So often I have people ask me questions that I don't have answers to:
"What kind of person do I hire first?"
"How long does it take them to get up to speed?"
"What do I have them do for me?"
The other day I got an email from Lisa Schwartz that hinted towards her having a great experience that answers these questions.
I got on skype with her and recorded the call.
Here are the answers to the questions above:
"How long does it take someone to get up to speed?"
She has been at this for 6 weeks and has had 6 sites built in that time. She expects to be building 2-3 sites per day within the next few weeks
"What kind of person do I hire first?"
She hired a "blog builder." Someone to get everything up and running.
Then she hired an "SEO" person. Someone to promote the blogs (your blog builder could do this themselves)
Then she got a "VA." Someone to do everything else that's required.
"What do I have them do for me?"
Build Blogs
Research
SEO
Video marketing
Article marketing
Social Bookmarking
Social Networking
Phone calls
Reporting/Tracking
...
Then, notice some other general business items she talks about:
She understands her business model very well. Please think about this for yourself. If you don't understand your business model VERY well, go back and learn more before continuing.
She is working on just one thing. She's doing it very well. She's not chasing bright shiny objects (the latest and greatest launch)
She synthesized all the info from all the things she's learned and is using it all in this business. Remember, you're running a BUSINESS here. There will be set-backs. Work through them!