Are you ready to scale your online business? We all dream of the true CEO days of having a team to delegate to and systems that run smooth-like-butter in the background helping bring in more sales and get sh*t done…

*can I get an amen?!*

Hiring a team and setting up systems are two of the most important things you can do to scale an online business to six-figures and beyond. In just over a year, I was able to grow my business to more than half a million dollars, but I wouldn’t have been able to get to this point if it wasn’t for these two crucial pieces of the puzzle. 

If you’re ready to take your biz to the next level, this post is for you. Here are my top tips for how to scale an online business!

Focus on serving your clients.

Instead of trying to do it all, focus on what you do best: serving your clients! Outsourcing allows you to free up your time and go deep instead of wide. In turn, when you are better energized and able to serve your clients, they are happier and keep coming back.

When you begin outsourcing, you’re able to tap into other people’s zones of genius. Don’t just hire someone so you can pass something off to them. Look for people with specific skills, that truly compliment you.

Stop trying to do everything yourself and ask for the help you need! It takes a team to scale an online business.

Have systems in place.

As you’re looking to grow your team, you need to have systems in place. You may be working 24/7 now, but in the long run that’s not sustainable. Getting organized ensures you’re actually able to enjoy the life you’re working so hard to create for yourself. In order for new team members to take jump right in, they need to know what to do — and that means you need established SOP’s and processes in place.

In addition, manual tasks can be automated or streamlined with online tools that will not only make your life easier, but also make your business more professional and save you time and money.

Here is an example: Let’s say you are a designer. When you get a new client you need to send them a contract and invoice, quite a few emails, and a brand questionnaire. How can we condense this to happen within 60 seconds while you are sleeping? Set up email and contract templates and store the entire workflow in a tool like Dubsado. With one click of a button, all of those things can be sent to the client in a pre-determined order.

If you’re the CEO, you should know every area of your business and have systems for each of them. Once you hit that six-figure mark, shift your mindset towards growing a team and establishing systems. Accomplish more by doing less!

Tackle your fears & mindset blocks about hiring a team. 

Deciding to start hiring a team can be daunting and feel like you are losing control – or you might even think that there’s no way someone can replicate certain things just the way you do them. (I know, did I read your mind 😉) Overcoming the mindset of letting go of control was one of the hardest things for me!

I finally realized that I can’t scale if I don’t outsource. 

It’s important to note that you are not trying to replace yourself. No one can do that. Instead you are trying to build a team who can help and support you, even if every nitty gritty detail isn’t exactly how you would have done it. You can’t possibly do everything in your business if you want to scale, so outsourcing is essential for you achieving your big scary dreams.

Pick and choose your battles and let go of perfectionism. Set standards and expectations for your team members, but don’t get caught up in every little detail. 

PRO TIP: One thing that can help is creating SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). These are videos or written documents that train your team on how you want things done and give them benchmarks for success. Having SOPs pre-recorded or written will make tasks much easier to pass off.

Know who to hire and when.

It’s important to know what kind of support you need in order to give yourself more time and energy. Who you need to hire and when you need to hire each type of role can vary from business to business. Most service-based entrepreneurs hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) first, because they can handle a lot of different tasks and admin duties. A few common tasks you can give a VA include: scheduling your content, answering emails, and organizing your Google drive. 

Another person who is typically part of that “first hire process” is someone to help with social media. As entrepreneurs, we rely on social media to grow our audience, so this is a crucial role. They could help with things like growing your Instagram, engagement, and Facebook content.

After that, the next hire to consider could be a copywriter or a designer to help with your website or emails. They can really elevate your brand and online presence. Because I used to be a designer, I could easily do that myself. Outsourcing design was not my biggest pain point, but copy was. This is a prime example of why you need to assess your own needs within your business to determine who to hire.

Another example was when I hired a Facebook Ads Manager. I did this fairly early on compared to many other businesses, but for me the timing was perfect: I knew I wanted to ramp up lead generation for my signature group program Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp and this was a process that would take months. Spoiler alert – it was a great WHO and a great WHEN as far as hiring decisions for my business.

Know your business and know what YOU need.

This is crucial! You have to know your business, how you operate, and what your personal vision of success looks like.

This goes for your team as well. What are you looking for in terms of skills and personality? Someone may have amazing Instagram skills, but not be a good fit with your work culture. For me, I needed self-starters. I also knew I needed someone self-sufficient and reliable. You have to find what you like and don’t like when it comes to choosing team members.

Evaluate regularly.

I recommend evaluating different areas of your business weekly, monthly and quarterly based on the project/task. Audit where you’re spending your time, as well as what tasks your team members are working on, and what marketing efforts are working best. 

In order to scale an online business, you need to know what works and doesn’t work. Otherwise, you’ll end up stuck constantly changing strategies and systems. Auditing your business will help you assess what systems need fine tuning or building out, as well as how to better utilize or grow your team. 

Ask yourself what results you want to see in 3 to 6 months and think about how to get there. Decide which areas in your business need the most attention, so you can prioritize who to hire next.

Lastly, hire a consultant if this is your first time hiring. Get clear on how to manage a team and run a company so you can find the right people and take your business to the next level.

What are you waiting for?

The hiring process can be time-consuming and you’re going to make some mistakes–it’s inevitable. But in the end, it’s so worth it.

To be honest, one of my mistakes was not hiring a team sooner. I didn’t have a coach or mentor at this stage in my business and was trying to do everything myself, which caused a lot of growing pains. It’s important to have someone who has been there and done that, supporting you in the growth of your business. You can’t scale an online business all alone!

No matter what level of business you’re at, get clear on the type of people you hire with and systems you need to streamline your business – because these two things are foundational to continue your growth. 

Once you start outsourcing and building your team, you’ll be well on your way to six-figures and beyond! 

Have you already started growing your team? Comment below or DM me on Instagram and let me know how it’s going!

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