Hiring an Assistant

I hired an in-house assistant four months ago.  I’ve had subcontractors that helped me out with things and a VA who assisted me with some random administrative items over the years but in March I took the plunge and hired someone who comes to my office.  Makayla ROCKS.  I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her.

I read this article today and wanted at my own thoughts on the points the author made.

1.  Assess the Situation — it was a tough decision for me to decide to hire someone.  Some of the reason’s I’ll get to in a minute, but really it came down to I was tired of working so much and feeling like I was falling behind.  I have said this many time but I work to live, not live to work.  I take my business very seriously, but it’s only one part of my life…it’s not my life.  And I had gotten to the point where I needed help.  I did look at my situation and realized that I really wanted someone part-time and I wanted someone that was trainable in the ways I do business.  I placed an ad and the response that most impressed me was from a younger college student.  (Plus it helped that she was the ONLY person who actually “passed” the three “tests” I put in the job posting.)  After meeting her I knew that she was the perfect solution to my problem.

2. Letting Go of Control — This has been a HUGE struggle for me.  Like many business owners, I’m a control freak.  I’ve built this company to where it is today and I want things done my way.  I’m not saying my way is the only way but if you want me to pay you to do something I want it done my way.  If you have a better way, I’ll listen to it and am open to discussing it — I’m not closed-minded.  But, the bigger struggle has been to determine things that I can hand off to my assistant to make ME more productive.  Because really, being more productive is why I have her.

3. Trust Your Instincts — this has proved itself to me but when I was hiring my assistant I doubted my choice.  When I placed my ad I put three “tests” within the ad to see if the person could follow them.  I ended up only calling one person because out of the responses I got she’s the ONLY person who passed all the tests.  (And, before you think my tests were too hard or too hidden they were specific questions I wanted answered in their response.)  After I met the person I hired I felt certain that she was “the one” but doubted myself because I had not talked to anyone else.  I’m so glad I went with my instincts.  I truly believe in trusting your instincts in most areas of life.

4. Managing Your Time — this kind of goes with my letting go of control issue.  I’ve really had to look at where I spend my time, what is most produtive for me, what would be better for me to hand off.  I have too weigh the time it will take to train her on a new task vs. the time it will take me to complete it.  I have to determine where my time is best spent and I’ve had to learn to pass things off.  This has been a learning event for me, I know longer have to do everything myself but that means not doing everything myself.

Hiring an assistant whether someone who works in-house or virtually has been an amazing experience for me.  It’s been hard at times but worth every heart ache I’ve felt in letting go.