How a single full-time staff member can help you run your business singlehandedly

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced business world, where the trials of the interview process for full-time staff members are becoming more and more arduous, we, by chance, found a way to create excellent team players who can single headedly run the business.

Creating the right mix

This article is about a revolutionary way to make your business work how you want it to and to make sure that the sum of the parts is not less than the overall business which needs to be completed.

In my company four and a half years ago when I started out I had myself and a two hour a week admin assistant. Nearly five years on I have 21 associates and an ‘office’ staff of five.

However, don’t be fooled by this because the 38 hours delivered by my other full-time equivalent are distributed amongst five team members.

Most are mums who had career breaks whilst they had children, one is a 16-year-old school girl and one is my ex Digital Mum. So, the name of my employee is Hayley Charlotte Di Hannah Clare and the roles carried out are Creative Director, Website Manager, Social Media Manager, Office Manager and Creative Support Administrator.

Roles

The Creative Director has developed my brand, image, delivery mechanisms and unusual portfolio feel.

The Website Manager has taken the web from a nice to look at site to a fully functioning marketing tool.

My Social Media Manager has taken our Twitter, Linked In, Facebook impressions, visits and interactions from almost 0 to 100’s of 1000’s.

My Office Manager has developed systems to make us more flexible and lean and the Creative Support Administrator has strengthened our ability to deal with the rising work by being active in the field.

How to make it work

It was really by accident that this happened but it is so successful. I had to step back from doing any micromanagement and trusting in the honesty and integrity of the team.

Two of the teamwork from home and are only seen once every two months at our away days. A third uses the office for printing and meetings with myself, A fourth work the equivalent of one and a half full days in the office but is also in the field and working from home. The fifth is still doing her college course and works for us on a Wednesday but this is rising rapidly.

This whole development is about flexibility on both sides the four staff that have small children fit their work around other commitments and always get it done.

I found this hard at first as it is a different way of looking at work. But we have persevered with my cantankerousness and made it really work.

The future

As we move forward it is clear that I will need more and more staff as business is developing well and having tried the multi-person delivery to fit the roles and knowing that there are so many people out there who are brilliant but only looking for short working hours I see a future for our company taking this forward.

The key things, as well as flexibility, are great communications, building a team ethic through away days and ensuring that everything that you do is praised when the works goes well and constructive criticism is given when it does not.

Give it empathy, it is so important as people like empathetic leaders and I have yet to lose a member of staff.

If it is of interest, Mind Over Matter Consultancy delivers a range of interactive, highly-pressurized programmes for high performers in companies across the world, underpinned by applied leadership and management theory. These are lead by experts in their fields.

We are able to support the following areas:

  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Negotiation
  • Talent Identification
  • Decision Making
  • Motivation
  • Problem Solving
  • Teamwork

Try our bespoke #BlowYouAwayDays programmes where you and your team will be pushed to the limit in anything from RNLI training or kidnap scenarios to dance development, a rollercoaster crash, a grand prix circuit or the SAS.