A Framework For Growth

Growth is the goal of many business owners. But do you know what it entails and how to prepare for it? Gas Engineer Software breaks it down into three core areas.

At one point or another, you might have considered taking on a new employee. But with the extra risk, responsibility and sudden jump in work capacity, it’s not always straightforward. How do you know when’s the right time to hire, and how can you properly prepare your business for its next stage?

What will change?

Sole traders hiring their first engineer will face workload challenges: capacity has dramatically increased (even doubled), while the number of jobs coming in may not have changed. We recommend planning strategies to find more work before making a hire, so that you can quickly fill your schedules and turn a profit.

For bigger businesses with several employees, the change comes as you hire dedicated admin staff. Some of your existing workflows may break down and you’ll have to spend time adapting to a new kind of company structure. This will be especially noticeable for those using paper to schedule, but also with things like getting another van, additional software subscriptions, etc.

Last, there’s the management side of things. Business owners will find that a portion of their time is now dedicated to ensuring that employees have all they need: scheduling, tools, job details, and customer information. 

Do you really need a new employee?

First, look at how many jobs are going through your business. We see that the average number of jobs per head using our software is 41.7 per month. Of course, this varies based on time of the year and whether you’re installing, attending a breakdown or servicing. Nevertheless, doing considerably more than this is an indication that you could benefit from an extra set of hands.

Meanwhile, if you’re doing less (and your jobs aren’t considerably bigger in scale), then you’re more likely to benefit from looking at ways to free up your time. For example, focusing on existing customers is a much quicker and easier way to book jobs, while using modern tools and strategies can help streamline paperwork and admin tasks.

Staffing considerations

Don’t forget all the extra paperwork that comes with taking on an employee. You’ll need to organise payroll, tax, insurance and an employment contract. There’s also the hiring process itself, which includes interviews, checking qualifications and assessing whether they’ll be a good fit.

Boiling it down to one key takeaway, it would be this: If you’re looking for an engineer, think about whether you want an apprentice or someone with experience.

A final few words

For over 10 years we’ve been successfully applying these three points to our own business. We’ve learnt the hard way that, fundamentally, growing a business successfully depends on how well you understand them. If you can properly prepare for and take advantage of having an extra set of hands, you’ll soon start to see your business succeed and make more money.