9.3 Hand, Tech, Hire #

Hand → Tech → Hire. It's not just a suggestion. It's your roadmap to sustainable growth.

There's a natural progression to community staffing. Skip a step, and you'll regret it.

First, do everything by hand. Send every email yourself. Write every DM. Create every graphic. Run every meeting.

This isn't just about learning how. It's about learning why. Nothing eliminates unnecessary activities faster than doing them yourself until you're sick of them.

If you outsource too soon, those pointless tasks become someone else's job security. And they'll never go away.

Next, leverage technology. Once you know what moves the needle, automate ruthlessly.

Let tech handle your welcome sequences. Recap emails. Content scheduling. Basic member support. Data collection.

This is the lowest-hanging ROI fruit in your operation. Yes, there are costs. But freeing your time to focus on what matters always pays off.

Finally, hire strategically. Don't hire a "community person." That's too vague.

Hire for the specific function that powers your community. Content creation. Video production. Data analysis. Event management. Member support.

"Community generalist" sounds appealing but rarely delivers what your specific community needs.

Run every hire through a 90-day fit check. Both sides need to evaluate if this is working. And community isn't easy.

The right hire will 10x your community. The wrong hire will slow it down. Or sink it.