I firmly believe that every business should have their very own Dream Team, for the most streamlined, seamless support possible. This is attainable if you hire team members based on your needs, wants, values, and mission. Your team’s success will depend on clearly defining the roles they’ll play. And collaborating with your new hires to make sure that they can bring your vision to life. These individuals should help to build you up, as a fully engaged, collaborative member of your team. 

Before you think about bringing in a new team member, there are a few questions to ask yourself. (You should know by now, I love reflection and goal setting!) Below, I’ve listed out some prompts to help you have clarity around your desires so you can create a solid plan, moving in the direction of those dreams with others!

Reflection #1: What Is Your Vision For Your Business?

Where do you want to take your business? Or, where do you want your business to take you? Are you looking to stabilize or are you looking to grow and scale? There are some business owners who are happy to be solopreneurs. They don’t want to bring on team members or have to manage them. And that’s fine! Perhaps you need just one dedicated, supportive team member to help you handle the things that are falling through the cracks so you can continue doing your genius work.

If you want to build a team or have a solid, profitable business that scales with ease, an Executive Virtual Assistant and other team members can help you out. Having the support of a whole team behind you will change the whole game for your business. 

You may need to delegate only a few hours or a few tasks a day so you can focus on shoring up your energy. Or you may need to free up the resources that a growing business will demand of your time and energy. As your client-base grows, everything else will need to as well. You have bigger responsibilities to watch out for and extra irons in the fire that you do not want to ignore!

Related Reading: 3 Ways an Executive Virtual Assistant Can Support Your Business Goals

Reflection #2: What Kind of Person Do You Need to Work With You?

Depending on your business type, your needs for a hire may be different. To see exactly where support is lacking, it’s good to look at the full scope of tasks you love, hate, and never seem to get to. (Like I wrote about in this post about mindset mistakes you’re making before you hire.)

A team member is a constant in your business. When looking to hire a new team member, write out every possible thing that they would be doing in their role. Doing this will not only help you define and attract the person you need but will also help you determine if they are going to be a good fit for your team as a long-term team member.

It’s a great way to see ALL the jobs you’re doing, plus realize where you’re most likely letting things slip. You’ll also be able to see how you organize things and where you need the most help keeping things together. Ultimately, you are trying to define which puzzle piece you are missing to complete your business’s impact and efficiency. 

If you tend to be scattered, you may need a team member who’s able to organize and synthesize for you. In that case, an Executive Virtual Assistant who can be your second brain would be beneficial. On the other hand, if you’re highly-organized and just lack time to check off all the extraneous tasks of the day, you may want an assistant who is more task-oriented. Either way, make sure they’re team players, contributing to your success, and to the goals you’ve set for your business.

The Top Three Reasons to Hire Team Players

Hiring is a two way street! You want to choose someone you love and someone who loves your company as much as you! You want to make sure that they will see the larger vision you have, note any curveballs you’ve missed, and take responsibility and initiative. When this happens, you will begin to see the growth you are making each month with them onboard. 

A team member must be a team player. They need to be someone who can recognize that they’re an individual responsible for being a part of a community, while also thinking about the greater good of your company.

Reason #1: Team members understand the overall vision and care about the holistic success of the company.

A team member has understood your business’s values and agrees to work to help better your company and all that it stands for. They’re all in and playing for your team, as evidenced by them signing a contract and agreeing to work with you. Not only are they in on the vision, but they’re in it for your business. They notice the little details and are always thinking of ways to move the company forward.

Reason #2: Team members build up a knowledge base about the business and can create a track record of success over time.

Team members can, should, and must take the time to know your company. Will there be some bumbles around the learning curve? Yes. But they’re willing to learn from their mistakes to show you they’re growing. Furthermore, your clients will come to recognize them. An incredible indicator that you’ve hired the right people is when your clients are comfortable talking to any team member because they’re a trusted part of your business.

They can also bring in past experience if they tend to work in the same or similar verticals. You don’t know what you don’t know, but a team member who’s been part of someone else’s business knows what to look for.

Perhaps you’re a graphic designer and you can’t do any outreach to acquire new clients, nor are you scheduling any social media or blog posts to draw people to you. A team member who’s done work in this field and has taken time to learn about you and the people you want to work with would be able to help you generate quality leads and do that scheduling so you can bring in new clients while staying in your genius zone.

Reason #3: Team members intend to stick around.

You’re putting in time training and getting this person up to speed. With a team member, you know that they’ve agreed to play on your team and will step up to the plate with you.

By bringing in a team member, they can find and hit their stride to give you their best work. They are committed to being with you and aren’t simply looking for some quick cash. They want to be there for the long term and be part of building something successful.

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While I don’t want to discount other support people whom you bring into your business, I do see the biggest stumbles for my clients when they outsource to people who aren’t tested and trusted like a team member would be. You deserve to have people around who are consistent, dependable, and there for you and your business.

If you’re interested in working with Team Sadie to provide support, and you want to know what our EVAs can do for you, click here to download The Ultimate Guide for Leveraging EVA Support!