As a small business owner, hiring your first employee is typically quite exciting as it alludes to the fact that you are doing well and are doing what every business should be - growing. Since employees can make or break a company, you want to start out on the right foot and, thus use this person to further build your business.

Though, keep in mind that you should not be hiring employees just because you think that having an employee is prestigious or that it looks good for clients. Ensure that business is coming in at a steady pace before you go through with the aforementioned search.

How to Find Employees Without Incurring High Fees

Unless you've allotted a fair amount of money to this search and you need somebody very specific, there are cheaper routes one can through rather than using a recruiting agency. Unless you have someone in mind for the job and can network, there are cheaper ways to find what you are looking for.

First, you can buy a Monster or Yahoo posting package which will run you a few hundred dollars, but if you find the right person via the route, the return on investment ought to be quite sound.

Then, there is the obvious Craigslist, though you are less likely to find what you are looking for through this medium. Linked-In is free and can also be effective. Last, and this is a route many don't think to go through, you can contact local universities and they should allow you to post the jobs for free.

You Have to Sell Them As Much As They Have to Sell You

For any employee, working for a start-up organization is risky as they don't know whether or not they will find themselves back on the job market in a few months with a resume that now reads less employment stability than it had prior to coming to your company. How do you sell them on the position? There are a few ways.

Make Them See Your Vision, But Be Honest

Upon meeting with the job candidates, be prepared to paint a vision as to where the company is going, how it is currently doing financially and describe as to what you wish to do with the firm. Conversely, if you tell them that you are sitting on the next Google and throw out lofty goals that you can't back up, people are going to shy away.

Have a Firm Game Plan

Prior to meeting with the applicants, have a salary and a job description set up. For a small business, since so much needs to get done, this can be somewhat difficult. Even so, try your best to be as specific as possible.

Give Them a Certain Amount of Autonomy

Even though a candidate resume may read "Sales," as a leader, you should challenge them regarding all aspects of the business. Small businesses have limited resources when it comes to hiring a first employee. In time, take a serious look at their capabilities and use all of them to your advantage. Not only will this help you, it will make the job much more interesting for the employee which means, among other factors, increased productivity.

Remember, You Get What You Pay For

With any employee, it is my firm opinion that you always get what you pay for. Don't attempt to get free employees, make the budget for the hire and get somebody that can make a difference in your organization.