You’d be surprised to know that most solo entrepreneurs who manage to maintain their business struggle with personal doubts and administrative obstacles when growing their enterprise. Indeed, more and more business owners find it difficult to expand their activities and structure beyond the limits of their home-based office. Aside from the financial challenges of acquiring more clients and handling larger projects, the main problem of growing your solo business consists in new responsibilities. The acquisition of in-house talents requires a specific mindset to drive your new team to success. Everything begins with a successful solo entrepreneur who needs to get the hang of managing people, people’s expectations, and their requirements to make growth possible.

You need staff

Hiring your first employee is stressful, to say the least. Indeed, from an independent worker’s perspective, it means that you need for the first time to rely on someone else to sustain your business. But, more importantly, it’s now the moment when you officially become an employer. If you’ve never recruited any team before, you’ll need to prioritise your legal responsibilities as a recruiter. Your priority is to design a clear contract that establishes the job specs and your duties towards the employee. Once you know precisely the skills you’re looking for, you can interview applicants and set an assignment to your best candidates.

You can’t continue in your home office

The home-based scenario is no a viable option anymore when you need to grow your business. Indeed, you need to have a common area for your team to work. Consequently, you should be looking for a suitable office space. As a rule of the thumb, the location of your office is a determinant factor in attracting new talent to the team, especially if it’s a commutable location. Town centres and active business areas are preferred spots for offices, as they can easily be reached via public transportation and are next to shops and restaurants.

You have to introduce HR policies

Until now, you have not had any use for HR policies. However, once you work with a team, you need to ensure that your employees follow clear ground rules to ensure that your business remains safe. Health and safety policies are essential to define procedures and responsibilities to keep the workplace safe. Don’t ignore H&S requirements as you can be at risk in case of an accident. For customer-facing companies, a code of conduct can outline acceptable behaviour and educate your employees on the business values. You’ll find it easier to outsource your HR requirements at an early stage.

You’re not a solo entrepreneur; you’re a boss

Last, but not least, you need to accept that with the hiring of your first employee, you become a boss. Ultimately, your responsibilities change and, it’s fair to say, that you might find it difficult to adjust. A good entrepreneur can be a terrible boss at first! Give yourself the time to hone your management skills. You need to understand that your decisions now affect people’s future.

From entrepreneur to employer, it’s a long learning route. You need to get used to the fact that your responsibilities now include looking after your team. From hiring to managing, there is a lot to learn if you want to make it work. Unfortunately, there’s no stress-free path. But empathic employers who put others first are more likely to succeed in this challenge.