The Most Important Thing to Do as Your Online Business Grows

Last week, we emphasized the need to have systems in place for your online business. Once these systems and processes are set up, the next step is to prepare your online business for growth.

If your business is just starting out, chances are that you will be doing almost every task at hand. From designing graphics and setting up your website, to creating products/services and marketing them, it will be you running the entire show on your own.

But what happens when your business starts to grow?

When your traffic starts to spike, you start getting more email inquiries.

When your blog posts become popular, you have to respond to more comments (and deal with more spam).

When your social engagement is good, you need to keep it up by posting regularly on all social media channels.

When people like your products/services, you’ll have to keep up with the demand.

Trying to do it all in a growing business, is just not realistic.

You need an extra set of hands (or two).

What you need is a team!

The most important thing to do as your online business grows is to build a team to support you.

But do you really need to hire a team?

Here are some symptoms that may indicate that it’s time for you to start building a team for your online business.

You are struggling to balance it all. Up to a certain point, you will be able to take care of your home and family, and run your business with ease. But there will come a time when your business grows to such an extent that you’re struggling to get everything done on time.

Things start slipping through the cracks. You forget dinner on the stove, miss a deadline, and find you just can’t keep up with this schedule and stay sane at the same time. That is a flashing red sign that it’s time you got some help on board.

You spend too much time doing tasks you’re not good at. You know what you are good at, and you’ve built your business around it. But so often you find yourself working on certain aspects of your business that you really don’t enjoy.

You spend hours doing things that might take others just a fraction of that time. Wouldn’t your time be put to much better use, doing the things you’re actually good at?

Whether you’re a mommy blogger, or an entrepreneur, you can certainly manage it all in the beginning. But as you grow, you need to expand your boundaries, get some help and start delegating.

What tasks should you delegate?

When you set up systems for your business, you have a clear picture of all the roles within the business, and the specific tasks within each role. Identify those roles that you are not very good at, but which are crucial for the smooth running of your business. Also make note of the tasks that take too much of your time. Those are the tasks you can think of delegating.

Types of Delegation

There are three ways you can grow your team and delegate tasks to them.

1. Outsourcing

This is the best way to start delegating. You can identify those tasks that you need help with, and hire them out to a freelancer. Whether it is designing a logo, setting up your website, or content writing, you can find someone who is good at it, and pay them to get the job done.

The advantage of outsourcing is that it does not require a long-term monetary commitment. You can hire someone to do the work only when you have enough money to do it. The disadvantage is that you cannot guarantee that the quality of work done by the freelancer will meet your standards.

2. In-house virtual team

When you have enough income to support your business, you can hire someone to work for you virtually. This person will be available to do the work you assign them for a certain number of hours each week. A typical example would be a virtual assistant who can help you with the administrative tasks involved in running the business.

The advantage of having a virtual team is that it minimizes office setup costs, and you can monitor their work through audio/video calls. The disadvantage is that maintaining an in-house team will be more expensive, and you need to take the time to train them virtually.

3. In-house physical team

If you’re looking to expand your business operations to include a physical office, it’s best to invest in a team to work there right beside you. While it might be an expensive option, you will be able to keep a watch on their work, give them feedback right away, and get things done right.

If you’re planning to have an in-house team (working virtually or physically present in your office), keep in mind that you will have to pay their salaries, irrespective of whether you have enough work for them or not. I started by just outsourcing certain tasks, and then built up a virtual team to support me. In time, I hope to have a physical team working with me in an office.

Once you’ve decided that you need to expand your team, it’s time to start looking for the right people. Here are some ways you can find potential employees for your business:

Search on websites like LinkedIn, Fiverr and Craigslist.
Check with social media groups you are a part of.
Look into the databases of job consultants.
Ask your friends and relatives if they know someone who meets the criteria.
Check with other business associates for people they recommend.

Make sure that the person you’re hiring does have the exact same skill set as you. Look for someone with a different area of expertise who can help you in those areas that you are weak in.

Making room for growth in business is a labor of love. It might not always be easy, and it will take time for your team to rally around your business mission, but the end result will be totally worth it!

If you’re interested, here are some more resources for further reading:

Today’s Challenge: Take a deeper look into the roles you play in your business, and see if you need to hire some help.

Will you need to expand your team in the near future? Leave a comment below and be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

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