Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Hiring Is Like Dating. Do You Need To Up Your Game?

Many employers treat hiring like a blind date, hoping for “love at first sight.” They spend a little bit of time with a candidate. They ask some basic questions, then ask a few more questions as they come to mind. They think they have the job candidate all figured out, so they “propose” and attempt to seal the deal with a job offer. I know that a job offer is not quite the same as making a marriage proposal after one or two dates, so what could go wrong?

A lot can go wrong. A bad hire is almost always costly – it’s just a matter of how much it’s going to cost. A bad hire can have a far-reaching impact on morale, productivity and client relationships. Take a look at this article by Intuit QuickBooks on the costs of bad hiring.

When I work with employers as an HR Consultant, I like to ask them what they’d like their next employee to bring to the job and what things the right employee can learn on the job. I call this the “Bring vs. Learn Concept.”

When considering the fit between the position and a potential hire, it makes the most sense to look at what can be learned on the job and what an employee needs to bring to the job on day one. This one concept can help you focus on the right things when interviewing and comparing job applicants.

Many jobs require specific knowledge from day one — education and training and other types of credentials. Nobody, to use one of my favourite examples, wants their dentist to be learning how to fix teeth on the job. They need to have adequate training and competence before they start to work.

Soft skills are often hard to improve or develop. For example, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, tact, judgment are very hard to teach. Soft skills are the things that great job candidates should bring with them into the job because they are so much harder to develop. They are also hardest to determine from a typical interview. Just like during a date, both sides are putting on a bit of a show for the person across the table. How can you drill down, and find out who a person really is, when he or she is doing everything possible to make sure you can’t?

It’s important to hire well and cost-effectively. If you know someone who has learned the hard way or wants to avoid learning the hard way, consider a new approach to hiring. By using Industrial/Organizational Psychology principles and techniques, I have created some very effective screening tools that allow me to assess behaviour as it relates to work.  I/O Psychology is also known as business psychology or work psychology. As an I/O psychologist, I have access to the best practices and processes that are also used in some of the world’s most successful companies and by I/O psychologists who share their applied research findings.

 

Do you need help navigating the world of human resources and work? Contact Dr. Helen today for a free and confidential initial consultation by phone, email, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. She can develop interview questions and/or simulations to determine which job applicants have the essentials to hit the ground running, and are capable of learning the rest after they start.

In some situations, when you don’t need a full hour, especially when it’s urgent information-by-the-minute via the Magnifi app is a very practical option.

Have you ever wished you could get inside the head of a hiring manager? You can. Dr. Helen Ofosu is a Career Coach/Counsellor with a difference. She has worked for organizations to create hiring and screening tools. She’s created countless pre-screening tests, interviews, simulations, and role plays for organizations of all kinds.

Dr. Helen’s training in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology means she is a genuine expert in evaluating work-related behaviours. She uses those skills to help hiring managers tell the difference between people who say the right things during interviews and people who actually deliver on the job. In other words, Dr. Helen understands first-hand how job candidates are assessed.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

The Challenge of Hiring Staff to Work in the Cannabis Industry

 

In recent blog articles, I’ve described emerging careers related to exponential technologies, including cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. I’ve also addressed some of the difficulties associated with hiring staff to work in new fields (read this for an example). In these brand-new industries, it is hard to hire staff because it’s very difficult to determine who has adequate knowledge. For now, it’s not possible to earn a degree or diploma in the cannabis or marijuana industry. This means that people who want to hire employees to work in these positions can’t use their usual approach to recruitment and hiring. Degrees and diplomas won’t work as a proxy or symbol of an applicant’s adequate knowledge.

Evaluating job applicants’ relevant cannabis experience and knowledge

From what I’ve seen firsthand, many hiring managers and business owners focus on measuring potential employees’ experience and knowledge because these qualities are easier to measure, they’re objective. It’s fairly safe to assume an applicants’ knowledge when they have the appropriate designation, diploma, or degree. In the cannabis industry, this approach probably isn’t going to work in the short-term because you can’t earn degrees in cannabis production, management, or distribution.

 

How can an employer predict who is going to be the best performer on the job?

