1st employee/contractor

1st employee/contractor

Didn't find your answer?

I am at the stage now where I am needing to take on someone to help me, I am lucky enough to be getting new clients regularly and am at the point where I am working too long and am in danger of letting down my current clients if I take more on, the thought is to say no or take someone on to help.

Most of what I do I do from my head, by that I mean as I know my clients inside out the day to day management and knowledge all comes out when I do accounts/tax returns and speeds up that process.

My decision is what type of help to look for clerical/tax and accounts, part time, contractor who gets paid per job.

Most of my clients are small, accounts and tax returns, small Ltd companies etc and are all fairly quick to do, I have a few larger clients who rely on me massively as "FD" as such and this is more personal than process work so would not be able to pass across.

I work from a shed (fully lined, airconditioned and powered) in the garden and so this employee would work from here with me - or is it better if they take work away?

Anyhow, as you can see from my ramblings I am in need of help and before I took the plunge just thought I would take ideas from others who have been there.

Replies (4)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

Image is of a pin up style woman in a red dress with some of her skirt caught in the filing cabinet. She looks surprised.
By Monsoon
12th Jul 2011 11:34

Learning curve.

Taking on someone and delegating is a big learning curve, but it's well worth doing.

Personally, I like the right of control that having on-site employees gives me, so would feel unconfortable letting someone take work away - at least until I knew the quality of their work.

I am now delegating a lot of my work (I do next-to no technical work, the majority of it is done by staff) and while this was a real challenge at first, now I love it and couldn't revert to being on my own. Client contact is still me (with employees dealing with day-to-day queries to the client by email) and I manage their account so they still feel they are getting me and my expertise, but the actual work is mostly not mine, I just check it over.

I've had a bookkeeper for 2 years and took on another accountant this year and so far the clients seem happy with the arrangement and no problems that it's not me doing the work, they can see I'm still involved.

Thanks (0)
x
By rockallj
12th Jul 2011 11:42

Hi Ding Dong, yes I am in a very similar situation too

and facing up to make the leap of faith, like you. I am currently in discussions with an associate of mine to possibly make a similar expansion plan, but 'tis very early days yet.

If you are situated anywhere in Suffolk or Essex, perhaps we could help one another, so you're welcome to pm me.

If not (no such luck), then I would move away from the shed with your new employee. I would take on a bookkeeper first, as Monsoon did and then in time, perhaps an accountant. I currently work from home and if my eventual assistant isn't a family member, then I will be finding an office. I think it is important to have that home/office distinction as I agree it can get in the way of the work/life balance.

 

Good luck.

 

PJ.

Thanks (0)
By Moonbeam
12th Jul 2011 13:54

Control is essential

I agree with Monsoon that control over anyone working for you is essential and the employee route is the best one to ensure this control. If that person turns into a superhero and later wants to work off-site then you will be able to trust them.

When I first employed someone many years ago I went on a half day course on supervising staff (previously I thought supervising staff was easy to do). The course was full of accountants who had found it was not as easy as we had all thought. Just half a day was enough to start me off on the right lines and give me much more confidence and authority as a result.

ACAS run these courses all over the country. It could be very cost-effective if you haven't employed anyone before.

Thanks (0)
Teignmouth
By Paul Scholes
12th Jul 2011 21:09

Both?

Having, started on my own then worked my way up to managing perhaps 15 staff to now being back to a part-time admin employee and one subcontractor, it will be a comfort to know that you'll face this dilemma on a regular basis, no matter how many people you employ.

Also, to rub more salt in, the art here is realising "blimey it's getting busy, I'm likely to need someone on board in 3-4 months" and getting someone there and then, whilst you still have some time to recruit, mentor, coach, supervise and monitor (and don't forget assess & appraise).

Really depends on your way of working as to how much of your own and client admin you get involved in but, in my case I always found it less onerous and more efficient to move this type of work over to someone else than I did the technical stuff and so, seeing as I used to spend hours each day on both, the admin side would always be my first target.

Back in the bad old days we'd have secretaries (and I still hear that word from time to time) but these days a good administrator, with minimal coaching, should be capable of some basic bookkeeping, credit control, stat books work, archive file maintenance and even, in our case, all the standard procedures we've set up to handle new client take up, tax and accounts info chasers etc etc. I also permit her to work my coffee machine a couple of times a day but, even after 5 years, still feel the need to watch to make 100% sure it's perfect (please god don't let her read this).

On the technical side I started with sub-contractors and, as I say, have now ended up with one.  The starting was not a conscious decision I just knew people who I trusted but, with hindsight, and some awful experiences, adding the risk of someone who might not be up to scratch with the risk of employing someone and the risk that it's client work and not your own affairs that might be cocked up, it is something I'd not get into unless I'd had the time to carry out all the recruitment, mentoring etc etc, before the end of their probationary period.

That's not to say I've not had awful subbies but they only ever cocked up one job.  On the other hand I've had stunning subbies, who could do the job better than me.

Even though I've been lucky in that my subbie has worked for me 3-5 days a week for over 10 years with hardly a hitch, the ideal I think is to teach yourself the art of client work delegation and management with subbies in preparation for the time when you are ready to take the plunge with an employee.

My only other tips from my history is firstly not to dump stuff that's been sitting in your drawer for 6 months onto someone new without some preparation and instruction and talk in terms of handing work over or sharing the job rather than handing work down.

By the way, if it was me, I'd go for both.

 

 

Thanks (0)