What to Hire Out When Starting Your Hybrid School (So You Don’t Burn Out!
Starting your hybrid school is exciting, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you try to do everything yourself. I’ve seen founders in Facebook groups asking, “What should I hire out? I’m getting burned out doing it all myself!” This is a super important question because burnout is real, and it can derail your school before it even gets off the ground.
Step 1: Know Your Strengths
Before you hire anything, get a clear picture of where you thrive as the founder. Are you a big-picture visionary, or do you love digging into the details? Tools like Myers-Briggs or Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius assessment can help you understand your strengths. Knowing where your gifts lie will help you decide which tasks you should handle yourself and which you can hire out.
Step 2: Start Small, But Strategically
In the very beginning, you may not have money to hire out anything. That’s okay. You’ll likely wear many hats yourself—handling curriculum planning, classroom setup, admissions, and more. But as soon as you have the resources, start hiring out time-consuming tasks that don’t require your unique vision. If you have a friend or supporter who is willing to help you out in the beginning, take the help!
Step 3: Key Areas to Hire Out
Administrative Support & Logistics
Facility setup, building logistics, keys, safety, and supply tracking.
Managing check-ins, printing class lists, and helping teachers with basic materials.
Bookkeeping & Payroll
Even if you enjoy numbers, managing payroll and bookkeeping is time-consuming.
Set up a service like Wave Apps for bookkeeping or OnPay for payroll, but you also need someone to oversee the system.
An accountant should handle taxes, but your books need to be well-maintained.
Admissions & Student Information
Managing forms, enrollment platforms, and collecting student data (policies and procedures you should decide on yourself).
Initially, you may set this up yourself, but an administrative helper can take over once tuition starts coming in.
Supplies & Equipment
Purchasing classroom materials, first aid kits, or consumables.
A system like a teacher budget or Amazon business account makes it easier for multiple staff to manage without constant oversight.
Extra Support
Secretarial help, field trip coordination, or other event logistics.
These roles often grow into ongoing positions as your school scales.
Step 4: Build It Into Your Budget
As you plan, make sure these roles are included in your budget. Even if you can’t hire immediately, knowing what to allocate funds for helps prevent burnout and ensures the right people are handling the right tasks and the money is there to support it.
Step 5: Remember—You’re Still the Visionary
No one can take over your vision for the school. Your role as founder is to oversee, guide, and make strategic decisions. Hiring out allows you to focus on what only you can do while keeping the school running smoothly.
Bottom line: hire early where you can—administrative help, bookkeeping, payroll, admissions, and logistics. Doing so will save you time, energy, and stress, keeping your focus where it matters most: your students and your vision
