You’ve been doing everything yourself—sales, content, admin, operations.
And now, you’re hitting a wall. You’re busy, maxed out, and stuck in the weeds.
It’s time to hire.
But here’s the mistake most entrepreneurs make:
They hire the wrong person first.
They look for status (like a marketing manager), not support.
They focus on growth before stability.
And they end up overwhelmed—just with a bigger payroll.
Here’s what your first hire should actually be—and how to make it count.
1. Don’t hire for what looks impressive—hire for what slows you down
Your first hire isn’t about scale. It’s about getting your time back.
You don’t need a strategist or creative director. You need someone who can take repeatable, time-consuming tasks off your plate so you can focus on the work only you can do.
Ask yourself:
- What do I do every week that drains me?
- What do I avoid (even though it matters)?
- What’s keeping me from revenue-generating work?
Start there. Not with job titles—with bottlenecks.
2. Start with implementation, not ideation
As a founder, you’re the brain—for now.
Your first hire should be the hands.
This means hiring a:
- Virtual assistant
- Operations coordinator
- Content repurposer
- Inbox manager
- Tech or automation assistant
These roles support your existing systems—not build new ones from scratch.
Once you’ve stabilized your output, then you can hire strategic thinkers.
3. Use the “$10, $100, $1,000” task filter
Not all tasks are equal.
Your time is too valuable to be spent on $10/hour work.
Use this framework:
- $10 Tasks: Scheduling, formatting, inbox sorting, admin
- $100 Tasks: Content writing, lead management, customer service
- $1,000 Tasks: Sales, offers, partnerships, product creation
Your first hire should take $10–$100 tasks off your plate—so you can spend more time in the $1,000 zone.
That’s how you buy back your time and grow.
4. Make your systems before you hire (not after)
If you don’t have clear SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), your first hire will need to guess. That leads to wasted time and mismatched expectations.
Before you post the job:
- Record your screen while doing key tasks
- Turn repeatable actions into simple checklists
- Set up a shared folder with logins, assets, and instructions
Hiring someone doesn’t solve chaos. It exposes it.
5. Hire part-time or project-based first
You don’t need a full-time employee.
In fact, your first hire is usually best as a contractor or part-time assistant.
Start small:
- 5–10 hours a week
- Focused on one area (admin, tech, content, etc.)
- Trial period of 30–60 days to test fit
This keeps your risk low and your expectations clear.
Action Step
Make a list of 10–15 tasks you handle weekly that someone else could do. Group them into categories. Then write a short, simple job description for a part-time or freelance hire who can handle that one category. The goal isn’t to scale fast—it’s to free yourself to grow.
