Ask The Wise Woman: Should I hire?

This question came in via Skype from Ellie, a wellness coach in the Austin, TX area.  Ellie’s question was simple – how do I know when to take the plunge and hire my first assistant?

Well, while I don’t know your story, I can definitely offer some points to ponder.  (The following is presented under the assumption that financial resources are a consideration.  If you’ve got scads of cash and nowhere to spend it, by all means don’t waste time reading this, hire someone; hire several people!)

1. Let’s start with some brutal honesty - Am I really that busy, or am I just being lazy?  When you work for yourself, particularly when you’ve only recently begun doing so, it’s easy to experience making your own schedule as a luxury, and take advantage of just one too many mid-day mani-pedis and lattes.  So, think about it – do you really not have enough time to do what needs doing?
2. Could I accomplish what I need to accomplish with some organizational tools and/or software?  For example – there are some great, very easy-to-use online scheduling programs out there for anywhere between $0 and $50 per month.  You’ll definitely need to spend way more than that to hire someone to keep your schedule.
3. Would my clients benefit by the addition of an assistant?  Don’t be so quick to answer this one!  On the one hand, if you’re not getting back to your clients/potential clients within a reasonable amount of time (that might be 24 hours for you; it might be more or less), you might say, yes – an assistant could take phone calls and respond to emails right away, because that’s all s/he would be doing.  Good….  On the other hand, (time again for brutal honesty), are you the kind of person who just HAS to have the final say in every decision at all times?  If you’re not going to let you new assistant actually do his/her job, you’re going to make it even worse for your clients.  Which leads to…
4. If I hire someone, am I willing to accept that, from this point forward, every business decision I make will need to take this person into consideration?  Because in order to succeed, your relationships have to come first.

So?  What do YOU think?

(Got a question?  You too can message me on Skype!  Find me using my email address:  wisebluelotus[at]gmail.com.)