The Business Coach with Laura Murphy: “I’m scared to employ anyone...”

Answer: “There are important employment rules and regulations to follow which are there to protect you as well as employees. The key is ensuring you get it right first time so get professional advice on the legal side of things and then coaching on how to manage staff so you have the right culture.

Before that though, you have a decision to take about what direction you want to take your business. What aspects are you struggling with at the moment? What gaps do you need to fill? Do you want to remain self employed or become a business owner? The first requires contracting associates or admin support on an ad hoc basis; the second means employing others to allow for controlled expansion. Both require careful planning.

Do nothing and you run the risk of business failure. Of course you can turn down business, or run yourself ragged keeping up with demand. Either way your reputation is at risk as the quality of your response declines.

A successful businessman told me that for months he refused to employ anyone and finally got an office assistant as a first step. That immediately released him to grow the business and he wished he’d done it sooner. So think through what your ultimate goal is and then plan how you are going to get there. ”

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Laura Murphy is the founder of mtc2 ltd, a management consultancy, training and coaching company. Laura is an organisation development specialist and business coach. If you have a problem then contact her at [email protected]

Visit the website on www.mtc2.co.uk

Names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality