Small business owners are often hesitant to hire new staff, and the reasons are numerous. Some small business owners work from home and don't necessarily have the space for another person. Others find the whole recruitment and selection process daunting, not knowing where to start. And of course there are the financial and legal aspects associated with hiring staff. And let's not forget that you do work for yourself after all, and can do it all yourself. Right? Read on...

The above are all good reasons for not hiring staff, however working entirely on your own can in fact have the opposite effect - limiting the growth of your business. When hiring someone for the first time, start off small. Take someone on on a part-time basis - this can always grow to a full-time position as the work-load increases - but remember to make sure that your new employee will be prepared to work full-time somewhere in the future, so that you don't have to go through the whole recruitment process again when the position eventually turns full-time. Depending on your office space, and of course your budget, hire more people as needed, until it is no longer financially viable.

But how do you know when it is the right time to hire someone to help you? You need help when you find yourself struggling to keep up with your business's current growth rate. Other indicators are:

	You struggle to balance work with family life
	You find it difficult to meet deadlines
	You lack expertise in certain areas such as marketing or accounting
	Your health is suffering as a result of high stress levels and long hours
	Personal relationships are adversaly affected
	You find yourself increasingly reliant on independent contractors to help you with particular projects
	You waste valuable time on non-core business activities such as typing of filing
	You find yourself turning away clients because you just don't have the time to take on any new customers

While hiring someone for the first time may seem like a daunting and even risky investment, hiring the right person at the right time could not only help to ensure the financial success of your business, but also the happiness of your family and the stability of your health - so take that next step to managing your own business!

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