Knowing when and how to hire your first team member can feel daunting, but with the right strategy, it becomes one of the most powerful ways to grow your business. At striveX®, we’ve supported hundreds of business owners through this journey, and we’ve built the tools and systems to make it feel less overwhelming and more empowering.
This blog will guide you through how to hire your first team member with confidence, using proven delegation frameworks and a step-by-step hiring plan.
Step 1: Understand where your time is going
Before you hire, you need certainty. Start by tracking your week using a simple traffic light system:
- 🔴 Red – Tasks only you can do (your superpower)
- 🟠 Amber – Tasks others could do with some training
- 🟢 Green – Tasks anyone can do (and probably should!)
This task often reveals the uncomfortable truth: if your week is filled with green tasks, your time is being drained by things that aren’t growing the business.
Step 2: Use the delegation station exercise
Once you’ve colour-coded your tasks, take it one step further:
- What do I love doing?
- What am I good at but don’t love?
- What do I hate doing?
Your first hire should be focused on the crossover between what’s green and what you don’t enjoy. That’s your immediate bottleneck.
Hire with confidence
Our popular digital resources walks you through the exact processes we use to run values-led, culture-aligned first interviews at striveX®.
Step 3: Always pay yourself first
Hiring should never come at the cost of your own salary. If you can’t afford to replace yourself at market rate, that’s a pricing problem not a hiring problem. Your business must be profitable before expanding your team.
Step 5: Choose your first hire wisely
The most common first hires we see at striveX® include:
- A virtual assistant (VA)
- Admin or operational support
- Junior delivery staff
- Content or social media help
Don’t look for a “mini-me”, hire someone with complementary skills that protect your time and energy.
Rachel recently captured the process of choosing hiring and onboarding her first PA. Rachel was searching for this kind of content, so she made it for everyone else! Check it out here:
Step 5: Don’t start from scratch
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We’ve designed our first interview vibe check to help you confidently assess cultural fit, core values, and practical considerations for your first hire.
Work with striveX today
Ready to free up your time and grow your business with confidence? The team at striveX® can help you plan your hiring strategy, assess your cash flow, and implement systems that support sustainable growth. Learn more about our limited company accounting services.
