Hiring Team Members for Your Bookkeeping Practice (and Where to Find Them!)
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Are you confident in hiring team members?
In the beginning of my practice, I was against the idea of hiring team members because I wanted to do it all. No one could do my job as well as me, right?
Well, I quickly learned that this mindset would only set me up for stressful situations, make me miss due dates, and cost me the ability to scale. I was starting to change my perspective.
I was able to shift my mindset once I began to implement effective workflows in my practice. The only thing stopping me from scaling my practice was me. By thinking I had to be the one to wear all the hats, I was actually limiting myself and delaying my success.
Once I decided to set myself up to outsource, optimize my workflows, and actively start to hire team members, my firm was able to seamlessly scale to six figures.
Keep reading to learn how you can gain confidence in hiring team members!
Hiring Team Members: Set Yourself Up
The first step to successfully hiring team members is making sure that YOU are actually prepared. Something I find extremely useful is to create a list that is easily accessible (this could be a Google doc, task in Asana, etc.) and add tasks that I would love to outsource one day.
This is effective because it allows me to accomplish three things:
I can look for patterns in the tasks I don’t want to perform
I can start to build workflows around those tasks so that when I am ready to hire, the transition can be seamless
I can keep track of which tasks I’ve eliminated from my plate
In my course Workflows in a Weekend for Bookkeepers & Accountants, there is a bonus resource: Opportunities to Outsource! This resource is the PERFECT starting point when you want to prepare yourself to outsource some of your tasks and hire team members.
Am I Ready to Hire?
You may be wondering if you are ready to hire, or how to KNOW when it’s the right time. Since every practice is different, I can’t give you a hard and fast rule that will tell you when you should be hiring team members.
Here are some things to consider before you make a decision:
If you can afford the market value for the position you wish to hire
If you would prefer to bring on a contractor or an employee
What freedoms you will gain by hiring team members
If your systems and workflows are robust enough to outsource
Taking these points into consideration will help you decide whether or not you are ready to hire. If you feel like your workflows and systems could use a boost, I’ve got you covered!
Hiring Team Members: Optimize Your Systems
Once you know WHICH tasks you wish to outsource, it is time to create efficient systems that will make it easy for you to pass to a team member. Make sure you are following my methods for developing efficient workflows, and optimizing them to their max potential.
You’ll want to ensure that you are including as much information as you can in your workflows before you hand them off.
Make sure you provide clear instructions on how to successfully complete the workflow, and everyone will save valuable time in the long run! If you set clear expectations, it is SO much easier for them to be met.
Think about this... you can’t get mad at your team for doing something wrong if you don’t provide them with clear expectations first.
I always recommend “childproofing” workflows before hiring team members. This helps the new team member feel self-sufficient AND it allows you to pivot your focus to more important tasks.
Hiring Team Members: Take Action
When you are certain that it is time to hire, take action and start your search!
The first step is to create a listing for the position for which you wish to hire. It is SUPER important to include as much detail as possible so that prospective hires know exactly what you are looking for.
Next, you will need to share your listing with the world! There are a few routes you can take when it comes to starting your search.
You can post your listing:
In industry-specific Facebook groups (including Facebook groups run by Workflow Queen! If you are a member of any of our groups, you can email the listing to support@workflowqueen.com and we will be happy to share it)
LinkedIn
Indeed
Don’t forget to utilize the Horkey Handbook if you are trying to find a virtual assistant! Gina Horkey has an AMAZING community of VAs that can help you with marketing, administrative tasks, social media, and so much more.
I Have Candidates! How do I Choose?
Once you get the candidates rolling in, it is a great idea to have a system in place to help you choose.
Are you even surprised I would suggest a system for this process? In my signature course: Kickoff with Asana for Bookkeepers & Accountants, I actually include the exact funnel I use in my business when it comes to hiring team members!
By using a high-quality funnel, you can easily decipher which candidates are not a good fit, AND keep track of their status in the application process.
If the idea of hiring team members is overwhelming, you are not alone! Like I mentioned before, Horkey Handbook is an amazing tool for outsourcing non-bookkeeping tasks.
If you are looking to grow your team with data entry bookkeepers, head bookkeepers, and account managers...
Check out my program Breakthrough for Bookkeepers & Accountants which features a lesson designed to help you avoid wasting time and money on candidates that aren’t a good fit for your practice. This is especially useful for those who are looking to scale and grow their practice to new heights by building a team!
Now that you’ve learned how important it is to set up and optimize your workflows so you can take action and outsource, hiring team members will be a breeze!
Are you ready to take your practice to the next level?
