How to Get Help Running Your Small Business

How to Get the Help You Need to Operate Your Business

Part 16 of Acey Gaspard’s Guide to Starting a Small Business

This article covers three ways to get extra help running your business: hiring employees, subcontracting work, and trading services through bartering. It’s written for small business owners and managers who are stretched thin and need to decide what kind of help actually fits their situation.

Janice loves to create flower arrangements. That’s why she opened her own flower shop. She was good at her craft, and she was happy doing it. Her only problem was that she couldn’t keep up with everything the business needed.

The pressure hit hardest during holidays and other high-demand seasons. What Janice didn’t realize when she started was that she’d need help handling those busy stretches.

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It’s easy to get so caught up in running a business that you forget you can’t do everything yourself. While you’re still planning your business, figure out whether you can handle the workload alone. If you can’t, plan for the right kind of help now, before the busy season catches you off guard.

Getting the Right Help Is Important

Finding the right kind of help is critical to your business’s success. The wrong hire can hurt your business, and so can the right hire brought on at the wrong time.

To make the right call, start by assessing your workload. Figure out what you can do yourself and what could be handled by someone else. That will give you a clear idea of what kind of help you actually need.

List every task that needs to get done regularly. That includes recordkeeping, finances, and management, along with the actual service your business provides.

Then estimate how much time each task takes. If the total comes to something like 60 to 70 hours a week, you’ll need help to get it all done. If you find you need 20 hours or less, you’ll probably be able to handle the workload on your own, at least in the beginning.

It’s usually best to handle as much as you can early on. See how it goes, then adjust from there.

Keep in mind that a new employee costs more than their paycheck. Once you add payroll taxes and benefits, a typical hire runs about 1.25 to 1.4 times their base salary. That’s worth factoring in before you decide whether hiring makes sense for the workload you’re trying to cover.

Subcontracting

Subcontracting is an effective way to get professional help without taking on the responsibility that comes with hiring an employee. When you subcontract, you pay for the service you need and nothing else.

Subcontractors are usually already professionals in their field, so you’ll often spend less time and money on training and oversight than you would with a new hire. You agree on the end result, pay for the service, and you’re done.

Subcontracting can be inefficient if you need the same work done regularly, especially long-term. In that case, hiring an employee may be more cost-effective. Weigh each situation on its own to see what works better for you.

One more thing worth knowing: as of 2026, the rules for deciding whether a helper counts as an employee or an independent contractor are under review at the federal level. If you bring someone on as a subcontractor but treat them like an employee — setting their hours, supervising their work closely — you could run into a misclassification problem. Check current guidance from the Department of Labor before you finalize the arrangement.

Trading Services

If there’s a service you need — an advertising campaign or website design, for example — you may be able to trade for it instead of paying cash. This is known as bartering.

Bartering works best when you can find the right match. There’s usually not much room to negotiate the terms of a trade, and fewer businesses barter than pay cash, so your options may be limited.

Look for the trade that will genuinely help your business succeed, rather than the one that just looks like it saves money. A deal that seems cheap upfront can cost you more in the long run if it doesn’t actually meet your needs.

One thing many business owners miss: bartered services count as taxable income. The IRS requires you to report the fair market value of whatever you receive in a trade, generally on Schedule C, just as if you’d been paid in cash. Keep a record of each trade’s value and date so you can report it accurately.

Action Steps for Getting the Help You Need to Operate Your Business

Step 1: List Your Tasks

Write down every task you personally handle for your business.

Step 2: Identify What You Can Hand Off

Decide which tasks you could delegate and estimate how much time doing so would save.
If the time savings are small, hiring help may not be worth the cost yet.

Step 3: Choose How to Get Help

Once you know a task is worth delegating, decide whether to hire, subcontract, or barter for it.

Important Points to Get the Help You Need

Getting help doesn’t always mean hiring employees. Roughly a third of small businesses now outsource at least one function, such as accounting or IT — explore outsourcing options online. It skips the responsibility that comes with hiring employees and often costs less than adding staff.
Consider bartering — trading your goods or services for what you need instead of paying cash. Just remember that bartered services are taxable, so keep records of what each trade is worth.

Key Points and Facts About Getting the Help You Need to Operate Your Business

Getting help doesn’t require hiring. Subcontracting, outsourcing, and bartering are all valid ways to close a workload gap.
A new employee typically costs 1.25 to 1.4 times their base salary once taxes and benefits are added.
Outsourcing is common — about one in three small businesses hands off at least one function, like accounting or IT, rather than hiring for it.
Any service you receive through a barter counts as taxable income at its fair market value, the same as if you’d been paid in cash.
As of 2026, rules for classifying a worker as an employee or independent contractor are under federal review — confirm current guidance before relying on a subcontractor arrangement.

Checklist for Getting the Help You Need to Operate Your Business

Assess your workload
- List every recurring task and estimate the hours each one takes.
Decide if you need help
- Compare your total hours to what you can realistically handle alone.
Weigh your options
- Consider hiring, subcontracting, outsourcing, and bartering for each task that needs delegating.
Check the cost
- Factor in the true cost of an employee (about 1.25 to 1.4 times salary) against paying for a subcontractor or service only when you need it.
Confirm the legal and tax details
- Verify worker classification rules before treating a helper as a subcontractor, and report the fair market value of any bartered services.

FAQ: Getting the Help You Need to Operate Your Business

Do I have to hire an employee to get help running my business?

No. Subcontracting, outsourcing, and bartering for services are all ways to get help without taking on an employee.

How much does hiring an employee really cost?

Beyond their salary, expect to pay roughly 1.25 to 1.4 times their base pay once payroll taxes and benefits are included.

Is bartering for business services really free?

No. Any service you receive through a trade counts as income at its fair market value, and the IRS expects you to report it just like a cash payment.

What’s the risk of treating a helper as a subcontractor instead of an employee?

If you control their schedule and supervise their work closely, they may legally count as an employee. Misclassifying a worker can create legal and tax problems, so check current Department of Labor guidance before finalizing the arrangement.

References:

That’s the end of this section of the guide. I hope it helps you think through an important part of getting your business off the ground.

To Your Success!
Acey Gaspard

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