Growing Bit By Bit

Starting, running, and growing a business has no user manual, but if there was one, there would probably be a whole set of chapters around hiring.

First off, identifying that you need to hire someone at ALL is a tough nut to crack. You're essentially gambling that the money and time you invest in finding the right person, bringing them up to speed, and trusting them to do quality work for you is going to net you more value in the long run than you've invested in the short term.

That gamble can give anyone collywobbles. What if it's the wrong person? What if they don't ramp up fast enough? What if their work is just not good enough?

And the big anxiety you have to squash to even start the whole process: do we really need a person to do this work?

At small organizations, these risks are even more pronounced because you're probably hiring someone for the first time for a particular type of work. This adds ADDITIONAL risks:

☝ The job description of a "First Hire" is dramatically different than the JD of subsequent similar hires. A First Hire has to develop processes, set goals, stomach failures, be independent while also being able to play well with the team, and more. This is straight-up a different candidate than an entry-level sales rep who is skilled enough to smile and dial but doesn't know how to write cold call scripts, define an ideal customer profile, architect a sales process, configure the CRM...

🚧 You probably don't have a polished hiring process for that kind of role. Unless you're an experienced recruiter for that kind of talent, you don't know where to source quality talent, the best questions to ask to vet the right candidates, or how to evaluate their responses.

⛳ You won't have clear and attainable goals for the new hire. It might boil down to, "Make sales happen."

Oh, and if you screw any of those up, you gotta clean up the mess from the bad hire and start everything over again.

Happy hiring!

jk, I won't leave you hanging.

Fractional hires and flex talent are here to save the day.

First, definitions:

Fractional Hire:

• This term often emphasizes the part-time nature of the employment, particularly for high-level roles (like fractional CFOs or CMOs).
• It suggests a professional who dedicates a portion of their time to multiple companies.
• The focus is on accessing specialized, often executive-level, expertise without the full-time commitment.

Flex Talent:

• This is a broader term encompassing a wider range of flexible work arrangements.
• It includes fractional work, but also covers other forms of flexible employment like project-based work, contract work, and temporary assignments.
• It can include all levels of professionals, not just C-suite.

For small organizations, hiring fractional/flex talent is kind of like going to the $5 poker table at the casino. You're still gambling, but there are two key differences that tip the odds in your favor:

1. Fractional/Flex Talent Are Professional "First Hires"

There's a broad spectrum of fractional/flex talent out on the market today but many of them specialize in helping businesses who haven't had that role before. Instead of shopping for a corporate cog that will only succeed when being inserted into an existing machine, you're shopping for a mechanic who can help you build your machine.

Bringing in someone who is prepared to analyze your business, propose strategy, create tactical processes, and then actually do the work is an incredible value for a small but growing business. Sure, you could pay a lot less for an intern, but enjoy all the friction they will cause when they don't know how to write professional emails, forget to update the CRM, or accidentally change all the colors on your website...plus they probably can't do the job to the level that you expect or need.

2. Fractional/Flex Talent Is Easier To Find and Hire (And Replace)

Hiring great talent is hella hard. There's a reason why there's a whole industry around recruiting, executive search, staffing, etc.

However, going to Upwork and finding a top-rated designer that you could hire in 15 minutes is incredibly easy. There are lots of protections these flex talent sites offer to help you confirm that your freelancer is actually billing you for work they are doing for you. If you don't like their work, you can end a contract and move on. They also are set up so you don't have to issue tax forms like 1099s.

Oh, and if it wasn't obvious, you can pick the best talent from AROUND THE WHOLE WORLD. Competitive prices and no barrier to quality talent. Kind of a good deal, wouldn't you agree?

Clearly I'm a fan of fractional/flex talent, but there's still one big question that these folks can't answer for you: do we really need a person to do this work?

This is the realm I play in. I've had quite a few Learn to Scale consulting engagements where we discuss hiring and talent management. First off, my business isn't interested in being your part-time Chief HR Officer so I'm not trying to convince you that you need it. It's part of the Learn to Scale mission: we want to set you up to scale and work ourselves out of a job.

More importantly, having a neutral third-party hear your business challenges and give you an outsider's perspective on whether you should hire someone or let someone go can be incredibly liberating. Especially if you've worked with someone for a while and feel a personal kinship, it is hard to zoom out and say, "I love you Janet, but my business needs a Fractional CFO to help take our Excel workbook of finances and set us up for long term success."

If you're vexed on whether to flexibly hire or fire, grab a free consultation with me and spill the tea.

PS. This story was inspired by Mike Lemire from Harmonic Leadership. If you have ideas for future TL;DRs, send me a love note with your inspiration.​

A TL;DR from the CRO

Good luck finding a fractional CRO who is as fluffy as me.

-Roman Noodles, Chief Ruff Officer

Upcoming Webinar: How Your Employees Are Using AI For Their Performance Reviews

Are your employees already using AI to craft their performance reviews? (Hint: They are.)

The workplace is rapidly evolving, and AI is playing a growing role in how performance feedback is written, analyzed, and implemented. But are you confident that AI is being used effectively—and safely—within your organization’s performance management process?

On April 3rd at 12pm EST, I'll be sitting down with three colleagues as we explore how organizations TODAY are grappling with AI specifically around performance reviews. We'll cover the risks, benefits, and real-world examples of inviting AI to ride sidecar for performance reviews.

This is the hill I'm going to die on:

Abracadabra is Lady Gaga's best music video ever.

It was released on February 2nd and all my friends said, "Dan, you're going to LOVE this music video."

But, being the hipster I was, I didn't get around to it until March 15th.

I lived in a world for a month and half oblivious to the spooky, gothic, and raw gyrations of this music video.

Shame, Dan. Shame.

Instead of tucking a fun video at the very end of this newsletter, Imma gonna leave this one right here:

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Death or love tonight,

Dan from Learn to Scale​

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