In my experience as an Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychologist, I’ve always understood that job performance is based on two factors:

1) The employees’ experience and knowledge. Stated otherwise, what candidates’ know. Often this is categorized as hard skills or technical competence.

2) How an employee applies their experience and skills is the second determinant of job performance. This includes qualities like judgment, conscientiousness, creativity, and initiative, etc. For a more detailed discussion of soft skills and their relative importance – especially when hiring staff, please read this article. In many situations, soft skills play a bigger role than hard skills/technical skills. When you have one or more people with equivalent knowledge (often represented by a specific degree diploma or designation) and similar years of work experience, the person who is better able to apply their knowledge is more successful on the job. They have the stronger, more effective soft skills.

valuable cannabis needs to be stored securelyMore complications due to the complicated nature of the cannabis industry

Typically, when hiring, the employer and/or hiring manager focuses on the job applicant’s experience and knowledge. From a practical perspective, this makes a lot of sense. It’s straightforward and objective to focus on these measurable qualities. For most people, accurately and reliably evaluating soft skills including qualities like teamwork, cooperation, judgment, flexibility, etc. is often easier said than done.

I anticipate that for the first several years of the cannabis industry in Canada it may be difficult to identify the job applicants with the right skill set, knowledge, and experience. It won’t be possible to rely on degrees, diplomas, or certificates as an indicator of knowledge. Although there are some people who have been involved in the legal medicinal cannabis industry for years, that industry is much smaller than the emerging combined recreational and medicinal markets. This means that there will be a bigger demand for staff. In addition, some of the people with experience in the underground, illegal black market might be unsuitable for the new industry. Selling cannabis isn’t the same as selling clothing or groceries or other products. Then, when one factors in the serious security implicationsof such valuable merchandise and the high-profile public relations elements, the soft skills will become even more important in these areas than they are in other industries (for a concrete example, watch thisvideo from CBC’s The National which aired on January 15, 2018; at about 4 minutes and 15 seconds, there’s a scene about the vault for drying buds securely).

The ability to reliably and accurately evaluate these human behaviours will become more and more valuable and more important. Similarly, the cursory background checks and reference checks that are often performed as a formality and an afterthought in many organizations will be completely inadequate in this context. The challenges, grey zones, and high stakes will mean that it’s not just business as usual.

Addendum – On September 23, 2018, in advance of the legalization of cannabis in Canada, the Globe and Mail published this fascinating article that addresses some of the complications associated with the black/grey cannabis market and some of the security issues. Read it here.

Planning to hire people who can function effectively in the cannabis/marijuana industry? Let’s talk! I invite you to contact me by email, phone, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. If something urgent comes up, I’m also available by a voice or video on Magnifi, an expertise-on-demand app.

 


I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations

Q&A With Dr. Helen – What You Need To Know About Reference Checks

reference checks are now easier because of technologyQ1: In 2015 you wrote a blog article that asked if reference checks were worthwhile. The short answer was a definite yes.  Is this still true 3 years later despite the growing reliance on online job applications and electronic/social networking?

A: In many respects, I believe that a reference from a previous employer is even more important and more relevant than ever because so much of the hiring process is online and impersonal.

With screening being done by software and face-to-face job interviews being replaced by video calls to expedite hiring in large organizations, employers are relying on online information from applicants more than ever before. In my opinion, this makes it more likely that important information is overlooked. This mostly digital approach can be problematic for multiple reasons.

 

male job applicant confident that interview and reference check went wellQ2:  You don’t strike me as old-fashioned or anti-technology. Can you list a few problems associated with this modern approach?

A: Thank you! I’m often an early adopter and a big proponent of the smart use of technology. When hiring moves (mostly) online, depending on how it’s implemented, many mistakes are possible.

For starters, a job applicant can easily exaggerate their previous work roles or overstate their education or professional credentials on an online screening questionnaire. If an employer has appropriate ways to validate and confirm this information, then it’s fine. When, however, the employer has no reliable way to confirm this information, it’s a slippery slope downward.  A well-structured reference check (including a background check) is an excellent way to verify and clarify information provided by the most promising job applicants.

