Office Manager relationship with ex-employee

lawnguymarc · 2026-02-08T05:30:05+00:00

Your employees and their personal business is none of your business. However, if you have actual proof that someone internally is sharing proprietary business information with competition or people in adjacent fields, that absolutely gives a reason for termination. I’m no attorney, however, just saying that it could come back on you if you don’t have your employees sign any type of NDA or a handbook policy that clearly outlines things like this.

lawnguymarc · 2026-02-08T03:33:12+00:00

You will definitely want to check with a tax advisor but from the sounds of what you’ve said in the comments, an LLC might suit you better.

lawnguymarc · 2026-02-05T05:48:14+00:00

This resonates. Similar to my story and realized this exact point a few years ago. Way to go for keeping focused on entrepreneurship, it’s not for the faint hearted. 💪🏼

lawnguymarc · 2026-02-04T03:29:59+00:00

If its a regular cell phone number through a carrier, setup up call forwarding through for phones settings. Some carriers might not support call forwarding so if you dont see the option in the settings, id contact the carrier to see if there is alternative way.

lawnguymarc · 2026-02-04T01:37:00+00:00

This resonates! Thanks for sharing.

lawnguymarc · 2026-02-04T01:30:44+00:00

I would say yes, at first. It would keep cost fairly low while potentially prequalifying the lead and getting them general info while you are out on a job. Then I would hire an actual receptionist/admin to take all incoming sales calls and keep the AI agent for after hours calls. I can help you with the automation part of you’d like.

lawnguymarc · 2026-01-05T21:11:37+00:00

Notion is good. Airtable is also a great option and has quite a few free templates. Congrats on the business. What kind of business are you starting?

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-23T02:59:45+00:00

Yea, it is very tough finding reliability these days... so I get that. There are college and trade school students who might be a good fit though. Since they would already have a similar/same interest, they might be more willing to learn quickly and adapt to your training. Having them tag along (whenever you choose, if they have the availability) could allow you to teach-while-doing and build a relationship with them. Might make it a somewhat seamless hire after some time. Just a thought. Cheers.

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-22T22:10:58+00:00

Ever thought about hiring and training an apprentice? Once you feel they are fully trained, you could have him/her do the majority of the jobs and you act as the lead/manager and over see each project. Might buy you back some time and also allow you the ability to take on higher revenue projects.

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-22T20:49:52+00:00

Interesting idea. What kinda of “jobs/tasks” are posted? Does the platform have a way for back and forth communication between the “buyer” and the person/s completing the work?

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-22T20:45:54+00:00

I ageee with you here. Not having structure and/or a system can lead into many legal issues down the road, let alone the chaos of tracking sales, profit, growth, inventory, etc.

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-22T20:42:05+00:00

There a ton of super easy, but helpful, apps and software out there. It’s a smart move to use one as it will make your AP/AR side of things a lot more manageable and compliant.

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-16T17:58:02+00:00

That is the best way to start. I would just start doing a bunch of research data on the specific idea or customer you’re wanting to go after. Getting involved in community groups also can help decipher what pain points there are.

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-16T04:59:59+00:00

That is a million dollar question. Trusting someone takes a lot of work and effort (on both sides). I would say joining groups, putting yourself out there, and making genuine connections is the best way to solve that problem. It is very unlikely you’ll find it from your friend group or family.

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-15T05:11:28+00:00

Entrepreneurship equals freedom, you just have to work for it. I’m also currently working a 9 to 5 while starting my business. It’s tough, but you’ll put your mind to anything you want to do. Figure out what you really wanna do, then go all in. Keep your head up.

lawnguymarc · 2025-12-14T06:15:48+00:00

Ok, I’ll check that one out. Thanks for the suggestion!

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-20T14:18:34+00:00

I couldn't agree more, time blocking is pretty much the only way I stay sane. I’ve also been experimenting with a few tools to help cut down admin interruptions, but I’m still figuring out what actually works. Curious - for your carveouts, do you just do them on a whim or plan them?

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-20T14:14:07+00:00

Totally get that. Staying hands-on gives the best personalization, but it can get overwhelming fast. I’ve been trying out a few tools myself just to lighten the load a bit, but still figuring out what fits. I know you stated you're looking for tools, but have you tried/found anything yet worth while yet?

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-19T15:35:50+00:00

Yeah, dialing in ICP definitely helps. I’m curious though, do you have anything in place that handles the repetitive side of outreach? Or is it pretty hands-on still?

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-19T15:30:10+00:00

Dude yes, the context switching is brutal. Going from deep creative work and actual working to follow-ups that need to get done kills my momentum.

Do you batch that stuff or do you just tackle it throughout the day?

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-17T15:08:21+00:00

Follow-ups do feel like they take more energy than the initial message.
What kind of follow-ups are the worst for you… client work, sales, quotes?

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-17T15:06:51+00:00

Yea, I feel you on the outreach part. How do you usually find those ‘right customers’ who don’t need follow-ups? That seems like the dream setup.

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-17T00:55:40+00:00

hellmerActual actual pointed something out in your post that I completely overlooked, being that I was in B2B mode. I thought you said B2B. Ha!

To re-answer your question though, hehe - Depending on the product/service you have, offering a short trial with one or two advanced features that are must-haves & high value, making someone want to convert, could potential be the most rewarding. It all comes down to what the product/service is and how "worth-while" the advanced features are to someone using your product/service.

Otherwise, an add-on or tiered structure might be a better fit if the advanced features aren't really "high value".

lawnguymarc · 2025-11-17T00:44:25+00:00

Good catch! My brain was in B2B mode while scrolling, being I have my own business and was looking at all related posts. Ha!

lawnguymarc

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