When I first started freelancing several years ago, I took on a business partner – a fellow copywriter who shared the same vision as me (or so I thought!). A few weeks into the new partnership, there was trouble in paradise…
What I initially thought of as a good idea turned sour very quickly…
Late on delivering work, a poor work ethos, constant hand-holding and just being plain difficult – my so-called business partner had excuses for everything.
Unfortunately, I put up with him for way longer than I needed to, but the straw that finally broke the camel’s back was when he started disrespecting clients who would then complain to me.
He was damaging my business and he didn’t even care – I was fuming!
So I had to let him go and fired him in the nicest way possible…
And rather than take responsibility for his behaviour, he chose to retaliate with bad language and personal insults instead (no surprises there!).
Anyway, there’s a very good reason I’m sharing this with you and it’s this:
Defining who you hire or choose to work with is critical to the growth of your business.
A key takeaway from my experience (and a big lesson for your business) is that credentials aren’t everything.
In fact, I would argue that credentials are SECONDARY when hiring or working with someone, because WHO you hire is more important than what you think you are hiring.
Ultimately, when it comes to making money in your business, it’s not just about finding the right customer… it’s also about finding the right fit for your team!
The wrong person on your team can sap your energy, reduce productivity and create all sorts of problems for you and your business – and this can deeply impact your profitability.
