When you’re running a business it’s more than a full-time job. You’re not just the founder and CEO. You bear the ultimate responsibility for every decision, so you have to keep abreast of every one and give as much input as you can. You’re the ultimate court of appeal and arbitrator when there are disputes, you’re the best salesman for your goods and services and some of your biggest clients will expect to deal with you directly rather than anyone further down the chain. You have to account for the company’s performance to investors, shareholders and board members, where applicable, and devise the goals for the company that dictate the strategy your executives implement.

You’re the ultimate specialist and ultimate generalist and one of the hardest things you have to master is that knowing you can’ do everything. Today we’re taking a short look at the different services that can support you in your efforts.

Recruitment

In the very early days, your high level appointments are likely to be people you know directly, or recommended by close contacts. You need people you can be sure you can rely on, both to provide results and to share your vision for the business.

As you need to skill up and fill out, growing your company and replacing those that move on you’ll find you don’t have the time or contacts to vet everyone individually. It’s also an advantage to broaden your recruiting net beyond your own circle, to get more skills and other points of view.

Using an executive search agency reduces the legwork you need to do. Outsource the work of maintaining a network of contacts of C-Suite level job seekers, and free up your time to concentrate on actually running your company.

Storage

If your business has any kind of inventory, you to think about storing safely and securely. If your premises don’t have sufficient space on site – and if you’re running a small boutique shop, you may well not – you need to look elsewhere. In the early days, you need flexibility above all else. Signing on the dotted line for a fixed space warehouse could be a bad mistake: if your needs grow you’re stuck with space that doesn’t meet them, and if you only use the full capacity at your busiest times (whether that’s Christmas, or the height of summer) you’re paying too much for the majority of the year.

Try local self-storage firms: they provide flexible space which can be a perfect solution for small businesses, allowing you to give short notice to move from your current storage unit into one that fits your current needs perfectly.