At some point in your business, you realize you can’t do it all. But…hiring, managing, firing…PAYROLL??!

That can sound majorly overwhelming. Trust us, we’ve been there.

In this blog, we are starting simple with the first step, hiring.

Hiring for Your Social Media Agency

Hiring is a huge milestone for your social media marketing agency. And, if we are being honest, it's a scary one. A lot of business owners wait until they are burnt out, bogged down, and straight overwhelmed before they realize that they have to hire. Then, when it comes to hiring, you barely have time to focus on it. So, let's talk about when, who, and how you can start your hiring process, BEFORE you're overwhelmed.

When Is It Actually Time to Hire?

As we said, a lot of people wait to hire. Instead, watch for these signs.

You’re ready to hire when:

Tasks are blocking growth
You’re turning down opportunities because you’re buried in work
You’re consistently working nights or weekends just to keep up
You can never take time off

On the reverse side of that, hiring too early can strain your business.

Find that sweet spot of when you're profitable and getting yeses.

Why Hire?

The goal of your first hire isn’t delegation for delegation’s sake. It’s leverage.
A great first hire allows you to:
Get more done without working more hours
Focus on high-level tasks only *you* can do, or that you like to do
Say yes to opportunities you might have had to turn down
If adding someone to your team doesn’t create more capacity for you and instead takes up more of your time, something is off. That could be either the role, the expectations, or the timing.

Who Do I Hire First?

Your first hire should almost always be execution support.

Think:

Virtual assistant (VA)
Content assistant
Admin support

Someone who helps you do the work, without taking it completely off your plate. Why? Because in the early stages, you'll want full control over your signature services, processes, and client experience until you get used to the whole 'leader' title!

What tasks are great to pass off?

Start by thinking about the tasks that are:

Repetitive
Low-decision
Easy to document
Or something you aren't great at

Some good examples might include:

Scheduling social media posts
Formatting and sending emails
Uploading blog posts or podcast episodes
Managing your inbox or calendar
Repurposing content you’ve already created

These roles free up your time without requiring constant decision-making from you.

The Hiring Process:

The best advice we live by: "Hire Slow, Fire Fast."

Hiring is not something to rush, but keeping the wrong person is. You'll know if something isn't clicking, so act on it from the start. That could mean having a corrective conversation or moving on from this person. But again, always think beyond the person and ensure that it's not the role or expectations that are the problem.

Before you let someone go, ask yourself:

Have I clearly communicated expectations?
Have I provided proper onboarding or training?
Are there documented processes in place?
Have I given feedback and an opportunity to improve?

If you’ve done your part and the role still isn’t working, it’s okay to make a change. Keeping someone who isn’t aligned will cost you more than letting them go.

And, going back to the hiring slow piece of it. You'll likely be excited about hiring your new team member, but it's important to really take your time in this process and find someone not only who you click with on a personal level, but someone who is different from you in all the right ways. As we said above, something you aren't as strong in is a great place to hire because this is how you create a complimentary team. At our agency, we have team members who specialize in strategy, graphic design, SEO, and even more detailed things like stories, video editing, blogging, and community engagement. We always saw, hire someone that isn't your mini me and that pushes you to do better.

We'll leave you with one last piece of advice that we heard recently.

Praise in Public, Correct in Private

One of the best reminders we learned on the Good Hang podcast lately was "Criticize in private. Compliment in public."

Your team should feel safe receiving feedback and be seen when they’re doing great work. Public praise builds trust. Private correction builds respect. Every once in awhile, we will get a problematic client who likes to point fingers, and it's important that we don't lean into that and instead make sure our team members feel supported. That is how you keep good employees that you took careful time to hire!

In sum, your first hire isn’t just about help; it's more than that. When you hire the right person at the right time for the right role, it should feel like a weight lifted off your shoulders.

If hiring feels overwhelming, take it as a sign to simplify and break down the process, not avoid it completely.

The right support can be the difference between burnout and scaling.

Your next hiring read…

Interview Questions to Ask While Hiring for Your Social Media Management Agency

Hiring for My Agency: What's the difference between W2 and 1099 Employees?

Need to Hire for Your Social Media Agency? Steal This Job Description Template