S4 E17: Hiring Your First Employee vs. Hiring a Freelancer

S4 E17: Hiring Your First Employee vs. Hiring a Freelancer

From The Biz Show by Barry Bestpitch / Lisa Marie Manifold

April 27, 2026 · 32 min · Season 4 · Episode 17

About this episode

This episode discusses the critical decision of hiring your first employee versus using freelancers, providing insights on when and how to make the right choice for your business.

One of the most important decisions early founders make isn’t about product or marketing, it’s about who they bring in and how. Hire too early, and you increase burn and risk. Wait too long, and you slow growth. Choose the wrong structure, and you create inefficiency from the start. In this episode of The Biz Show, Barry and Lisa break down the real differences between hiring your first employee and using freelancers, and how to make the right decision based on your stage, workload, and growth strategy. In this 30-minute business primer, we cover: • When to hire a full-time employee vs. a freelancer • The true cost of employees (beyond salary) • How freelancers can help you scale without long-term risk • The pros and cons of each approach • A practical framework to make the right hiring decision • How to avoid common hiring mistakes that slow your business down If you’re building a team, managing growth, or trying to stay lean while scaling, this episode will help you make smarter, more strategic hiring decisions. Watch on YouTube or listen on your preferred podcast platform. Subscribe to The Biz Show for practical, no-fluff insights on building, scaling, financing, and running a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Barry Bestpitch, Lisa Marie Manifold

Topics covered

  • hiring employees
  • freelancers
  • business growth
  • startup decisions
  • team building

Keywords

  • hiring
  • freelancer
  • employee
  • business strategy
  • growth
  • cost of employees
  • scaling

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