In a previous blog, we discussed how keeping up with industry trends and investing in your niche were key elements when scaling your start-up and super-powering your company growth. However, there is one more vital part to take into consideration when looking how to help your business develop, and that is:
Investing in the best talent on the market
Depending on the industry or sector your start-up operates in, it could be difficult to find the right people for the job. Certain sectors, such as tech and finance, are so saturated with job opportunities that it can be like finding a needle in a haystack when you’re looking for the right people for your organisation.
So how do you know when it’s time to start hiring?
Whether you are a one-man band or already a team of two or three, the best way to know who you should be hiring is to forecast. Where do you want to be a year, two years, or five years from now? What percentage of business return do you want to be seeing when you reach these milestones? When you have a target set in place, you will then be able to look at who you need to hire to help you get there.
For example, you could be looking at a few web developers to begin with. Alternatively, you might want to start off with a finance manager to help your outgoings and overheads to be in order. Some start-up’s like to take the proactive route and hire a HR manager and an in-house recruiter to get them to where they want to be. Whatever it is you are planning on achieving, knowing where you want to be will help you scope out who you need to get there.
We’re not suggesting that you hire anyone to mentor your business strategy - not at this stage, anyway. However, it is always worth speaking to similar people in the industry to see what their approach was to scale their start-up, and what they would suggest for your particular business. If you look at businesses you admire and would like to emulate in some way, have a conversation with the business owner if possible. Message them on LinkedIn or drop them an email asking if they’re free for a quick Zoom call or coffee at some point. Not only will it help you make useful business connections, but it is always worth taking on board what other business owners have done to get to where they are, and who their best hires were.
Look at two or three of your biggest competitors in the market. Who have they employed? What are their job titles? What do they do? It doesn’t necessarily mean you should be hiring and filling the exact same roles but keeping an eye on their strategies may give you some insight on where your business should - or should not - be heading, too.
When you’ve decided on the role (or roles) you’re looking to add to your start-up, it’s time to start interviewing candidates. Working with a specialist recruitment agency will save you a lot of time, money and admin, as well as helping you find the talent you didn’t even know was available. However, one key thing to look out for when interviewing candidates is to make sure they are the right cultural fit.
Even if they have all the skills, experience and qualifications you’re looking for - do you think their personality will be a good fit for those already working in the business? Have you discussed the culture of your company, and how things work day to day? Ensuring that candidates will fit in at your start-up whilst also hiring a diverse workforce is absolutely vital to the success of any startup.
Get in touch
If you are a small business owner, or work within a start-up that needs to have a realistic recruitment plan in place - don’t panic. You don’t have to break the bank or spend months on end searching for the right candidates.
Working with WSH Recruitment will help bring you the best finance, accounting, tech and HR talent in the market, ensuring the process is as smooth and seamless as possible. We can find contract, permanent and interim candidates - just let us know what it is you’re looking for, and we’ll handle the rest.
Get in touch with WSH for a chat today about how we can help superpower your company's growth and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with the latest hints, tips and tricks in recruitment and growing your business.
