The first hire is the hardest one. Not because finding people is difficult, but because knowing what you actually need and how to find the right person requires thinking through things most solo sellers have not had to think through before.

Most handmade sellers hire their first team member in one of two ways: they wait until they are overwhelmed, panic-hire the first person available, and hope for the best — or they keep putting it off indefinitely because the whole thing feels too complicated. Neither approach produces good results. The first tends to result in a mis-hire made under pressure. The second leaves the business stuck at a ceiling it cannot break through without help.

There is a better approach. Here is how to think through the hire before you need to make it.

Step 1: Decide on Employment Structure First

Before you start thinking about who to hire, decide what kind of working relationship makes sense. The two main options are independent contractor and employee, and they are legally and practically different in ways that matter.

Independent contractor: The contractor runs their own business and works for you on a contract or project basis. They typically set their own hours, use their own equipment, and work remotely. You pay them a flat rate or hourly fee without withholding payroll taxes — but you also cannot direct exactly when or how they work, which the IRS and most states use to define the contractor relationship. This model works well for roles like virtual assistants, graphic designers, copywriters, and other specialists who provide defined deliverables.

Employee: You hire them onto your team, set their hours and work conditions, handle payroll taxes, and take on the associated legal obligations for your state. This model is appropriate for production help, packing and shipping staff, and any role where you need consistent availability and direct supervision of how work is done. The administrative overhead is higher, but the control and consistency you get in return are often worth it for in-person production roles.

Research the specific rules in your state before you make this decision. Misclassifying an employee as a contractor is a compliance risk with real consequences. When in doubt, consult a local HR professional or attorney.

Step 2: Figure Out What You Actually Need Help With

This is where most sellers should spend more time than they do. The instinct is to hire for the thing that is currently most painful — but the thing that is most painful right now may not be the right first hire for your business's long-term needs.

Do this exercise: for one week, track how you spend your time in the business. Not in general terms — specifically, what tasks are you doing each day and how long do they take? At the end of the week, look at your list and ask two questions: Which of these tasks require my specific skills, knowledge, or creative judgment? Which could be done by someone else with proper training?

The tasks in the second category are your starting point for building a job description. The goal of your first hire should be to remove the tasks that do not require you from your plate, freeing your time for the work that genuinely needs you — the creative decisions, the strategy, the customer relationships, the platform management.

For most handmade sellers, the first role looks something like: production assistance, packing and shipping support, or a virtual assistant for administrative tasks. The exact shape depends on your specific bottleneck.

Step 3: Define Your Team Culture Before You Interview

Every team has a culture, whether it is intentional or not. As a solo operator hiring your first person, you have the opportunity to be intentional about what kind of environment you want to build before the first hire establishes defaults that are hard to change later.

Think about how you want the working relationship to feel. How much autonomy do you want your team member to have? How do you prefer to communicate — text, email, in person? What does a good working environment look like for you? What personality traits or work styles have you found difficult to work with in other contexts?

When you know the answers to those questions, you can screen for culture fit during the hiring process rather than discovering misalignment after someone has started. Skills can be taught. Work style fit is much harder to change.

Step 4: Where to Find Good Candidates

For local production or shipping roles, start closer to home before going to job platforms. Local Facebook groups — mom groups, buy/sell groups, community boards — often surface good candidates for part-time roles. Indeed is the most reliable paid job platform for local employees. Word of mouth from other local small business owners is often the best source because it comes with an implicit reference.

For virtual or remote roles — virtual assistants, social media managers, copywriters — Facebook groups specifically for VAs and freelancers are a good starting point. Groups like Virtual Assistant Savvies, Bucketlist Bombshells Community, and How She Did That attract people with relevant skills who are actively looking for clients. You can also reach out to other handmade business owners whose work you admire and ask if they have a VA they would recommend.

Referrals from people you trust are almost always better than cold applications. The first filter — someone vouching for this person — removes a significant amount of screening work.

Step 5: Vet Candidates Properly

For production or operational roles, consider a paid trial project before committing to bringing someone on. A short trial — a few hours of actual work — tells you far more than an interview. You see how they work, how they handle instruction, how they communicate when something is unclear, and whether the quality of their output meets your standard.

For any role, check references. Not as a formality — actually ask specific questions about how the person handled challenges, what they needed most from a manager, and whether the reference would work with them again.

You will not get the hire right every time. No employer does. But a thoughtful process catches more problems before they start than a quick decision made out of urgency.

Ready to Build a Team That Frees You Up Instead of Adding to Your Load?

Inside The Growth Thread, the hiring and operations content covers the full arc from identifying who to hire, to structuring the role, to onboarding and leading your team as your business grows.

Enrollment is not always open, but you can get on the waitlist and be first to know when doors open:

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Not ready for that yet? A good next read is the guide to outsourcing and hiring for your handmade business — covering the mindset shift that makes delegation possible and how to know when you are truly ready.