I started my own staffing agency in late 2012. I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew that if I provided business owners with quality people, they would pay me for my services.

Since then, I’ve grown my company with hard work, patience, adapting to the market, and a passion to build something great.

If I had to give a TED Talk on the 5 key steps to start an agency, I think it would go like this…

Start with the end in mind. What is your goal?

• Are you seeking to create a primary cash source?
• Or create an asset that you can sell one day?
• Or supplement your current income?

The answer to each of these is similar, but different in many ways. Regardless, you’ll need to build workflows that include business development, sourcing candidates, and connecting both parties.

However, if you are seeking to sell your business you’ll need to consider the future value that someone is willing to pay for it. In this case, you’ll need to build predictable cash flows into the future that are backed by contracts with client companies.

If you’re wanting a “side hustle” staffing agency by slowly building one in your spare time, you’re in the right place.

Choose a specialty.

You can’t be everything to everyone, and you can’t serve every industry with your services. Especially when you’re starting out you need to choose something relatively simple and focus on doing that really well. I recommend starting with job descriptions that only have a few requirements. Prove your system works on these, then begin to add more coverage.

Business formation.

While this step is not very sexy, it’s vitally important to get it right. I recommend starting with the most basic business structure, like an LLC. For many reasons this will help you focus on business development, marketing, sales, and not on the headaches of creating periodic reports and filing quarterly taxes.

In my video training course I go through all of these steps in detail, plus so many others that are needed to properly setup your own agency for success. Want to learn more? Check out the class here.

Working agreements.

You’ll need to have something to protect you in a sales transaction. In your case, it will be some kind of framework that spells out exactly how much and when you’ll be paid for your completed services.

Yes, you can find generic agreements on the web, but you’ll still need to make it your own. Adding your business information, logo, and legal framework that aligns with your service offering is a good start. Later on you’ll likely have a few working agreements created by a business law attorney for different service offerings.

Find your first client.

Without someone paying you for your services, you don’t have anything. This step is what makes or breaks a business. For some, selling comes naturally, for others it’s a dreadful pain in the ass. Either way, it has to be done.

Once you have your first client, all of the pieces will begin to fall into place. Don’t be afraid to call someone and ask for their business. There’s a good chance they have a need and your timing is perfect.

Does all of this seem overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be!
I’ve created an entire video training course to help you start, build, and grow your own staffing agency. Want to learn more? Check out the class here.