The Ultimate Guide to Team Building for Entrepreneurs

 'Tis the season when questions about team building flood my inbox. One of the most common questions I hear is, "Who’s on your team, and what do they do?" or "Who should I hire first when scaling a team?" If you’re navigating the challenges of growing your business and wondering how to scale effectively, this blog post will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how I built my dream team and the lessons I learned along the way.

The Beginning of My Journey: Starting Small and Strategic

I launched my business in January 2020, but I didn’t see my first dollar until May of that year. In those early months, I invested heavily in laying the groundwork. I joined a mastermind, hired a coach, and launched a podcast—all before May. These investments weren’t just about learning; they were about building visibility and credibility.

That summer, I hired my first team member, Kaitlyn, a virtual assistant (VA) I met through my mastermind. Kaitlyn’s sole focus was repurposing content. Back then, it wasn’t the robust #antisocial strategy we have today, but the goal was clear: increase visibility by leveraging existing content. Kaitlyn worked just eight hours a month, transforming podcast episodes into Pinterest posts, emails, and more.

This small yet targeted hire was a game changer. It freed up my time to focus on creating new content and growing the business.

Early Challenges and Strategic Investments

By fall 2020, I added a podcast agency to my team. I knew my podcast was a driver for everything in my business, and outsourcing the production tasks—like editing and show notes—allowed me to focus on delivering value to my audience.

At this point, my corporate job was still funding both my family and the business. My offerings were minimal: one course (now retired) and a handful of one-on-one clients. Even so, I knew that by strategically taking tasks off my plate, I could devote more energy to creativity and long-term planning.

Between 2020 and 2022, I launched additional programs, including the Club and the Collective Co-Op. Knowing that I wanted to build as much as possible before leaving my corporate job, I invested in another mastermind and hired Studio Classica to design a website that would serve as a central hub for my business. The result? A visually stunning, SEO-optimized site that’s still my primary lead generator today.

The "Do, Delegate, Delete, Defer" Framework

A critical step in scaling my team was understanding where my time was going. I’ve always used a simple yet powerful framework to audit my tasks:

1. Do: Tasks that only I can or should handle.

2. Delegate: Tasks someone else can manage.

3. Delete: Non-essential tasks.

4. Defer: Tasks that can wait.

By tracking everything I did for a week, I identified the most time-consuming tasks and outsourced them. Pro tip: About 90% of what you do can be delegated. While you don’t need to outsource everything, knowing your capacity is your superpower. Creativity thrives when you’re not bogged down in the weeds.

Building the Core Team

By 2022, my team had expanded to include:

1. Kaitlyn: My original VA, who had grown into a Community Director. Kaitlyn now manages our Club and keeps the Co-Op organized.

2. Amplify Boutique: A podcast team that handles editing, graphics, YouTube uploads, and show notes. I chose to work with Amplify because the owners—a husband-and-wife duo—share similar values and a family-oriented business model.

3. Studio Classica: My go-to team for website updates and tech setup. From designing funnels to hosting virtual events, they bring my vision to life.

Each hire wasn’t just about skills—it was about alignment. I prioritize hiring people who share our values: family first, belief in our clients, and commitment to our model.

Adding Family to the Mix

When I left my corporate job in 2022, I brought my husband onto the team. Initially, he worked unpaid, but we’ve since started paying ourselves a salary. His roles include:

• Managing our books and taxes.

• Handling customer service emails.

• Leading quarterly planning meetings.

Outsourcing these tasks to him has been transformative, both professionally and personally. Centralizing our financial operations has eliminated surprises and strengthened our marriage.

Introducing a new private podcast series that’s just for you if you’re sick of all the Instagram BS! (or insert social channel of your choice). You can build a business without being a slave to the social engine. Grab the free series.

Scaling Further in 2024

This past year, I’ve added two key team members:

1. Jenny (Copywriter): Jenny develops our email strategy and aligns it with our #antisocial model. Since email drives 90% of our sales, this role has been pivotal in doubling our revenue.

2. Karalee (Ops Director): Initially hired for admin tasks, Karalee’s role has evolved into managing our operations. She built our ClickUp hub, oversees team workloads, and runs our quarterly planning sessions. Thanks to her, I’ve been able to focus more on big-picture strategy and less on day-to-day logistics.

Lessons Learned

Here are some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about team building:

1. Hire for Passion, Not Just Skills: Skills can be taught, but passion and cultural alignment are priceless. Each team member believes in our mission and our clients.

2. Support Women-Owned Businesses: Many of my team members are women entrepreneurs themselves. Supporting their businesses aligns with my values and creates a ripple effect of impact.

3. Invest in Systems and Processes: Tools like ClickUp and detailed SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) keep our team organized and efficient.

4. Prioritize Time Off: I’m proud that our entire team is taking the holidays off. Building a team culture that values rest is as important as hitting revenue goals.

Becoming the Visionary

The biggest shift I’ve made is stepping fully into the role of visionary. I’m no longer the integrator handling all the details. This shift has allowed me to:

• Maintain better boundaries with my family.

• Deliver exceptional value to clients.

• Focus on creating new programs and offerings.

• Ensure quality control across all areas of the business.

Final Thoughts: Build Your Dream Team

Building a team doesn’t mean handing over everything at once. Start small and scale strategically. Audit your time, identify the tasks you can delegate, and hire people who align with your values and vision. Remember, capacity and time are your greatest assets. The more you step out of the weeds, the more you can focus on the creative and strategic aspects of your business.

I hope this inspires you to think about how adding help and support can accelerate your journey—even if it feels scary at first. If you have questions about team building or scaling, feel free to reach out. Capacity is your superpower, and building a dream team is the key to unlocking it.

About the author

Holly Haynes is a business strategist who loves a good plan and flow chart. She is crazy passionate about teaching women like you how to build your dream job and scale to 6-figures without sacrificing your weekends or priorities.

Connect With Holly:

•  Ask me anything

• Work with Holly

• Find Holly on LinkedIn

• New! Check out our YouTube channel!