In episode 16 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of thinking small, I had a great time speaking with Annabel Kaye. Annabel is a speaker, consultant and trainer with expertise in employment law and structuring profitable relationships in the workplace.

This week's guest

Annabel is the Director of Irenicon Ltd. Founded in 1980, Irenicon helps employers make employment law work for them. 'We were always a mixed disciplinary practice – something quite revolutionary at the time.' says Annabel.

Over the years Irenicon have worked with some wonderful organisations, pushing the boundaries of how employment law can really be made to work without restricting the flow of the organisation. They continue to offer creative and tactical support to clients, who contact them for as little as three minutes of advice.

'During 2009 we had some heartbreaking calls from organisations who really needed our help but couldn’t afford our services. We looked at ways of providing the service we take so much pride in, in a cheaper way. We didn’t want to hire cheaper employees with less experience, or dumb down what we do. We didn’t want to make you buy manuals, read lots of paperwork or follow our ‘rules’ and policies. We created a KoffeeKlatch where we can offer fixed price support and enable groups of clients with common problems to club together to share the cost. So now you can chose – a full service Irenicon proposition working up to the standard you specify, or a budget KoffeeKlatch option where you stay in control of your costs!'

What we covered in the show:

Major challenges with working with freelancers

Pitfalls of working with family and friends and how to maintain boundaries and put agreements in place

The importance of giving a specific brief to your freelancers - Give them what they need to get the job done not what you think they need

What to consider when recruiting your first few team members

Managing the freelance relationship

Useful links

http://irenicon.co.uk/

http://koffeeklatch.co.uk/

http://balancingthebump.com/

http://irenicon.wordpress.com

Great Quote

'From managing volunteers, to freelancers, to family members, professional practises, or corporates - you can't just take what works in one and place it in the other and expect it to work'

About the Podcast

The Micro Entrepreneur Podcast is your place to come and hear me talk about all things business for the micro business owner. I speak with experts, authors and other micro business owners and what they are doing to build and grow a successful micro business.

Like the show? Please tell us on iTunes!

If you liked the show and found it valuable and you haven’t done so already I would really appreciate it if you took a minute to leave a quick rating or review of the podcast on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It will open up itunes on your computer and you can leave a rating by clicking on the ratings and reviews tab. It would be extremely helpful if you like the show!

Click here to leave a review for the podcast! It will only take a second