It is increasingly difficult to stand out when applying for a job online. This is especially true for qualified but humble applicants. So, a solid job reference from a previous employer is a great way for a candidate’s past accomplishments to shine through and help distinguish between candidates who are good self-promoters and candidates who are good workers.

Q3: It appears that most experienced managers/employers understand the benefits of doing a thorough reference check before hiring a candidate. Do you find job applicants are less enthusiastic about this process?

A: On the surface, and to outsiders, it looks as though most managers and employers understand the importance of a reference check. One problem that I see far too often is that they consider the reference check to be a mere formality. It’s a quick phone call that they make so that they can basically ‘check the box’ that they’ve done a reference check. In my opinion, this is a missed opportunity to collect and confirm some important information from two or three people who should have good familiarity with the job applicant’s work ethic, reliability, and abilities.

Employers and hiring managers aren’t the only ones who ‘go through the motions’ when it comes to reference checks. I’ve heard clients express their frustration, and even anxiety with having to provide additional information after submitting a well-crafted cover letter, a detailed resume, and participating in a preliminary and other ‘real’ interviews. In most organizations, there are good reasons to consider a potential employee’s past, to confirm their skills, experience, and knowledge – and also how they apply those skills and knowledge (i.e., their soft skills). The best reference checks prevent the company from hiring someone who is incompetent or a bad fit for the role and the work environment. Depending on the industry, the reference check can also help to protect the business from security breaches (including cybercrimes) caused by insider threats.

I can appreciate that most job applicants don’t want to jump through unnecessary hoops to land a job. But, for the better jobs, being asked for references should be taken as a sign that the employer knows what they’re doing and doesn’t hire everybody who applies and says some of the right things during an interview.

Q4: In your experience, should an applicant provide their work references upfront, (such as attach them to the resume) or should they wait to be asked. Is there any harm in either?

A: From what I’ve seen first-hand, going back almost 20 years, references are only checked for the most promising job applicants – near the end of the hiring process. A decent reference check takes time to complete so it does not make sense to invest the time that’s required to do a thorough one until you’re prepared to make an offer.

Unless you’re asked for the names and contact information for references up front, I think it’s better to provide them when you’re asked for them.

 

 

Q5: Going back to some job applicants feeling hassled or reluctant to provide a reference from a superior, isn’t it possible that they may have good reason not to? For instance, if their last place of employment was toxic? What if their boss was harassing them, or their manager just didn’t like them? Similarly, what if they don’t want their current employer to know they are planning to leave? 

A: These are such important questions and the answers aren’t black and white. Since there’s so much nuance to this question, and potentially so much at stake, I’ve included several clickable links so that you can drill down to get more information that’s most relevant to your circumstances. When you’ve been made the scapegoat or harassed orbullied at work, it really won’t feel good to ask the ‘offender’ to be a good, reliable reference. In many cases, you probably shouldn’t count on an honest (and positive) testimonial of your value as an employee.

If you’re stuck and/or have questions about who to list as a reference – or you want to make better use of reference checks when hiring new staff, I invite you to contact me by email, free 15-minute phone consultation, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

How To Stay Relevant In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence

drone replacing human surveillance“No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris.”  –  Orville Wright, American inventor, and aviation pioneer. 

In some ways, we like to believe that there are limits to what the future holds. Automation, driverless or autonomous vehicles, and robotic soldiers/drones are the stuff of science fiction … or at least they used to be. As we venture into 2018, many scientific and economic publications are reporting that humans arevery much being replaced by robots and artificial intelligence. And once more, there seem to be no limits to what these machines can do.

 

 

artificial intelligence in factoryThe motivation to replace humans with efficient machines that are not vulnerable to ‘human distractions’ is clear; technology offers a huge financial gain. For business owners, CEOs, and shareholders, it’s appealing to be able to minimize the costs of labour and benefits while also avoiding the problems associated with workplace conflicts and absenteeism that cut into the bottom line.

Ok, so we know who the winners are in this scenario. What about those ‘displaced’ and ‘replaced’ people who need those jobs in order to make a living? How are they to compete against machines, artificial intelligence, and other forms of technology? How do they avoid being replaced and displaced in the first place?

