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The Best way to Staff Your Business
Starting a new business can place many demands on your financial resources. Leasing office space, buying equipment, marketing and advertising your product or service. Sometimes it means hiring employees to help keep your business running smoothly. Getting that help doesn't have to put a large financial strain on your business. Nor do you have to hire full-time help.
Here are seven ways to staff your business:
 1. Share Space and Expenses: You can stretch your rent and supplies budgets by teaming up with other small businesses to share office space, support staff and equipment (examples: Secretary, telephone support, printer, and fax are just a few).
2. Use Independent Contractors: For years, small businesses have augmented their work force by calling upon individuals with specialized skills and paying them a per-hour or per-project basis. Since these individuals are independent workers, not employees, you are not required to pay, withhold and report payroll taxes.
3. Hire Temporary Workers: If your business is seasonal, employ people who have jobs in counter seasons (example: ski resort personnel need summer jobs). This approach increases your odds of getting stable, hard-working employees who want regular seasonal work.
4. Lease Employees: Instead of hiring employees, you can lease them from a professional employer organization (PEO). You hire an employee, transfer employer responsibilities to the PEO, then "lease" the employee back again. For a fee, the PEO handles administration of the payroll, taxes, workers compensation and employee benefits. The PEO issues checks, withholds taxes, issues W2 statements and submits Social Security, Medicare, Federal and State Unemployment taxes.
5. Use Part-Timers: High school and college students make excellent part-time workers, if you'll invest time to train them on the tasks you want done. You can reach students through campus newspaper adds or call vocational training teachers and Junior Achievement (JA) and Distributive Education Clubs or American (DECA) advisors. Senior citizens also provide an excellent pool of part-time workers. The Office of the Aging conducts a program to reimburse small business owners for up to six weeks of salary paid to older workers while they are being trained.
6. Start a Work Apprentice Program: Want entry-level talent you can train and someday hire full-time? Consider a work apprentice program. Known for years as "Tech Prep" or "school to work" programs, apprentice-ships mix practical classroom instruction with a year or more on-the-job training to produce low-cost, skilled workers. With the enactment of the 1994 School-To-Work Opportunities Act, federal money will fund new programs nationwide, a real boon for small businesses.
7. Hire an Intern: Interns work for little or no wage in exchange for invaluable work experience, the opportunity to put your company's name on their resumes and a shot a a good recommendation when applying for first jobs.
Where to get more information
For more help on smart hiring, contact these organizations:
Jobs for the Future offers help setting up and evaluating apprenticeship programs. Call: (617) 742-5995
The National Society for Experiential Education provides information on starting internship programs. Call: (919) 787-3263
The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEC) has member list for each state and a one-page guide for choosing a professional employer. Call: (703) 524-3636
Your state Office for the Aging can provide information on training and hiring programs for senior citizens. Consult your phone directory.
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