Hiring Your First Employee: The Complete Resource Roadmap

Before anything else, check whether your current revenue and workload genuinely support this hire — and what cushion you should have first.

Every piece of paperwork and setup step for bringing someone on legally and correctly, in order.

The first-week and first-month plan so your new hire is productive fast instead of guessing what to do.

Track every pay run — gross pay, deductions, net pay — in one place from day one.

If your hire is hourly, you need accurate time records before your first pay run, not after.

Decide and track your time-off policy before it becomes an ad-hoc negotiation with every employee.

Payroll tax is one of the most common places small employers get penalized — track what you owe and when it's due.

If you're offering any benefits, know the fully loaded cost per employee, not just the advertised premium.

Planning beyond the first hire — get a rough sense of which role comes next and at what revenue level it becomes affordable.