# Growing a Small Business, One Person at a Time

> A recent discussion at Phoenix OpenCoffee Club Meetup revolved around concerns and tips when growing a small business.

- Author: Curtis Miller
- Published: 2009-07-24
- Categories: business, startups
- Canonical URL: https://millarian.com/posts/growing-a-small-business-one-person-at-a-time/

At this morning's Phoenix OpenCoffee Club Meetup a discussion started around how to know when to bring on additional people in a small business and some of the tips for doing so.

As a small, [Phoenix Rails development](https://velocitylabs.io) company, Velocity Labs was particularly interested in this discussion. I'd been discussing this same topic with [Chris Chandler](https://squanderingti.me) the day before as we sense an expansion on the horizon, but are hesitant to bring someone on full-time. Our major point of concern is being able to provide constantly for someone else while we're still figuring out our own business.

[Jason Ayers](https://twitter.com/consumer) led the discussion and we came up with a few things to consider when growing a small business. Here are some of the things we discussed:

1. **Know the difference between a contractor and an employee** - Jason related that there have been several times that he was treated like an employee, but was classified as a contractor. As a small business this can get you into a heap of trouble if you misclassify people. Consult with an attorney...
2. **Build a network** - Establish relationships with independent contractors that can help you out as needed. Even if you don't bring them on as full-time contractors or employees, you can supplement your workforce more easily
3. **Try before you buy** - Bringing someone in on a trial basis as a contractor for a few months makes a lot of sense for a small business. You can't afford to hire the wrong people, so there's no need to rush into bringing someone into the company that's not a good fit. Additionally, you can limit their hours so that neither party is entirely reliant on the other
4. **If it's not right, don't hire** - If someone isn't the right fit, then don't keep them on. You need to do what's best for your business and sometimes that can be hard, but necessary

Overall, I thought it was a good discussion. Since I'm a new small business owner, I'd love to hear comments from other, more experienced business people.

**What wisdom do you have for small businesses in Phoenix?**