Starting a business as a solo founder can feel overwhelming. You’re the CEO, accountant, marketing manager, and customer service rep all rolled into one. While this scrappy approach might work in the early days when bootstrapping and first establishing yourself, there comes a point where you’ll need to bring other people on board.
But the thing is, your first few hires can make or break your business. Get it right, and you’ll have a dream team that propels you forward. Get it wrong, and you’ll spend more time managing problems than growing your company. However, with the right approach, you can build a team that doesn’t just work for you, but works with you to create something amazing.
How to grow your team the smart way
Growing your team isn’t just about filling empty seats when you get busy and hoping for the best. It’s about strategic planning that sets your business up for long-term success and gives you a team who will bring value.
Part 1: Start with your pain points
Before you even think about writing job descriptions, take a step back and identify where you’re struggling most:
- Are you constantly behind on admin tasks?
- Losing potential customers because you can’t respond quickly enough?
- Spending so much time on day-to-day operations that you can’t focus on strategy?
Make a list of the tasks that either drain your energy or aren’t your strong suit. These are your priority areas for hiring and where you can get others to help out.
Part 2: Plan your growth phases
Don’t try to hire everyone at once. Instead, plan your team growth in phases to make it easier to onboard and manage:
- Phase 1: Address your biggest bottleneck (often administrative support or customer service)
- Phase 2: Add expertise you’re missing (marketing, sales, or technical skills)
- Phase 3: Build depth in key areas and start thinking about leadership roles
This approach helps you manage cash flow while ensuring each new hire has a clear impact on your business. You’ll have more time to focus on training them and getting to know them better before bringing more people onto your team.
How to hire employees: 5 steps to build your dream team
A dream team doesn’t come out of nowhere. It takes heaps of time researching, chatting, and then organising all the internal moving parts to bring them on board. To be clear from the start, below is what you need to do:
Step 1. Define the role clearly
Write down exactly what you need this person to do. Not just the big-picture stuff, but the daily tasks too. Are they coming on board to help with social media posts? Lead generation? Photo editing? This clarity helps you hire someone who fits your needs rather than someone who looks good on paper but doesn’t solve your problems.
Step 2. Look beyond the CV
Experience matters, but attitude and cultural fit matter more. A motivated person with 80% of the skills can learn and grow with your business. Someone with all the required skills but a poor attitude will drag everyone down.
Step 3. Start small when possible
Next, consider starting with contractors or part-time roles before committing to full-time employees. This gives both of you a chance to see if it’s a good fit without the pressure of permanent employment.
Step 4. Ask the right questions
During interviews, focus on questions that reveal how people think and work:
- “Tell me about a time you had to learn something completely new for work”
- “How do you handle competing priorities?”
- “What do you do when you’re stuck on a problem?”
When you talk to someone about how they think, it will be easier to see if they’ll mesh well with how you work, as well as any potential team members you may hire after.
Step 5. Test their skills in action
Don’t just talk about what they can do, see it. Give them a small project or scenario that reflects real work they’d be doing. Their approach will tell you more than any interview answer. If you don’t have the chance to do this, be sure to ask for previous projects, videos, or work they’ve done that can prove to you their capabilities.
Top 6 traits to look for when hiring staff
There are countless personality types in the world, and not all of them work well together. Understanding how you are as an entrepreneur and business owner first will make it easier to know what to search for in others. Take a moment to analyse yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, and then once you do, you’ll be ready to search for traits in others to help take your business to the next level.
1. Problem solvers, not task followers
In a small business, you need people who can think on their feet. Look for candidates who ask clarifying questions, suggest improvements, and take initiative when they see something that needs to be done.
2. Growth mindset
Your business is going to change and evolve, and your team needs to change with it. Hire people who are excited about learning new things and taking on different challenges as your company grows. Someone who is rigid and stubborn will be more frustrating to work with.
3. Clear communication skills
Clear communication doesn’t mean they need to be polished presenters, but they should be able to express their ideas clearly and ask for help when they need it. In a small team, communication breakdowns can be devastating and cause massive issues.
4. Cultural alignment
Your first few hires will shape your company culture. Think about the values that matter most to you and your business, then look for people who naturally demonstrate those values and align well with you.
5. Reliability and ownership
You need people who do what they say they’ll do, when they say they’ll do it. Look for examples of follow-through and accountability in their past work or personal projects. People who take ownership will be able to handle projects on their own and need less mentorship on how to get things done.
6. Adaptability
Small businesses are constantly pivoting and adapting. Your team members need to be comfortable with change and uncertainty, not stressed out by it.
The real impact of getting it right
Building the right team isn’t just about getting more work done; it’s about creating a business that can thrive without you being involved in every single decision. When you have people you trust handling different aspects of your business, you can focus on the big-picture strategy and growth opportunities.
Good team members don’t just complete tasks; they also bring new perspectives, challenge your thinking, and often spot opportunities or problems that you might miss when you’re too close to the day-to-day operations.
The right people also create momentum. When everyone is pulling in the same direction and genuinely cares about the success of the business, that energy is contagious. It shows up in how you serve customers, how you solve problems, and how you respond to challenges.
Ready to build your dream team?
Growing a team is one of the most exciting and challenging parts of building a business. It’s where your vision starts becoming a shared mission, and where your small business begins its transformation into something bigger.
If you’re ready to start building your team but want to do it in an environment that supports collaboration and innovation, consider joining Melbourne Connect Coworking. We’re more than just shared office space; we’re a community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and growing businesses who understand the journey you’re on. Whether you’re a solo founder ready to make your first hire or a small team looking to scale, our collaborative environment provides the perfect backdrop for building something amazing together.
Ready to grow your team in a space designed for success?
Join Melbourne Connect Coworking today and surround yourself with the energy and expertise that will help your business thrive.