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A lot of business owners hire for help—but they don’t always hire for growth. In this post, I want to talk about why your very first hire should be someone who helps generate revenue. I’m sharing what I’ve learned from both personal experience and supporting other business owners who want to scale sustainably.
This blog is based on a recent episode of The Process Chat on YouTube. If you’re into learning how to build your business with systems, strategy, and long-term vision, you’ll want to check that out, too.
Let’s get into it.
Where Are You in the Business Journey?
Before hiring, you need to know what stage your business is in. I use five stages to help my clients figure this out:
Rookie – You’re just starting and still testing what works. Focus here is marketing, sales, and figuring things out.
Beginner – You’ve got some traction. Your offers are clearer, and you’re doing things more consistently. You may be thinking about hiring or improving your tools.
Seasoned – You’ve been in business a while. You’re starting to step back from doing everything yourself and want things to run more smoothly.
Pro – You’re leading a team and thinking about things like succession planning. You’re probably not involved in daily work anymore.
Expert – You’re prepping for the big exit or building a business that can fully operate without you. Documentation and long-term systems are your priority.
If you’re in the Rookie or Beginner stages, your first hire should help bring money into the business. Not manage your inbox. Not schedule your social media. Not file your documents. At this stage, cash flow matters most.
Why Sales-Focused Hires Matter Early On
Every business needs sales to survive. That first person you hire should either be doing sales directly or supporting your ability to sell. This could look like hiring a business development rep, a client success assistant, or someone to help with lead generation.
You can’t build a business on back-end help alone. Revenue allows you to build a team, invest in tools, and pay yourself. So if you’re overwhelmed and tempted to hire a VA to “take things off your plate,” pause and ask yourself if those tasks are tied to bringing in income. If not, it may not be the right first move.
The Most Common Hiring Mistake
Too many business owners hire from a place of panic. They’re overwhelmed, so they hire someone to handle tasks without thinking through how that person supports the business’s bigger goals.
This leads to an even bigger problem: hiring someone who can’t stick around because there’s no budget for them long-term. That’s where hiring for sales first makes a difference. It funds the rest.
How to Start Documenting Your Systems
Not sure what to document first? Start with your to-do list. What are you doing every day or week without thinking? Those are your processes. Get them out of your head and onto paper (whatever that looks like to you). That’s your first step toward creating real systems.
You can check out this blog post that walks you through how to document with your to-do list.
My Hiring Approach: Fast, Slow, Faster
Hire Fast – Once you know the role and what success looks like, move quickly to fill it.
Start Slow – Don’t throw everything at your new hire on day one. Focus on a few key tasks they can do well.
Fire Fast – If it’s not working, don’t drag it out. Either adjust the role or part ways. A bad fit can cost you more time and money than you think.
Clear expectations and a documented process make this easier for everyone involved.
What to Do Next
Let’s recap:
- Know where you are in your business journey
- Hire for revenue if you’re in the early stages
- Document your most repeated tasks
- Follow the Fast, Slow, Faster model to ease into hiring
Hiring doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be intentional. If you want support mapping out your hiring strategy or building the systems that support it, I’ve got options for you.
First, check the events tab for upcoming discussions and workshops. The workshops help you break down everything from identifying what hire to make next, to prepping your systems so they’re ready to go.
I also just relaunched my Facebook group, Business the Lazy Way. If you want to learn and grow alongside other business owners who are building smart, simple operations, come hang out with us.
Lastly, you can look through our services to see which one most aligns with your goals.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, what stood out to you in this post? What do you want to learn more about?
- Follow Adriana/TLM on Social Media! Pinterest Linkedin Threads
- Subscribe to “Beyond The Process”
- Listen to past episodes of “The Process Chat”
