them with an overview of what will be expected of them in their role. Provide clear instructions regarding expectations for communication, such as when to check emails or respond to messages, how often they can expect feedback from you, and how quickly they need to answer any questions asked. Make sure to also provide information about any specific tools or systems you use in your business.

Create a welcome packet that includes detailed descriptions of their responsibilities and any additional resources they may need – like access codes or log-in credentials – along with instructions on how to use these tools. Loom is my go-to for this!

Schedule regular check-in meetings with them over the course of their first month on board so you can go over the progress being made, assess performance and answer any questions that may arise during this period of transition into their new role.

Finally, provide plenty of feedback along the way, so your new team member knows exactly where they stand with regard to expectations and goals you have set out for them – both short-term objectives, such as completing tasks within a certain timeframe.

Celebrate milestones while keeping an eye out for areas needing improvement or further development, which will help ensure success over time!

Getting More Than Your Investment in Return

By finding the right person or people to work with, you can focus on more important tasks while they take care of the rest. You’ll benefit from having someone experienced and knowledgeable in their field so that they can provide insight into areas where you may need improvement or further development. They will also bring fresh ideas to the table, which could help drive your business forward.

No matter if you are newer in business or have been in business a while, hiring rockstar team members can free up your time and be a great business investment that will pay dividends for years to come.

P.S. I mentioned Jasper.AI as my favorite copywriting tool that can save you a small fortune. 

>>> Get 10,000 words for free with Jasper AI HERE

>>> Watch how to create blog posts in a breeze HERE