Starting a business on your own is a fairly difficult task, and you’ll want at least a few people running things alongside you, just to lighten the load.
However, this raises the question of who you’re going to hire in the first place.
Finding the right people for the job is easier said than done, and figuring out exactly who you’d want to carry the most responsibility is even harder.
To help you solve this issue, we’ve put together a list of the people you should set out to hire for your small business in order for it to succeed.
This also implies that you’ll hire these people right from the get-go, as a good, running start is crucial for getting every company off its feet and into the vast market.
The right people will help your business settle into a market, and eventually, evolve and outgrow it, only to branch out into other markets as well.
Some general ideas to hold onto
The main thing to keep in mind is that you should only be hiring when you absolutely have to, as bringing people on when they could potentially be dead weight will impede your growth.
Just because you can do it or because you think you’re doing a good thing doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do, at least not if you’ve got your company’s future in mind.
Secondly, you should make sure that everyone you’re hiring actually fits into the workplace, and this can apply to many things, ranging from their values, and vision as well as worldviews and opinions on the business itself.
Of course, you shouldn’t be on the lookout for carbon copies of yourself, but at least make sure their core values align with those of the business you’re running.
Finally, you should always make sure to hire the executive team first, as they’ll be the brains of the operation and you’ll want them to stay on for as long as possible.
Who to hire first
When looking for the people that’ll contribute to the growth of your company, you’ll find that the choices are practically endless, yet that it’s probably the hardest decision you’ve ever made.
After all, there’s so much on the line, and you absolutely can’t afford to make an error right at the hiring process, as things are bound to go downhill from there should that happen.
Fortunately, things aren’t all that complicated, and you should approach hiring employees as you would any other trial-and-error process.
Finding the right person for the job is only a matter of time, and sometimes, even the people that don’t seem like a good fit at first, eventually settle into the position they’ve been given.
The first 3 employees you’ll want to get on your team will be your company’s CEO, CTO, and CMO
Chief Executive Officer
A CEO is basically the face of your business, and they’re the ones responsible for both the vision your business is going for and the strategy you’ll employ to get there.
Essentially, they’re like a conductor of an orchestra, and you’re going to want to hire someone you can trust to lead the rest in the right direction.
Of course, you could take on this position yourself, but if you’ve got someone dependable enough to do it for you, there’s no reason to actually involve yourself with the inner machinations of your business.
A CEO should always be someone with a great amount of experience when it comes to growing a business or scaling it, and if they’ve already done it in your niche, all the better.
Chief Technology Officer
The CTO, on the other hand, will be in charge of every technical aspect that the company encompasses, and this can apply to just about anything, from product development to IT systems.
A CTO is usually one of the company’s founders, although there are exceptions, and they’re always overseeing the company’s team of tech experts, making sure that everyone’s got more than enough resources to keep things running smoothly.
Finally, the CTO you hire should be able to lead a team of engineers in the future, meaning that you’ll be hiring long-term when it comes to this position, so choose wisely.
Chief Marketing Officer
Your third hire should always be the CMO, although one could argue they could easily take first or second place, seeing as they’re invaluable in the early stages of running a company.
A good CMO will be able to craft a marketing strategy that will entice new customers while also retaining your current ones, and that’s never been an easy task.
Your company’s CMO has many responsibilities, including but not limited to managing your brand, creating marketing campaigns, managing your budget, and developing solid roadmaps for the future of your business.
All three of the aforementioned positions should be the ones you consider for a long-term vision of your company, and you’ll want to hire the people that’ll stick around for the longest.