 

Pennywise, pound foolish – Robert Burton

The saying ‘pennywise, pound foolish’ is over 400 years old and yet, it’s extremely relevant and timely. In the past, we’ve seen machines replace repetitive tasks such as factory work and larger scale manufacturing. More recently, we saw that technology and artificial intelligence could also manage more nuanced tasks, such as:

  • routine bank transactions at ATM machines,
  • copy editing software to fix typos,
  • various ‘bots’ who address routine customer service issues when we contact technical support by phone or online chat,
  • voice-to-text dictation software that now completes many administrative tasks, and
  • other services that were once entrusted to human workers.

 

artificial intelligence at workNow, the repercussions of these modern innovations are starting to become unsettling to professionals in a broad range of occupations (e.g., law, financial planning, and to a lesser extent, medicine). White-collar workers who thought that their education and professional status insulated them from being replaced by technology are now feeling professionally/financially threatened in ways that have already become familiar to others.

To be clear, I don’t believe that automation, artificial intelligence, or other modern technologies are the enemy. That said, one of my main concerns is how people, especially my clients, can stay ahead of the changes and avoid becoming irrelevant.

Some of my clients have started to share their concerns with me about this very topic:

“It’s bad enough that employers seem to just focus on technical skills when interviewing and approving job candidates. I mean, look at how hiring managers and interviewers review cover letters and resumes these days. It’s all about showcasing how many degrees you’ve racked up, how much of a human calculator you can be, how many software programs you’re familiar with, and how flexible you can be with an ever-changing schedule. I feel I’m already competing with robots. There are so many people being hired who have the technical skills but lack interpersonal or creative abilities. And now it’s looking like in the future I could actually be replaced by real robots! This confirms my worst fears that my value as a respectful and creative worker, resourceful thinker, and great communicator is no longer an asset in the workforce.”  – Anonymous Client

 

artificial intelligence can't do everythingExpertise and experience still count for a lot. Plus, us humans have some spectacular traits that have not been replicated in machines or software as yet.  And although there is talk of that changing soon, I want to focus on the advantages of having soft skills, which aren’t commonly found in AI, automation, or robots. Since these qualities can’t be provided digitally or automatically, they represent ways that humans can remain relevant and valuable in the workplace.

I also want to remind employers that properly evaluating soft skills at the time of hiring and promotion is an important step so that they are building a workforce that meets current and future needs.

 

Here’s a ‘starter’ list of soft skills that will make you irreplaceable by a machine, artificial intelligence, or technologies:

  • Conscientiousness
  • Empathy
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Creativity
  • Behavioral Flexibility
  • Initiative

 

The need for these soft skills is unlikely to go away, regardless of emerging technologies. If you are looking to start a new career or keep yourself relevant and valuable in your place of work these qualities are worth working on. Reliably evaluating the presence of these soft skills isn’t easy for employers but as a specialist in I/O psychology, this is an area where I can help improve hiring processes.

If you’re interested in other aspects of future-proofing your career and/or your business read this article. Among other things, it explains how professionals are no longer immune to being replaced by technology.

If you’re an employee who wants to stay relevant, or, if you’re an employer/hiring manager who wants to choose future staff wisely I invite you to connect with me privately. I offer a free 15 to 20-minute initial consultation by phone. Or, if you prefer, you can contact me by email, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

 Hiring a Second Set of Freelance Hands

Hiring a professional isn’t a luxury; it’s almost always smart thinking. Just think about remodeling your bathroom on your own and you’ll understand what I mean.

To be productive sometimes you need a second set of hands to free up your time and mental energy, so you can do what you do best.

Fortunately, the internet has made it easy to find the brilliant and talented freelancers who can help you, at affordable rates. You’ll wonder why you ever hesitated to hire some help.

 

HOW TO HIRE A FREELANCER

What should you look for when you’re hiring a freelance writer or virtual assistant (VA)? Experience is a good start, but then again, there are lots of talented writers and VAs who are just starting out, so don’t weed out the newbies too quickly.

Ask for testimonials. Ask to see samples of work. Then talk to the freelancer about what you need. Can she do what you need done? Can she deliver on your timeline?

Craigslist is another great resource. You can post an ad for your project on Craigslist. Having said that,  as a writer perusing Craigslist for work, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly.

