Doug Hiemstra takes a similar approach to staffing his product-development firm. “While I have eight employees, we’re a virtual twelve, because I rely on a network of outside contractors for specific expertise as needed. It works well, because we don’t need to have those senior-level people on staff full-time,” says Hiemstra.
Even Hiemstra’s employees were first independent contractors who worked well enough with Hiemstra and liked his vision enough to join him as his employees. “There’s a definite attitude difference with independents, who tend to be problem-solvers who get the job done without making excuses,” he says. “The people to whom we subcontract are senior-level people who can contribute a lot at the front end of a project as to how to approach a problem. They contribute their expertise as needed for our project, and go about running their own businesses.”
The latter factor is a crucial one to ensure that you’re not tapping contractors who don’t meet the independent-contractor qualifications required by the Internal Revenue Service. If you need the person at your office, working regularly month after month on a variety of projects, you probably have an employee, not a contractor. Talk with your accountant or attorney if you’re unsure of whether your need is more suited to an employee, a contractor or a partnership with another small-business owner. LifeQuest’s Barb Banonis is as careful to look for a good values match. “I find out what’s in it for them, what they’re looking for and what they love doing, and try to ensure that the project I’m offering them functions around that,” she says. “Whether employees or contractors, it’s important to collaborate with people who really love doing what you need them to do, and clearly identify your expectations so you’re less likely to get bogged down in personality issues.”
Once you’ve made connections with the new members of your team – whether employees, contractors or aligned-vision partners – you can continue to apply right-relationship practices to help you maintain a work environment and foster work relationships that dovetail with the priorities of a big-vision, small business.
Excerpted with permission from "Big Vision, Small Business", by Jamie S. Walters, Founder and President of Ivy Sea, a consulting firm providing services and resources to promote conscious enterprise and inspired leadership.
Copyright © 2002, Jamie S. Walters