Behind the Scenes of Hiring Employees for small Business - Ep. 58
- Rizza Mae Marvel
- May 26
- 6 min read
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This article is adapted from an episode of Intentional Branding where I talk through this topic in more detail.
Hiring support in your small business can feel exciting, overwhelming, and honestly a little emotional too. There comes a point where you realize you simply cannot keep doing everything yourself. You want more ease, structure, and room to actually enjoy your life outside of work. Whether you are thinking about hiring your first contractor, hiring employees, or just exploring your options, understanding what support looks like behind the scenes can save you a lot of stress and frustration. This post walks through the realities of the process as a small service based business owner, what worked, what did not, and how to build support that actually feels sustainable.
1. Recognize When You’ve Hit Capacity
There usually comes a moment in business where you realize something has to shift. You no longer have enough time to do everything yourself, and honestly, maybe you just do not even want to do certain tasks anymore.
Burnout can sneak up fast when you are juggling every role in your business. Client work, emails, admin tasks, marketing, bookkeeping, editing, revisions, content creation, all of it adds up.
Asking for help is growth, not failure.
Hiring support creates breathing room. It gives you back creative energy and helps you focus on the parts of your business and life that matter most. I'm sure that time freedom is the reason you started your business in the first place.
2. Choose the Right Kind of Support for Your Season of Business
For a small business owner would it better to hire an employee or contractor to help you out? Here's the difference:
Employees are more integrated into your business. You manage their workload, schedule, and how tasks are completed. There are also legal responsibilities like payroll and taxes.
Contractors work differently. They are their own business. You assign projects and deadlines, but they control how and when the work gets done.
There are benefits to both.
Signs an Employee Might Be a Better Fit
You need consistent help every week
Your workload is steady enough to fill regular hours
You are craving long-term support that feels like a partnership
You want someone deeply involved in your business processes
You are ready to build a team structure
Signs a Contractor Might Make More Sense
Your workload changes seasonally
You only need help here and there
You need specialized support ex: design, editing, or web updates
You want flexibility without long-term commitment
Your budget is smaller and you need project-based pricing
For creative businesses especially, contractors can offer flexibility without draining your wallet while still saving you time.
3. Use Tools That Make Hiring Employees or Contractors Easier for Small Businesses
When you hire your first employee or contractor, the right tools can make a huge difference.
For payroll and employee management, tools like Patriot Software (my personal favorite) can simplify things tremendously. Payroll taxes, pay stubs, W-2 forms, and quarterly reporting can become overwhelming quickly if you try to manage everything manually. Using software is 100% the way to go, yes, its worth the money.
This helps you have some sort of system in place to remove a lot of stress and helps you stay organized.
Even if you only have one employee for a short period of time, there are still legal and tax requirements to manage. Every state is different, so it is important to research what applies to your area and business setup.
The biggest takeaway here is simple: do not try to hold everything in your head, use an employee management tool!
4. Finding the Right Person Takes Time
This is probably one of the most important things to remember.
Finding the right support rarely happens overnight.
Sometimes it takes months of testing different people, workflows, agencies, and communication styles before you find something that truly works and honestly, that is normal. My line of work is very creative, Im just looking for someone to do admin work, I need to find someone who works well with my project flow, deadlines, and matches my creative style.
Not every contractor or employee will be the right fit. Some people may produce amazing work but struggle with timelines. Others may be fast but not aligned with your style or expectations.
Sometimes personalities just do not work well together, and that is okay too.
The important thing is learning from every experience.
Each situation teaches you:
What kind of support you actually need
What workflows work best for your business
How to communicate expectations more clearly
What kind of partnership feels aligned
Hiring is often a process of refining, not perfection.
5. Clear Expectations Are Everything
One of the biggest lessons when hiring support is realizing that delegation requires leadership.
A lot of business owners, myself included, assume hiring someone means tasks instantly disappear from their plate. But in reality, successful delegation requires communication, systems, and guidance.
After hiring my contractors I went from personally handling every part of the project to delegating tasks and guiding the process. Hiring help doesn’t mean you suddenly have all this free time and with no more work. Your responsibilities simply shift into managing, reviewing, communicating, and leading the overall workflow.
You need to clearly explain:
Timelines
Deliverables
Quality standards
Workflows
Priorities
Without clear expectations, you can easily end up feeling more stressed instead of more supported. Be patient with yourself, it takes time to get used to a new system.
Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between micromanaging someone and properly guiding them. When expectations are clear, people can actually succeed in their role. And honestly, a lack of communication is often the real reason working relationships fail, not necessarily a lack of skill.
6. Create a Workflow That Protects Your Creative Energy
Workflows are what keep projects moving smoothly.
Without them, things become chaotic very quickly.
Creating systems like templates, SOPs (standard operating procedures), task boards, and screen recordings can completely change the way your business operates.
For repetitive tasks especially, SOPs save an incredible amount of time. Instead of reteaching tasks over and over, you simply hand over your SOPs, I use a Google Doc and off they go!
A good SOP can include:
The purpose of the task
Step-by-step instructions
Video walkthroughs (I find this is a MUST for my process)
Estimated completion time
Important notes or reminders
Tools like:
can help organize projects visually and make communication easier, especially for creative businesses.
Having a clear workflow also reduces revisions, confusion, and redoing work. It protects your time, your energy, and your sanity.
7. Hiring Support Is a Long Game
Building support in your business takes time.
There will be trial and error. There may be people who are not the right fit.
You may need to refine your communication, systems, or expectations along the way.
That does not mean you are failing, it means you are building.
The support systems you create now are what allow your business to grow sustainably later. They are what create freedom, flexibility, and space to breathe.
Over time, the goal is not just to work less. It is to create a business that feels more supported, more intentional, and more aligned with the life you actually want to live.
Recap: Key Takeaways
Recognize When You’ve Hit Capacity: Recognizing you cannot do everything alone is often the first sign that it is time to hire support.
Choose the Right Kind of Support for Your Season of Business: Choosing between an employee or contractor depends on your workload, budget, and long-term business goals.
Use Tools That Make Hiring Easier: The right tools can simplify payroll, taxes, organization, and overall team management.
Finding the Right Person Takes Time: Finding the right support takes time, patience, and a willingness to learn through trial and error.
Clear Expectations Are Everything: Clear communication and expectations help your team succeed and reduce unnecessary stress.
Create a Workflow That Protects Your Creative Energy: Strong workflows and SOPs protect your creative energy and keep projects running smoothly.
Hiring Support Is a Long Game: Hiring support is a long-term investment that helps your business grow without burning you out.
Building a business was never meant to be something you carry completely on your own. Support can create more ease, clarity, and more freedom, both in your business and in your life.
Happy designing!
Z Squared Studio is a Brand and Web Design Studio based in Juneau, Alaska. Check out www.zsquaredstudio.com for custom brand design, Alaska logo design, or web design.
Or sign up for our DIY Brand yourself Mini-Course if you're ready for a stand out, scroll stopping brand without hiring a designer.
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