How To Hire the Best Employees for Business Success!
A question I often hear from business owners is, “How do I hire the best person for my business and ensure they help my business succeed?” It’s an important question, especially when you’re ready to expand and take your business to the next level.
Hiring isn’t just about filling a role—it’s about building the foundation for growth and success. Why is it important to hire employees in a business? Because we simply can’t do it all on our own. At some point, if we want to scale, take well-earned breaks, and focus on our vision, we need the right people to help us achieve those goals.
But where do you start? How do you hire for success? What is a successful hiring process? How do we hire the best people to suit our business?
First, we need to break down some common myths about hiring.
Myth 1: I Have to Hire a Full-Time Person
Many believe hiring means committing to a full-time role, likely because of the corporate structure we’re accustomed to. But here's the thing: when you're running a business, you get to choose the capacity in which you hire people.
Often, when people start looking to hire, they feel overwhelmed and think, I can't afford a full-time person. What I always suggest—especially when you're hiring your first team member—is to focus on what suits your business. Ask yourself, What does my business need right now?
In many cases, this could mean hiring a contractor for a set number of hours each week. It doesn’t have to be full-time or even half-time; you can start with as few hours as your business requires.
There are plenty of professionals looking for opportunities in growing businesses. And when you have a strong, impactful business, people are often eager to be part of it. Starting small and building gradually is not only practical but also helps you manage fears and concerns, such as, How am I going to pay them?
This is where I encourage you to take back the power and ask, What does my business need? When you start asking, What would really help me right now? you move into an empowered mindset.
Instead of thinking, I’m so overwhelmed; I just need someone to do something, you shift to hiring from a purposeful place. This approach ensures that the outcome will not only help your business scale but also provide you with balance, so you’re not working in your business 24/7.
Myth 2: The Hiring Process Must Be the Same for Every Business
This misconception often stems from the corporate world, where organisations have clear and rigid hiring processes. When we transition from corporate or large organisations to running our own businesses, we may feel compelled to follow the same patterns.
But here's the thing: we started a business to write our own rules, and that includes how we approach hiring. Writing our own rules means asking two key questions:
Who do we need? and
How do we find them?
If you come from a corporate background, you might think, I need to write a job ad and post it on SEEK. However, it’s important to challenge this assumption and ask yourself, Is this the best way to find the right person for my business? I encourage you to really evaluate: Is that the best place to find great candidates for what you need?
In my experience, when hiring team members, I very rarely post anything on SEEK. That’s typically not where the skill sets I’m looking for are found. So, I want you to banish that myth. Instead, create a hiring process that truly suits your business and aligns with how you want to hire.
This can feel daunting at first, especially if you’re unsure where to begin. That’s why one of the things I help businesses with is crafting a customized hiring process—a repeatable journey that supports them every time they need a new team member.
With a clear process, you can ask yourself, What skill set do we need? Does our current process fit? If the answer is yes, you’re ready to move forward.
This approach has helped my clients look for candidates in alternative places, get referrals, and discover amazing people from channels they hadn’t considered before.
For instance, some clients post job openings on their Facebook pages, leveraging their community or specific groups on social media. Others simply share their needs with their network, and referrals come pouring in. This is how we start redefining hiring for our businesses.
Remember, you set the rules because it’s your business. Tailor your hiring process to align with your unique needs and goals by considering the following:
Identify the required skills: What specific tasks or expertise does your business need right now?
Define the ideal qualities: What type of person would be the best fit for your team and company culture?
Assess complementary traits:
Do you need someone highly detail-oriented to handle tasks you’d rather not focus on, such as administrative work or organisation?
Are you looking for someone with strong initiative who can take charge of marketing, social media, and creative idea generation?
When we start asking these questions, we’re focusing on the bigger picture of the person, rather than just saying, I need someone who can do video editing. We’ve all seen those posts, right?
Yes, that might be a post we put out when we’re clear about our needs. But if that’s all we know—if that’s the extent of our understanding of what we require—you can see how limiting that is. Sometimes, we end up hiring people who can technically do the job but aren’t the right fit for the business.
This is why hiring the best person for your business means finding someone who not only has the right skills but also fits your business needs, aligns with your goals, and helps you scale to the next level. This, again, ties into something I’ve mentioned before—hiring should be purposeful and aligned with your broader vision.
We’re not just looking for someone who is a mirror image of us. Yet, that’s what I often see business owners try to do—and it’s usually not what they need. Instead, I want you to ask yourself, What do I need in my business right now?
Gaining Clarity on Your Ideal Team Member
One challenge I see frequently is that business owners lack clarity on who their ideal hire is. Many of my one-on-one clients get frustrated, saying, “It’s all up here, in my head!” But the truth is, our mental filing system isn’t as reliable as we think. To gain clarity, you need to write it down:
What skills do they need?
What attributes are essential?
Do they need to be local, or can they work remotely?
For example, if you need someone to work from your office, you’re looking at a specific pool of candidates. If remote work is an option, your hiring pool becomes much broader.
When creating this list, be as detailed as possible. Envision your ideal candidate. What happens too often is that business owners settle for what they think they can get rather than aiming for what they truly want. This leads us to another important myth:
Myth 3: Settling for the Bare Minimum
Don’t search for someone who simply meets the bare minimum requirements. Instead, look for your ideal team member—the person who aligns perfectly with your needs and goals.
It’s similar to choosing a life partner: would you settle for someone who’s just “good enough,” or would you pursue the person who truly matches what you want? Your team members will spend significant time with you and have a massive impact on your business. Hiring the right people is key to scaling your business effectively.
Breaking Down Hiring Myths
When we challenge these myths and take a thoughtful approach, we start to build a clear picture of the best person for our business. If this process feels overwhelming, don’t worry—Flying Colours Leadership is here to help and give you a personalised support in building a hiring system that works for you, you can start with our Hiring Secrets Workshop.
