Do you need to delegate? YES!

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Many e-commerce founders struggle because of how they approach hiring.

Through my conversations with countless e-commerce founders (at various stages each week), I've noticed several

Common hiring mistakes

Over-hiring, which drives operational expenses so high they drain contribution profit. This often results in minimal net profit or even operating at a loss.
Under-hiring, which prevents founders from focusing on strategic priorities. Since founders typically create the most impact, critical business areas get neglected when they're spread too thin.
Making poor decisions about whether to use full-time employees, freelance contractors, or agencies.
Setting unrealistic expectations for affordable freelancers, asking them to understand business strategy and make high-level impacts—responsibilities that require expert knowledge.
Wasting money on expensive experts and agencies for tasks that could be handled by a few low-cost freelancers ($3-$5/hour) following clear instructions.
Becoming overly dependent on external experts or agencies for business growth.
Failing to learn business fundamentals, leaving founders helpless when they hit growth plateaus or when their hired talent moves on.

How to effectively hire for your e-commerce business

Key Questions to Ask

Before you make any hiring (or firing) decisions, I strongly recommend asking yourself these three questions:

Your experience and expertise?

eCommerce success is built on consistent improvement on all these Focus Areas

If you are just starting out, which of the above focus areas align with your previous experience and expertise?

If you have been in the business for a while, which areas could you develop expertise in that would create the highest impact at your current business stage?

Your time availability?

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What does your business need at its current stage? - Which of these needs can you realistically fulfill based on your experience, expertise, and time availability? = What you need to hire for.

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Working seven days a week for ten to fourteen hours daily isn't feasible for everyone. This is especially true if you're managing other business channels—like wholesale, retail, or marketplaces—or prioritizing important aspects of life such as health, family, or personal well-being.

Your budget?

Assuming your understanding of eCommerce Finance Basics is solid, how much OPEX can you actually afford based on your current P&L?

Let's say you operate lean and your OPEX is 10% of your revenue.

Then you have an OPEX budget of

$1K if your monthly revenue is $10K
$10K if your monthly revenue is $100K

Hiring looks very different for those two budgets.

Your access to cash and capital also determines your budget for operating expenses.