At some point, you’ll decide to grow your online business and need to hire employees. It’s tricky because you want someone who can think for himself and also win for the team, at the same time.
First of all, please remember that your online business is still a business - even if the medium and style of delivery is different.
If you can never seem to find the right staff or creatives to work with you, maybe it’s time to change your approach to hiring. Don’t treat it like a hobby or personal project. It is a business decision.
Second, banish the thought that it’s hard to find the right employees. When you think like that, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because you’ll approach the process from a place of fear and that just never works.
There are competent creatives out there with excellent character - people who go above and beyond to make sure your business succeeds. Yes, they exist. So before you go on a rant about how millennial creatives don’t really like to work, check that the good ones want to work with you.
My business attracts high quality creatives, and it’s not just because I pray about it. It’s also because they see me as the type of person they want to work with.
How to attract the right employees to your business
Contrary to what most people think, hiring is not all about being able to spend money. While it’s important that you’re willing to pay them well for their time, here are a few more things you should know. High-quality staff and creatives will come your way when:
If you look closely, you’ll see that your ability to attract and retain valuable people in your online business depends on your personal brand.
You don’t have the hiring budget and corporate governance of large organisations, so you must leverage what you have: your identity and reputation.
The best staff I’ve had so far, are the ones who were actively and specifically seeking an opportunity to work with me or someone like me.
Personal branding is an investment in your business.
What I look for, when hiring
Writing Skills
For every role I fill in my company, I ask applicants for a writing sample. I give them exercises that involve writing (this is also why I request a cover letter, not a CV). Why? Your writing tells me how your mind works.