As a small business owner, you might think hiring freelancers and part-time employees is the best approach. It helps manage your staffing budget while helping the company grow. This can work for certain positions. But other key functions may require a full-time employee. They can get you to the level of growth you’re looking for. That’s why we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members the following question:
“Part-time positions can help a company grow, but they aren’t always the best approach. What position in a small company needs to be full time, even if finances are tight?”
Full Time Small Business Positions
Here’s what YEC community members had to say:
1. Developers
“There are plenty of freelance developers out there, but you’re going to want to find someone dedicated to your company. I’ve encountered problems with developers where my project wasn’t important because I was “just another client.” I find that by using full-time developers, we meet deadlines and exceed customer expectations consistently. This tip is vital if you’re just starting a new business.” ~ Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
2. Customer Service
“Consumers today want fast customer service and support — and your small business can’t offer that with a part-time customer service or support employee. Make sure you have a full-time customer service manager so that you can provide superior customer service to your valuable customers. Great customer service will help you keep your existing customers and attract new ones.” ~ Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
3. Sales
“Having a dedicated sales team is essential for a business’s survival and growth. It’s vital to keep on a full-time sales team or salesperson to win customers over. Customers need to interact frequently with salespeople over a period of time before they will buy from you. Businesses can’t afford to have a part-time sales team or it simply won’t have the income to keep the business running.” ~ Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
4. Accounting
“Entrepreneurs should never handle their own finances. You need a full time accountant. However, the hack is to outsource this to someone who will give you the services of a full-time accountant, but only charge a fraction of what an accountant or a bookkeeper charges. There are many providers out there that will gladly do this. This concept revolutionized our business.” ~ Rodrigo Mora, 5448 Enterprises
5. Human Resources
“Even if your business is still on the smaller side, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need an HR professional. This department takes care of new hires, benefits, payroll, etc. and takes a load off your shoulders as your business expands.” ~ Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
6. Legal
“Lawyers are expensive: There’s no getting around this fact. However, it’s far more expensive to make a mistake that can lead to a nightmare of litigation. Because of this, I recommend every business have full-time access to legal professionals as advisors so they can avoid falling into one of these traps.” ~ Bryce Welker, Accounting Institute of Success
7. Anything Tied to Intellectual Property
“Anything that is tied to key intellectual property should not be part-time. This is a good catch-all way to ensure that the people you are working with are committed to the project for the long-term. Part-time people will have to find multiple commitments and that will distance them from your business.” ~ Nicole Munoz, Nicole Munoz Consulting, Inc.
8. SEO Specialist
“SEO is everything these days, and you want someone on your team that knows your business inside and out and is fully committed. This way they can properly implement an overarching strategy that is consistent and make sure all of your content serves this strategy.” ~ Reuben Yonatan, GetVoIP
9. Social Media
“Social media is your quickest and most direct way to communicate with your customers. It is vital that position be fully ingrained in company culture and available for last-minute needs. Those who make this a part-time position have not embraced the power social media can play in growing a business.” ~ Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
10. Operations Manager
“While some roles can easily be managed by part-time or even remote workers, the most important full-time position that urgently needs to be filled in order to grow is always an operations manager. A full-time manager allows the business owner to breathe and to create room for important bigger picture items and growth, without focusing on the day-to-day and putting out fires.” ~ Rachel Beider, PRESS Modern Massage
11. Upper-Level Management
“The more important the position, the less likely it is that you should employ someone part-time. So really, any part of your upper-level management team should be full-time. That’s where it’s most important that you have loyalty and dedication, two things you might not get with a part-time hire.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
12. Key Value Generators
“Any employee who is important to the success of your business and who is not easily replaced should be a full-time employee. No one is completely irreplaceable, but replacing some employees is more expensive than others. A part-time employee is more likely to leave and less likely to feel committed to the business. Giving them a full-time position may well be less expensive than replacing them.” ~ Chris Madden, Matchnode
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