Give as much detail as you can about who you are, where you are, what you’re looking for, and what kind of compensation you can offer. I see ads posted every day that are vague, nonsensical, arrogant, and many more that are just plain sketchy. I don’t have the time or energy to guess what I might be getting into should I take the time to get in touch. The freelancer who does have the time to respond to something poorly posted may be available for all the wrong reasons.

Post a well-written, detailed job listing. Put a call-to-action at the very end. This is to see who reads to the end, and can follow instructions.  Ask the applicant to respond with a link to his or her work or some testimonials with contact information.

If you are a small business owner, you should be networking with other small business owners (if you aren’t, you should be – that’s a whole other blog post). Ask other entrepreneurs for recommendations. Where I live, in Durham region, we have active, robust networking organizations; some of my best clients have come from networking meetings.

Check out other small business websites. If they’re good, find out who built the site. Ask who wrote the copy on the site, or who did the graphic design.

Use LinkedIn and Facebook, where you can search up “writer” or “communication specialist” and “virtual assistant” in your extended network.

One amazing resource is the job website Indeed.ca. Resumes are searchable, by keyword. If you search “writer” or “administrative assistant” in your city, dozens of great resumes will pop up.  Pick out a few that look promising, and go on Facebook and LinkedIn to do some due diligence.

Stephanie Regan has been writing professionally longer than she’d like to admit. Find out more about Stephanie at www.durhamwritingservices.com.

The Cost of Hiring an Amateur

Understandably as a business owner there are A LOT of expenses to start and run your business. A common area entrepreneurs try to save a little is by doing their own bookkeeping. However bookkeeping is a vital process for a business and doing this wrong can be financially devastating! If you are going to be a DIYselfer avoid the following mistakes!

  • Keep track of your personal contributions into the business! The money you invest becomes part of your cost base and one day you will need to know what this cost when you sell the business or die. Keeping track of your personal contributions into the business will also have an immediate tax impact when you want to withdraw money from the business.
  • Missing eligible deductions! You don’t know what you don’t know and that could result in you missing eligible deductions or not maximizing the expenses you are claiming. So what? That means more taxes paid (or not enough loss recorded!). This is a hard one to learn on your own and some accountants or business development centers do offer courses on exactly this.
  • Not preparing financial statements! If you are just using an excel spreadsheet and putting your expenses under the right column heading; unfortunately this is not going to be helpful. Yes you have a grand total at the end of the month, and you can use this to make an income statement, but what you are lacking is the ability to make a balance sheet. This will be of greater consequence if you ever need to ask for a bank loan, investors or want to sell the business – they will want to see a complete set of financial statements.
  • Mixing personal and business finances. If you don’t separate the activities of the business from your personal activities it will be virtually impossible for you to truly understand how your business is doing. Did you spend that money investing back into the business… or did you spend it on personal activities? Plus if everything is combined the CRA then will access everything if they are auditing you. Treat the business – mentally and physically – as a separate entity and keep a proper paper trail of activities between business You and personal You.

These mistakes are by no means the full list of common mistakes. But each of these has a significant tax impact and business impact for you often immediately and in the future.

 

 

 

“Behind Every Great Business is a Great Accountant”

For more information on how to keep your business tax efficient, or to get a consultation on whether you are making all the right tax choices for your business, contact Dharna CPA. www.dharnacpa.ca. Info@dharnacpa.ca

What Is HR & Why you need it!

Human Resources (HR) is defined as: “The division of a company that is focus on activities relating to employees. These activities normally include recruiting and hiring of new employees, orientation and training of current employees, employee benefits, and retention. Formerly called personnel.”[1] To break that down further HR is a company’s best friend; helping to make sure the employees and the employers are protected and everything is taken care of and in accordance with the law and regulations. With the constant updating of both laws and regulations it can be hard to know if you are in accordance, by having an HR professional you won`t ever have to second guess as they are up to date and informed about all the changes and how to make you and your business compliant.

