132. Hiring Strategy for Better ROI with Ashley Cox

The Easily Distracted Entrepreneur

If you’ve been thinking about hiring to take some of the day-to-day minutiae off your list, you just might have waited too long to take the leap. That’s according to this week’s podcast guest, Ashley Cox of SproutHR.

Early in business, bootstrapping is essential. But as you bring on more clients, you start to eat into your family and rest time resulting in working more hours than you should or want to.

Some of those working hours (maybe more than you’d care to admit!) are likely taking care of administrative tasks or getting distracted by tasks that are much better done by someone else. Like the hours you spend creating graphics in Canva or the chasing of paperwork. You might have fun with the former but need support in getting the latter under control. Neither of these is a good use of your time.

Before you post job descriptions for all the roles you’d like to fill, listen in to this episode. Ashley and I talk about the strategy behind hiring and why hiring for non-revenue generating roles can truly make a huge difference in your revenue.

Hiring can feel really scary, but I think you’ll see how essential it is after listening in!

About Ashley Cox:

Ashley Cox, PHR, SHRM-CP is the Founder and CEO of SproutHR, a boutique HR consulting firm that helps women-owned businesses hire and lead thriving teams with confidence and ease.

Ashley has been a top recruiter and leadership expert for companies such as Kroger and J.Crew, having hired and developed team members from the newest hourly employees to C-Suite level executives. As a certified HR professional, she has deep knowledge and experience working with small businesses nationwide, from local brick and mortar shops to online agencies to national multi-million dollar companies. In addition, Ashley is frequently called upon as a Subject Matter Expert for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s leading HR organization, and is an expert trainer for various organizations.

At SproutHR, Ashley and her team help you hire the right people for your team (in the right way), with a focus on values-based hiring, compassionate and intentional leadership, and amplifying your impact. Their work has been featured on the Society for Human Resource Management, ABC News, and Brit+Co.

Ashley is also the author of Transform Your Stories, where she helps women overcome

the stories that are holding them back so they can become confident and courageous

leaders who impact the world. Follow her on Instagram and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Links and Resources:

• Join the Inner Circle
• Know Your Numbers for More Business Ease with Jamie Trull
• Creating Your Mission, Vision, and Values Statements with Janna Lundquist

Time Stamps:

• [3:34] - Hiring and managing is one of the biggest painpoints for entrepreneurs
• [6:37] - Taking past corporate life and putting it to work in small business
• [7:51] - There’s a level of detachment you can have in corporate that you can’t have in small biz
• [8:55] - Sense of ownership means you care and will always try to do the right thing
• [10:02] - You can be empathetic and compassionate and set boundaries
• [11:08] - Sometimes you just have to know what balls you’re juggling
• [13:05] - How do you know what to outsource
• [13:53] - How to prepare to hire that first or next team member
• [15:15] - Are you doing things you shouldn’t be doing in your business
• [18:35] - If you think you can do something faster or better than someone, put that thought aside
• [20:35] - Hiring non-revenue generating employees
• [21:29] - Any hire is making you a return on your investment
• [22:58] - What are next level tasks? Focus on those vs filling time with non-essential tasks
• [25:48] - We can have profitable, sustainable humans and make good money
• [28:01] - You don’t have to have a massive team to make an impact
• [31:57] - When we don’t have a hiring strategy, we don’t hire right the first time
• [33:38] - How to know if you’re ready to hire
• [36:10] - Most people hire operations first to help with streamlining, creating efficiencies
• [39:30] - You are a visionary and a creative; details aren’t your zone of genius
• [41:17] - Do not hire your clone
• [42:28] - Taking a small step back and talking to your ops person will help give you clarity