Which Role Should You Hire First for Your Growing Wholesale Business?
As a fellow small business owner, I completely understand the feeling of being a one-person show and juggling a million tasks at once. Back in 2009, when I started my own business, I wore all the hats - illustrator, photographer, shipping team, marketer, customer service rep, graphic designer, you name it and I was doing it! But as your business grows, there comes a point when you simply can't do it all on your own anymore. That's when hiring becomes a necessity. But how do you decide which role to hire first? Let me walk you through some key considerations to help you determine which role is the best fit for your business:
- Assess Your Pain Points: Take a moment to identify the areas in your business that are causing you the most stress or taking up a significant amount of your time. Are you drowning in administrative tasks? Struggling to keep up with customer inquiries? Needing help with production or fulfillment? Pinpointing your pain points will give you a clear indication of which areas of your business require immediate attention and support. Do a brain dump of everything you have on your plate and star the items where you feel the most overwhelmed.
- Determine What You Love Doing: There will be certain tasks and responsibilities that only you can handle due to your unique expertise, creativity, or personal touch. This is your "Queen Bee" role. These tasks often define your brand identity and set you apart from competitors. When deciding which role to hire first, consider the tasks that require your direct involvement and cannot be easily delegated. For example, for me, it's the artwork and product development part of my business. By identifying these critical areas, you can be sure to put your time and energy into these areas of your business and start to delegate other tasks to new hires. This approach allows you to leverage your unique strengths and frees up your time to focus on growing your business in ways that only you can.
- Identify Where You Can Improve Efficiency: Evaluate the different aspects of your business and identify areas that require streamlining or improvement. This could involve tasks such as inventory management, how you are getting orders out the door, or how you are following up with retailers after placing wholesale orders. By evaluating where you need to improve efficiency, you may reveal an area of your business where you need to hire help.
- Prioritize Revenue-Generating Roles: Prioritize positions that directly contribute to revenue generation. For instance, hiring a wholesale manager to follow up with your retailers will directly lead to sales, but going back to #3, with increased sales you will need to make sure you have an efficient order fulfillment process in place. By focusing on roles that generate income, you can help to fuel future growth for your business.
- Think About Your Long-Term Goals: Consider the roles that will be essential for achieving your growth goals. If you are looking to grow your wholesale business and service more retailers, you will need to start building a fulfillment team to handle increased order volume. Hiring for roles that align with your long-term goals ensures that you're building a team capable of supporting your business as it expands.
I vividly remember my first hire, a packager to help fold and sleeve my greeting cards. My long-term goal was to grow the wholesale side of my business, so I focused my energy there. I remember that it got to a point where my wholesale orders where more frequent and I consistently had 5 or more wholesale orders that I was working on at a time. It was then that I knew I needed help and determined that a task that didn't require me and my expertise was packaging greeting cards. Initially, it was challenging to let go of control. I had always done everything myself and doubted if someone else could package the cards with the same attention to detail. What if there was a dinged up corner on a card that the packager missed or the fold on the card wasn't crisp enough? However, once I took that leap and experienced the relief of having help, I was hooked. I reviewed all my tasks and started delegating more.
Hiring your first employee is a significant milestone for any small business or maker. It marks a turning point where you can start to scale your business, delegate work, and focus on what you do best. Remember, finding the right person for the right position can be a game-changer. So take the time to assess your needs, determine what tasks only you can do, and gradually build a team that supports your vision. You've got this!