HR is a key player, in helping to make sure employees are trained fully, and that your retention rate is higher than your turnover rate. Many companies don`t understand why they have to keep hiring new employees; with The Staff Room and TSR Canada,  you don’t have that worry because of the careful recruitment process they go through to ensure you have the right employee for the job. Here at The Staff Room our recruitment process ensures the employer is getting a top quality candidate for the position.  When we receive a resume, we examine it to select and highlight certain skills and previous work experience the candidate has had in the past. This enables us to organize each candidate into various job categories to ensure we are matching their skills with job positions we have available and that are right for both the employer and the candidate.

After the recruitment process, comes the law and regulation side; with new legislations coming into effect, such as CASL[2] and the AODA[3], many companies are unsure if they are compliant or not. Here at The Staff Room and TSR Canada, we pride ourselves on being informed and helping to inform others; always ready to answer questions and help you and your business be compliant with new and changing legislation, laws and regulations. CASL and AODA can greatly affect your company if you are not compliant; including hefty fines of $50,000/day for the AODA, which can drastically affect companies, their employees and their day-to-day business. That is why companies like us, The Staff Room & TSR Canada, exist; to help make sure your company is compliant and is aware of the changes in legislation.

HR can be intimidating, especially if you have more questions than answers. That’s why companies like us, The Staff Room & TSR Canada, exist! We exist to help you and your company succeed and grow; we have the answers to your questions and the solutions to your problems.   We are dedicated to providing a continuous stream of human resource services and consulting solutions that will equip individuals, teams and organizations to do their best and to flourish.  What sets us apart from other HR companies if our focus on local business. We recognize that all aspects of human resources is just as much about the people as it is about lows and regulations.

If you still have questions, we are here with the answers! Contact us today for your FREE 30 minutes consultation and see the difference that we can make and how we can help you and your business.  We can be reached at: 289-842-7181 or info@the-staffroom.com

 

 

[1] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/human-resources.html

[2] http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home

[3] https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11

Business Without Borders – The Advantages of Outsourcing

Praveeni

The word outsourcing has a notorious reputation in the business community, you’re either a lover or a hater. Often times there is very little middle ground when it comes to views regarding outsourcing work. As a Canadian business owner it’s easy to get swayed one way of the other on the idea of letting someone else, possibly on the other side of the world do work for you.  However outsourcing can have some tangible benefits especially for small business owners. Here are a few advantages I’ve noticed while outsourcing some of my projects :

Cost Efficient
In most cases outsourcing will cut down your expenses significantly if you choose the correct market to work with. I say this because outsourcing services  are often advertised via online bidding websites such as elance. These sites allow you to choose from different bidders many of whom are located in emerging economies whose currency exchange rate is fairly low when compared to the Canadian dollar.

Focus on Core Principles
Delegating work via outsourcing will leave you more time to focus on your core business practices first. In many cases back office operations such as administrative and HR services can be outsourced. It’s easy to get caught up in back office tasks and lose focus of your core business processes. Outsourcing allows someone else to handle them so you are free to examine the heart of business and what makes it tick.

Time Differences
Although working with international partners can sometimes be challenging, a large time difference can also be advantageous. While you’re a sleep they’re working and vice versa. There is always someone working on improving and maintaining your business. Communication is key when working across time zones so make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to dates and deadlines.

Flexible Staffing
As a small business owner your workload can fluctuate. Hiring on-site staff whether permanent or on contract can often be cost intensive. Outsourcing tasks according to demand will allow your business more financial flexibility as you can increase or decrease the number of outsourced projects easily. Essentially you can expand or scale back your staff as needed.

 

Praveeni Perera is the CEO and co-founder of Professional Edge Consulting a corporate training company based in Ottawa offering training and coaching services to clients around the world.  She can be reached via Website, Twitter, Facebook or her Blog.

6 things to consider before hiring an agency

CHuntly

When you are running a small business, it can feel overwhelming to try to “wear all the hats” to get things done. You have to be the new business development and sales manager, the accountant, product development, HR (even if you’re a solopreneur, you still have to take care of yourself!), marketing director, operations director, etc. You get the picture. It can be overwhelming to stay on top of everything while ensuring your business is growing at a rate you are happy with.

