---
name: mohitagw15856/first-hire-plan
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/mohitagw15856-first-hire-plan@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 723600eb64ea
---

# First-Hire Plan

Your first hire is a big, nervy step — get the role wrong or the classification wrong and it's costly. This helps you decide whether you're ready, what to hand off first, and whether a contractor or employee fits — then gives a simple, fair hiring process for someone who's never done it, plus the obligations to know about. It flags that employment, tax, and legal rules are local and this isn't legal advice.

## What This Skill Produces

- **A readiness & role read** — whether now's the time, and which work to offload first (the highest-leverage or most-draining tasks)
- **Contractor vs. employee** — the trade-offs for your situation (cost, control, commitment, classification rules) and a recommendation
- **A lightweight hiring process** — defining the role, sourcing candidates, a fair and simple evaluation, and making an offer
- **Obligations awareness** — the tax, payroll, insurance, and legal responsibilities a first hire triggers (flagged to verify locally)
- **Onboarding basics** — setting the person up to succeed in the first weeks
- **A boundary** — employment/tax/legal specifics are local; consult a professional

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The business** — what you do, size, and where you're stretched
- **The need** — what work you'd hand off, and how much of it
- **Budget & commitment** — what you can afford, and how steady the need is
- **Contractor or employee leaning** — any preference or constraint
- **Location** — for the (varying) employment/tax obligations

## Framework: Right Time, Right Role, Right Classification

1. **Check readiness and pick the role.** Confirm the workload and budget justify a hire, then define the highest-leverage thing to hand off first — don't hire a vague "help."
2. **Decide contractor vs. employee honestly.** Weigh cost, control, commitment, and — critically — classification rules (misclassifying an employee as a contractor is a real risk). Recommend the fit.
3. **Define the role clearly.** A concrete role description (responsibilities, must-haves, success in 90 days) makes sourcing and evaluation fair and effective.
4. **Run a simple, fair process.** Source candidates, evaluate on relevant signals (a small work sample beats gut feel), and make a clear offer.
5. **Know the obligations.** A first hire can trigger payroll, tax withholding, insurance, and legal duties — flag these to set up correctly, verified locally.
6. **Onboard deliberately.** Set expectations, tools, and early wins so the hire actually reduces your load.

## Output Format

### First hire: [business] · handing off [x] · budget [y] · [location]

**Ready & role:** [is now the time] → hire for [highest-leverage handoff first].
**Contractor vs employee:** [trade-offs for you] → recommend [x]; watch classification rules.
**Hire process:** define role ([responsibilities · must-haves · 90-day success]) → source → evaluate (small work sample) → offer.
**Obligations (verify locally):** [payroll · tax · insurance · legal duties].
**Onboarding:** [expectations · tools · early wins].

> Not legal or tax advice. Employment, tax, and classification rules vary by location — set up correctly with a local professional.

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Confirms readiness and defines a specific first role
- [ ] Gives an honest contractor-vs-employee recommendation incl. classification risk
- [ ] Provides a simple, fair hiring process with a work sample
- [ ] Flags the obligations a first hire triggers (verify locally)
- [ ] Covers onboarding basics
- [ ] States employment/tax rules are local / not legal advice

## Anti-Patterns
- **Hiring a vague "helper"** with no defined role.
- **Misclassifying an employee as a contractor** to cut cost.
- **Gut-feel hiring** with no work sample or clear criteria.
- **Ignoring payroll/tax/legal obligations.**
- **No onboarding** — the hire flounders and doesn't reduce load.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "I'm ready to make my first hire — where do I start?"
- "Should I hire a contractor or an employee?"
- "What should I hire for first in my small business?"
- "How do I hire someone when I've never done it before?"
- "What obligations do I take on when I hire my first employee?"