Running an audio production business can be tough, the aim is to make profit without incurring high overheads, one such overhead is people costs. Sometimes it’s necessary to do so, we tell you when to consider it.

You Have More Work Than Time

You may have the nice problem of more work than hours in the day. If this is the case you have two options; turn the work away, or hire additional people to help carry the load.

The second option may seem like a no-brainer, however, sometimes it may not be a wise choice. When taking on any additional people you have to factor in;

• Finding the people

• Vetting their applications

• Choosing someone that fits your business - that means competence and chemistry.

• Training them

• Imparting your values

• Managing them

For some, the process of hiring can be hard, as can be managing other people. It takes time and skill to take someone from the outside of your business and to have them working effectively. This is the same even if you are hiring freelancers rather than staff. Their work, values, and behaviour can have both a positive or negative affect on the job.

It might sound like we are trying to put you off growing your business. Not at all. However, growth takes time and has a related cost, this needs to be factored into the decision.

However, if you can navigate the process of hiring and training new talent and having them buy into your values, then it’s a great way to grow the business.

There is an additional option to consider if you are working hard and don’t have enough hours in the day. Put your rates up. It’s often said that this is the way to solve the ‘too busy, too poor’ business dilemma. In fact you might be too busy because your rates are too low.

If you are considering putting your rates up then the first place to start is with new clients, not existing ones. If people want to work with you because you have a good reputation, then they will pay for quality. This is especially true if the client is approaching you. In the studio world clients want those who will deliver high quality work on time and on budget, if that’s you then have your prices reflect it.

If you are considering increasing your rates to existing clients, discuss it with them first. Explain it’s necessary to continue to offer the kind of service you offer, perhaps to hire extra staff, and discuss how that can happen over a period of time. Never just put prices up or impose them on existing clients, that’s just going to annoy them and create bad will.

I’ve increased prices to my clients for legitimate reasons and have always found them to be incredibly understanding and reasonable about it.

You Can Move Some Work To Others

A few weeks ago I was having dinner with my wife. I noticed a really nice glass teapot being used, the kind with the tea leaf holder built in. I Googled it and to my surprise found it was an IKEA teapot. We have a local store 30 minutes from our house, so I can do a round trip to get it if I wish. I checked the price. The teapot was £12, the delivery was half again. Now some may be reading this and thinking, who would pay half the cost of a product in delivery charges? Me, because my time is worth more than £6 an hour!

One simple equation I make in business, if I can find someone to do some of the work that I do to free up my time, as long as it costs less than I can make and I can use the time to make the money, then it’s a no brainer.

There are lots of jobs in the studio that we can give to others who are just starting out, such as assistant, or booker, or runner, that means we can get on with other work. For many of us, this is how we started out. We made the tea, cleaned, got sessions ready, were the assistant on the session. We didn’t get paid as much as some of the senior and more experienced members of the team, but over time we got to that level.

All businesses work in this way. Some of the more experienced team generate the cash to be able to hire others to spread the load and gives those just getting into it a chance to get their feet on the ladder. Some of the biggest names in music and post started out in this way.

A final word on this, always make sure you reward those who deliver for you, keeping them on a starting rate several years later isn’t kind, or fair.

You Don’t Have The Skills

The third reason to hire someone is that you don’t have the skill, talent, or time to learn.

A couple of areas to consider, one creative and the other not.

I’ve got a lot of cool plugins, I even have the instruments in the studio, for example guitars. I have all the kit to get a great sound. However, if I want a great guitar, bass, or drum part, I always hire talent that I know will nail the part every time. They bring talent, experience and often original ideas to the session too. It doesn’t matter how good the VI is, there’s nothing like a top session player to make your tracks sound great. I know of producers who work with the same players on every session. This is because they know they can get the tracks down fast and that they will sound great. Session players may sound costly, but in some cases using a professional is money well spent.

The second area to consider hiring for skill is for things like accountancy, web design, or marketing. In some cases, these are all things we can do, at a stretch, but that doesn’t mean we should do it. I pay an accountant every month to do book-keeping and get my taxes in shape. The hassle of not having to do book-keeping, and the peace of mind I have knowing that someone understands accounts and tax law is worth every penny.

A simple test of if you should hire experts in these fields, if you ever use the expression “I’m not a lawyer/accountant/marketing specialist but…” then it’s time you hired them.

Photo by Josue Guzman on Unsplash