Perhaps you have thought about hiring someone, but you can’t necessarily cover a full monthly salary cost. You could consider an intern, but they may not have the experience necessary to get you to where you need to be. One option you may not have considered is hiring an agency to take care of your marketing efforts.

Maybe you aren’t ready to work with an agency to take your marketing off your to do list, but if you are, here are six things to look for in an agency.

  1. Chemistry: Sometimes you will have the option to “date before getting married” if you have a smaller project you want to work on before signing a longer-term commitment. This isn’t always the case, but either way you want to make sure that you have a good fit with the agency. They should uphold the same business values and ethical standards that you do as they are representing your brand.
  2. Budget transparency: It can be easy to take a “budget” at face value, but make sure you clarify all that is included in the budget. One of the biggest issues to cover is whether you are working on an hourly basis or with a set fee. If you are working hourly, you may be surprised when you get your bill at the end of the month as it might be higher than what was quoted. Negotiating a set fee will ensure you don’t pay for any overages in hours worked.
  3. Nothing is guaranteed: Be wary of any agency that will “guarantee” you specific results such as “We’ll get you TV coverage” or “We’ll guarantee you xx number of media hits” or even “We’ll guarantee you 50,000 followers within the first month.” I have worked with many clients who have been attracted by these guarantees only to find that they are empty. The key is finding an agency who is as invested in your success as they are their own. It should be more like a partnership than two separate entities.
  4. Know what success looks like: Work with your agency to determine how you will know when your campaign has been successful. Every industry has certain metrics they track, and they all mean different things for brands.
  5. Check their track record: A great agency will be able to put you in touch with current and former clients who will sing their praises. At the very least, they should be able to provide you with case studies of clients who have similar goals to your own. Just because an agency has a lot of clients listed on their site doesn’t mean they are the best at what they do.
  6. Know your account team: Don’t be afraid to ask who will be working on your account. It is common in a lot of agencies to sign a contract and then have the interns working on the bulk of the work to create higher profit margins for the agency. If you are concerned about this, just ask. Again, this is your brand, and you deserve to know who will be representing you to your audiences.

Candace Huntly is the Founder and Principal at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

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3 Reasons to Consider Hiring a Team

sandra

We’ve all heard it said that there is no “i” in team. Unfortunately, many of us entrepreneurs tell ourselves that we can’t afford to hire a team, especially at the beginning, however, there comes a point where were can’t afford not to.

  1. Few of us are great at everything

I know I can’t be the only one who has wasted valuable time trying to do something that was outside my expertise! I joke that I am a recovering control freak, but there is truth in that statement. It can be easy to think that no one understands your vision for your business as well as you do or that no one will care as much as you do, but that isn’t the case. It’s simply a matter of finding the right people. If you’re spending time doing things that don’t generate revenue, you’re cutting into your money making time. Hire people to do what they do best so that you have more time to do what you do best and money, not only to pay your team, but to pay yourself as well!

  1. Benefit from outside perspectives

We can be so attached to our plans and projects that we can’t see the forest for the trees. Working with others brings fresh eyes and new ideas to your business. Even if you’re not in a position to hire full-time employees, you can hire contract workers who have experience working with entrepreneurs. Working with others gives you the ability to learn from mistakes that you haven’t made. We don’t know what we don’t know, and it is amazing what ideas can come from letting other people in. I know that our businesses can feel like our babies and we can be so protective that we don’t want to let other in, but if it takes a village to raise a child, we definitely can’t grow our businesses on our own.

  1. Burn-out is real

When we try to do it all, the work is never done. There is always more to do. A business owner isn’t all we are. We are friends, spouses, partners, parents, siblings, and we have responsibilities that go beyond what we do to make a living. Working with a team isn’t just good for our business; it’s beneficial to our sanity, our health and our overall well-being. While there was a time when I used to feel awkward about admitting that I couldn’t do it all on my own, I know have no problem asking for help. When I do, it takes such a load off that I gain the clarity needed to create and connect and do the things that I love to do, and that inspired me to start my business in the first place!

I said it earlier, and I will say it again, you may thing think that you can’t afford to hire people to help you in your business. I challenge you to consider that it just might be that you can’t afford not to hire people. If you want to grow your business and expand your reach and the clients you serve, you’re going to need some help!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes