The Solopreneur to Agency Class with Nathan Hirsch
In this Podclass, I am joined by the co-founder of FreeeUp.com, Nathan Hirsch, who shares his wisdom on how to successfully transition from being a one-person operation (solopreneur) to a multi-person agency. We discuss the advantages of delegating tasks to others, the steps you take, and how to figure out who would be the best fit for you and your business.
Guest Biography:
Nathan Hirsch is a 30 year old 10 year entrepreneur and expert in remote hiring and eCommerce. He started his first eCommerce business out of his college dorm room and has sold over $30 million online. He is now the co-founder and CEO of FreeeUp.com, a marketplace that connects businesses with pre-vetted virtual assistants, freelancers and agencies in eCommerce, digital marketing, and much more. He regularly appears on leading podcasts, such as Entrepreneur on Fire, and speaks at live events about online hiring tactics.
Podcast Outline:
[0:00] – Opening thoughts
[1:03] – Introduction to Nathan Hirsch and Freeeup.com
[3:06] – Nathan shares his story and background
[6:33] – Craig shares how his story parallels Nathan’s
[7:27] – What are the warning signs when it’s time for a freelancer or solopreneur to look for a hire or move into an agency model?
– [7:44] – Step #1: Look at yourself as a business.
– [8:22] – Step #2: Take a look at your numbers/budget.
[9:55] – How do you know if you’re cut out to actually manage a team, let alone a remote virtual team?
– [10:15] – Remote vs. in-office teams
– [10:58] – The importance of learning to manage people
[12:13] – The advantages of hiring freelancers to do different roles within your business
[13:15] – How good hiring makes you want to delegate more
[14:13] – How to make the transition from a one-person operation to a multi-person operation
– [14:32] – Focus on a part-time or project-based VA
– [14:53] – Figure out the lists of 1) everything you do on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis and 2) your core competencies and what you’re bad at.
– [15:07] – Figure out what your perfect person looks like:
– [15:24] – Basic level freelancers (followers)
– [15:34] – Mid level freelancers (doers)
– [15:40] – High level freelancers (experts)
– [15:53] – Interview people and see if they’re the best fit for you.
[16:53] – How to make the transition to a Freelancer Agency where others are taking over work with your clients
[20:05] – The importance of being honest about how you’re approaching the new business model
[20:20] – How to structure contracts to test-drive someone before you hire them long-term
[22:17] – Last thoughts for people either considering or not considering transitioning to an agency:
[22:58] – What Freeeup is and how to connect with Nathan
– [23:53] – From the client side: Create a free account at Freeeup.com – Mention this podcast for a $25 credit.
– [24:03] – Apply on the website to offer services.
[24:20] – Nathan’s philosophy related to different price points for freelancer services
[26:22] – Final thoughts
Resources and tools discussed in this episode:
If you are a client looking to hire a VA or Freelancer, Create a free account at https://freeeup.com/ – Mention this podcast for a $25 credit.
If you are a VA or Freelancer looking to offer services, apply on https://freeeup.com/.
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