Dakota Design Co., For Interior Designers, How Do I Prepare To Bring On My First Hire?

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We received this question from an interior designer:

Hiring your first full time employee is a big step (ps: it’s NOT the same as bringing on a 1099 subcontractor). It usually means your business is expanding, your workload is steady, and you’re ready to bring in support so YOU can focus on the parts of the business only you can do.

As exciting as it is, it can also feel scary and overwhelming. You want your new team member to feel welcomed and supported, but you also want to make sure you hire the right person (because hiring mistakes are expensive and time consuming!).

Note: this is not legal advice and I am not an employment attorney. Please check with an attorney in your state for any state-specific requirements.

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Here’s what I recommend to help you start your new employee off on the right foot:

01 | Write a Job Description

This is something that ideally happens before you start searching for candidates—and definitely before someone’s first day. The first step is to write a detailed job description that includes a pay range.

If you already have a good idea of what this person will be doing day-to-day, great—this part should be easy. But if you’re still figuring it out, the act of writing the job description can actually help you clarify which tasks and responsibilities you want to delegate. If your internal processes are already mapped out, you’ll be able to spot where this person can step in and make things more efficient.

One thing to note: some states require pay ranges to be included in job postings, while others don’t. Regardless of whether it’s legally required in your state, I typically recommend including a pay range. It helps you attract the right candidates from the start and avoids wasted time on people with completely different compensation expectations.

A salary range simply outlines the minimum and maximum that someone in this role could earn based on experience, skill set, and growth within the position.

02 | Prepare Key Hiring Documents

If this is your first hire, chances are you haven’t pulled together formal hiring documents yet. Do that now—before you start interviewing. Having everything ready ahead of time will make onboarding smoother and streamline the whole process.

Your hiring process should include:

A templated offer letter
An employment agreement*

Your employment agreement should spell out all the details of their role, plus provide legal information about their position in your company. Some VERY important things to consider including (do not miss these or you could be writing into our Dear Dakota series asking what to do when a former employee is posting your work as their own as they solicit your clients).

Again, I’m not an attorney, but these are a few things to include:

Confidentiality expectations
How and when AI can be used on the job
A non-solicitation clause (so employees aren’t promoting themselves to your clients or trying to take clients with them)
Clear terms around ownership and use of any materials copyrighted by your business
Your policies for sick time, personal time off, paid sick leave, and holidays

Your agreement will have much more in it, but these are some important hot button items to include.

Even if you’re hiring someone you know well, these policies should be clearly spelled out. This is standard practice, and even if the person is not inclined to violate any of these practices, there is no harm in clearly articulating them.

03 | Collect the Right Forms During Employee Onboarding

If your new hire will be a W-2 employee (not a 1099 subcontractor), you’ll need to collect a few important documents before their first day:

A completed W-4 form (for tax withholding)
A completed I-9 form, along with the required identification
Any required state tax or employment forms
Banking details or a voided check to set up direct deposit

Be sure to check your state’s Department of Labor website for any state-specific requirements—like mandatory disclosures, sick leave policies, or pay frequency rules.

04 | Create an Employee Handbook

Take time to put together an Employee Handbook*. This should outline your key company policies so expectations are crystal clear from day one.

A well-written handbook saves you from having to explain every little thing out loud, and it gives your employee peace of mind knowing exactly what’s expected and what’s allowed.

Be sure to include a signature page stating that the employee has read the handbook and agrees to follow the policies. When your Employee Handbook changes, employees will sign a new signature page stating they read and received the newest version.

*Note: if you have subcontractors (meaning, they fill out a W9 and you send them a 1099 at year end) they are NOT employees and should NOT receive an Employee Handbook. You could instead share with them a Company Guidebook that is oriented toward the company and less toward employment.

05 | Determine What Access They’ll Need

Before your new hire starts, make a list of what they’ll need access to on day one—email, shared drives, Slack, Asana, or any tools specific to their role. You might also decide to withhold access to certain systems until they’re further into onboarding.

Set aside time to walk them through logins, password setups, and any authentication or security steps so everything runs smoothly.

On your end, if you’re not already using a payroll platform, now’s the time to get one in place. I use Gusto for payroll and love it—it handles employment paperwork, tax filings, and keeps you compliant without the headache.

For signed documents like employment agreements (and to automate your team onboarding process), I always use HoneyBook. It makes it easy to track and store signed contracts for both team members and clients.

06 | Health Insurance Contributions

If you're hiring just one employee, it’s typically more cost-effective to have them get their own health insurance plan (rather than setting up a group policy). In this case, they would purchase insurance independently, and you’d contribute a set amount each month toward their premium via their paycheck. The portion you cover is totally up to you and should be reflected in their total compensation package.

Again: you would set this all up through Gusto (see #5 above). It automatically adds your monthly contribution to the employee’s paycheck and makes the whole process simple and compliant

07 | Set a Review Schedule and Clarify Raise Expectations

Decide how often you’ll hold formal performance reviews and communicate that timeline from the start. Once a year is common, but you may choose to check in more frequently depending on your business and team structure. The key is that your employee knows what to expect and when.

That said, regular check-ins should happen far more often. A formal annual review should never be the first time your employee is hearing that something they’re doing isn’t working. Feedback—both positive and constructive—should be part of your regular process so nothing feels like a surprise.

Also, be upfront about how salary increases are handled. A performance review doesn’t automatically mean a raise. If you’ve listed a salary range in the job description (see #1), explain that moving toward the top of that range usually reflects someone who consistently performs their respective tasks at a high level—working independently, delivering accurate work, and taking full ownership of their role. That kind of consistency and trust is what earns top-of-range compensation.

Ready to Hire Without the Overwhelm? Here’s Your Next Step.

Growing your team is an investment in your company, and when done right, it's one of the most powerful ways to scale without burning out. But before you hire, you need to know what you're handing off. This means having your processes out of your head and into a system.

That's exactly what we help interior designers do inside The Designed to Scale® Method. Learn more here.

Free Hiring Masterclass Series

Missed the other lessons in our Hiring Masterclass Series? Here they are.

Lesson 1: Dear Dakota: I'm Feeling Maxed Out!

Lesson 2: Who to Hire First in Your Interior Design Business
Lesson 3: Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring for Your Interior Design Business
Lesson 4: Dear Dakota: How Much Should I Pay an Interior Design Employee?
Lesson 5: Dear Dakota: How Do I Prepare to Bring On My First Hire?

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