Craft Focus - August/September 2020 (Issue 80)

77 ASK THE EXPERTS Ask the experts How and when to start gr owing a team. Deciding to take on your first member of staff can be pretty daunting, and though there’s a lot to learn, the benefits of having someone else to help in your small business can be transformative. Knowing when to take this step is vital - too early and you may not be able to pay them, too late and you may be so overwhelmed you don’t have the time to train them well. If you’ve got more work than you can manage or there’s a key skill set needed for you to move forward that you don’t have, it’s likely a new team member will be a good move. Start with a list of all the jobs you either aren’t that good at (be honest with yourself!) and those that you simply don’t enjoy. Use that to draw up a clear job description so you know exactly what you’re looking for. Use free sites such as Indeed and local Facebook groups to advertise the role, and even go old school and post a physical ad in your local shops. Speak to HMRC and do your research into PAYE, employment law and pensions so you’re up to date on current laws and what your responsibilities as an employer will be. Shortlist your applicants and invite a few in for an interview. Aim to keep interviews relaxed as you need someone you’re going to get on well with - you can always teach the specifics of the job, but finding a good fit is the tricky part. Take your time and if you don’t find someone straight away, leave the job open and give it a little time. If you want to grow, getting through this initial hire will be vital and you’ll learn so much that you can then take forward as you build your team Our experts answer your craft and retail dilemmas AMANDA HAMILTON Amanda Hamilton is chief executive of the National Association of Licenced Paralegals (NALP), a non-profit membership body and the only paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England). www.nationalparalegals.co.uk. I’m a wholesaler and my pr oducts come fr om abr oad. I can’t fulf il my clients’ orders, since the lockdown is preventing the pr oducts being delivered to me. What are my legal duties and rights? Clearly, since you’re unable to fulfil your contractual duties to your clients, there’s a good chance that they may wish to take legal action against you for breaching your contract. However, in situations like this, the fact that you’re not able to receive your products from abroad is really not your fault. One could argue that the contracts with your clients have been ‘frustrated’ by something that’s outside your control and this would relieve you of your liability to compensate them. However, it does depend on what’s in your contract with your clients. For example, there may be a clause, which states that ‘if you are unable to fulfil the order by a certain date, then you need to pay £x compensation to your client’. Alternatively, there may be a clause known as a ‘force majeure’ within the contract, which relieves you of liability if certain unforeseen specified events take place. These can include ‘acts of God’, such as flooding, explosions or wars but can also involve government directives such as the ones we’re complying with at this moment in time. STEPHANIE CARSWELL Stephanie Carswell is the founder and creative director of Hawthorn Handmade. Since launching her first kits in 2013 she has been stabbing, stitching and weaving her way to crafty success. Her kits can be found in shops across the world, and her designs have inspired thousands to try a new craft. www.hawthornhandmade.com