From Freelance to Agency: Hiring Employee Number One - WordCamp London 2015

Hiring Employee Number One From Freelancer to Agency

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

Robert Kennedy

2008

Be prepared to make sacrifices

ME  

ME  

DOGS  

Work with people you like

No road is long with good company- Turkish Proverb

Starting WebDevStudios

Minimize Overhead

2009

Not  Funny  Bro!  

@sco5basgaard  

2010

100% WordPress

100% WourdPresse

•  Interns•  Local Community– Meetups, WordCamps, Events

•  Social Networks– Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

•  Look Outside the Box–  Justin (House Painter -> Lead Developer) –  Jaimie (Hot Topic Manager -> Project Manager)

How to Hire

Chris Cochran was WebDevStudios first intern and first hire

Matt Mullenweg was our third hire

Brian Williams was our fourth….

•  Business Insurance•  Payroll Taxes–  Withholding–  Unemployment Taxes–  Varies by State

•  *Disclaimer: UK/Europe is probably different

Lessons Learned in Hiring

•  Legal / Lawyer Fees– Employee Handbook– Contracts

•  Benefits•  HR

Lessons Learned in Hiring

Things to Look For in Employees

•  Attitude is as important as skill level•  Always eager to learn more•  Can admit what they don’t know•  Enjoys knowledge sharing•  Able to work from home

Final Thoughts

•  Listen to your Gut•  Take Risks•  Stay Focused•  Balance Work and Life

•  If you aren’t happy, make a change

And finally, never forget to….

Treat Yo Self!

Brad WilliamsCEO / Co-Founder @ WebDevStudios