I did something crazy last week. I took a leap of faith and hired a full-time marketing assistant for my coaching team. I was planning on this hire for November, but my intuition took over and I made the move four months early. Let me walk you through how this unexpected decision unfolded.
It all started when I stumbled upon a Facebook post in a group. The post was anonymous and I typically don’t reply to those. The person sought advice on becoming a nomadic worker while facing the challenges of living in a third-world country. It was a funny and sharp post, so it caught my attention.
Something in my intuition made me stop to respond. An internal nudge if you will.
I wrote a comment about what smaller business owners typically look for in a remote worker and specified what I want to understand about a prospective employee.
For me, it’s all about what natural and raw skills a person possesses. Unless I am hiring for a deeply technical role, I prefer to find someone with zero previous experience in that role.
Why?
People who have worked for other companies in the same role tend to come with habits and ways of thinking. Not to say that an experienced person is bad BUT as someone who runs a very small company, I don’t have time to untrain and reframe these habits.
I also have systems that I trust (this is the unlock)
So what do I look for?
Each role that you are looking to fill has some required skills (creative, problem-solving, analytical, detail-oriented, etc). I look for a person whose natural skills match the skills inside of the role. I cannot tell you how many people I have hired who wanted a specific job but don’t have the skill sets naturally.
If someone has a 6/10 proficiency in a certain skill naturally it is much easier to provide some training and get them to an 8/10. They will upgrade much quicker and with little friction.
On the other hand, someone who has a 3/10 proficiency in a skill will take much longer and experience more discomfort to get up to a 4/10. It’s not worth it. Why push against what we are naturally good at?
After I responded, my inbox was suddenly flooded with inquiries from people interested in working with me. Most of them completely ignored what I suggested they should write to capture the attention of a prospective employer.
This is very typical. Whenever I am posting a role, I always provide specific instructions to follow. Less than 20% of people follow them. This is a huge red flag, and I don’t entertain a meeting with the 80%.
Admittedly, I hired this person without a clear understanding of their responsibilities. They were due to start on Monday, and it was Friday. I didn't have a budget allocated for this full-time role, nor did I have established standard operating procedures. Over the weekend, I built their training schedule, ops, and the projects they would be responsible for.
I had an undeniable push, an intuitive nudge compelling me to reclaim more time in my day. I couldn't do it all on my own. If I wanted to pursue my ideas and deliver exceptional work, I needed to buy myself that time.
It reminded me of a similar situation in my second year of business when I hired my sister on a full-time salary. This happened WAY before I could afford an employee. She excelled at meticulous tasks, such as invoicing, emails, calendars, and research, which I struggled with. Despite the challenges and potential pitfalls, I knew that by freeing up 40 hours of work each week, I could focus on my strengths and achieve impactful outcomes. I was right, the company grew massively for the next two years.
I share this story because I have spoken with countless individuals who desire help or feel overwhelmed by their workload. Sometimes, budget constraints prevent us from taking risks and investing in our businesses. But sometimes, we simply need to take that leap, knowing that there's a high likelihood it will pay off. And if it doesn't, we can always adjust and make necessary changes.
Mike
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