One of the biggest hiring mistakes I see business owners make (and yes, myself included) is waiting too long to hire.
It usually starts like this: You think, ‘Maybe I need some help,’ but you’ve got too much on your plate to prioritize it. Time goes on, the pressure builds, but you keep pushing it off. And suddenly, you’re completely underwater—overwhelmed and desperate for someone to step in yesterday.
And that? That’s the worst time to bring someone on.
When you hire from a place of overwhelm, here’s what often happens:
🚩 You rush through the process and don’t take the time to find the right fit.
🚩 You don’t have the capacity to properly onboard or train them.
🚩 You throw work at them without a solid plan, which overwhelms both of you.
🚩 If they’re not a good fit, you’ve wasted time and now have to start over.
I know this because I’ve done it.
A few years ago, I was in that exact spot. I needed help ASAP, so instead of going through my normal process, I asked a friend for a referral, hired that VA on the spot, and jumped straight in. But because I rushed it, I didn’t properly vet her or make sure she was a good fit—and honestly? It showed.
A few weeks in, I realized—this really wasn’t working.
Not only was the VA a bad fit for what I needed, but now I was even worse off than I had been before. I’d already poured a lot of time into training her, and now I had to let her go and start over.
It was frustrating, exhausting, and a waste of time for both of us.
That’s why I tell business owners: Hire before you need to. The moment you start thinking you might need help, start the process.
That doesn’t mean jumping into interviews right away. Starting might look like:
→ Getting clarity on what support you actually need
→ Drafting a job description
→ Jotting down notes for an onboarding plan
Hiring is a big investment—of your time, money, and energy. Give yourself the space to do it right. Rushing through it just adds more chaos to your plate later.
So, if you’re thinking about hiring, start now and give yourself extra time to ease into the process. It’ll save you stress, create smoother transitions, and set both you and your new team member up for long-term success.
Bonus tip? Hire slow, fire fast. If it’s clearly not working, don’t wait. Yes, it sucks. But if you can tell it’s not the right fit, it’s best to let them go sooner rather than dragging it out.
