👋🏽 Doors Opening

Hey! Welcome to the Creator Economy NYC newsletter — your weekly dose of actionable insights and strategies to help you build, monetize, and scale as a creator.

This week, I'm getting brutally honest about the thing most of us avoid until we absolutely can't anymore: hiring your first team members.

I'm deep in it right now with Creator Economy NYC, and I want to share with you my real-time thinking and approach through it all. No matter what stage you’re in, I believe it’ll be helpful. At least to put in your back pocket!

PLUS: Our first Creator Walk is happening tomorrow morning in Central Park! Come through and let’s stroll. More details below.

Let's dive in.

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✍️ Spotlight

The creator's guide to your first hires

I want to get real about something most of us dread: hiring.

I'm deep in the thick of it right now with Creator Economy NYC. After three years of doing everything myself (literally everything), I've finally hit that moment where I either delegate or watch the whole thing (and me) implode.

And here's what I've learned: the best hiring strategy is about being intentional with your approach, testing before committing, and looking right under your nose for the right people.

The "do it yourself first" rule

Before we dive into the hiring process, let me address the elephant in the room: Should you even be hiring yet?

My answer is almost always "not yet." And here's why.

The biggest mistake I see creators make is trying to delegate tasks they've never actually done themselves. You end up hiring someone to solve a problem you don't understand, in a role you can't properly evaluate.

I spent years running events myself. Years creating content and running our socials. Years responding to every DM and managing every partnership.

Was it exhausting? Absolutely. But it also meant that when I finally decided to hire, I knew exactly what needed to be done and what good performance looked like.

Your first hire should solve a pain you've personally felt 100 times.

Finding your delegation sweet spot

So how do you know when it's time? For me, it came down to a simple trade-off analysis.

I'd rewritten my mission and vision for Creator Economy NYC multiple times, and through that process, I got crystal clear on where my time was most valuable. I identified two areas where I was spending time but not adding unique value:

1. Event logistics and support

2. Content creation and capture

These weren't areas where I needed to be the one doing the work. They were areas where I needed to ensure the work got done well.

Your framework: Ask yourself, "Is this something only I can do, or something only I should do?" If the answer is neither, you've found your delegation candidate.

The 3-source hiring strategy

For me, I am approaching hiring with what I call the "3-source strategy." Each source so far has solved for different types of roles and has given me built-in trust and context.

Source #1: Your existing support

For event support, I didn't look externally at all. I looked at the volunteers who'd been showing up consistently for the past few years.

These folks know the check-in flow better than I do. They understand the energy we are trying to create. They even suggest improvements and express interest in doing more.

Source #2: Your DMs/inbox

For content, someone had reached out months earlier with detailed ideas for Creator Economy NYC. Not just "I can help with content," but an actual deck of content segments and strategies.

I'd saved that message because the effort impressed me, even though I wasn't ready to hire at the time.

Source #3: Referrals (but make them specific)

For event photography and content capture, I put out a very specific feeler to people I trusted: "Looking for someone who can capture the energy of our events and community, pair it with unique highlight reels, etc. “

Within 48 hours, I had three solid referrals.

The GWC Framework as your hiring filter

Before bringing anyone on, I run them through what I learned in my previous businesses: the GWC framework. It's simple but ruthlessly effective.

G: Do they Get it? 

This isn't just "do they understand the job description." It's deeper. When you explain what you're building and why, do all the neurons connect? Do they ask follow-up questions that show they grasp the nuances?

W: Do they Want it? 

Here's what I've learned: skills can be taught, but genuine excitement can't be faked long-term. You want someone who wakes up thinking about how to make your thing better, not someone just looking for their next paycheck.

C: Do they have Capacity? 

This is where most hiring goes wrong. We focus on whether someone can do the job and forget to ask if they can do the job well, consistently, with everything else they have going on.

Capacity isn't just skills… it's mental bandwidth, emotional resilience, and actual time availability. Someone might be a brilliant creator or operator, but if they're already maxed out with three other clients, they don't have capacity for you.

All three need to be a yes. Two out of three is a no.

I've learned this the hard way. Someone can be skilled and available but not get your vision, you'll spend all your time explaining and re-explaining. Someone can get it and want it but not have capacity and you'll be disappointed by missed deadlines and half-finished work.

Pro tip: Keep applying GWC throughout the working relationship. People's circumstances change, and a hire that started as 3/3 can drift to 2/3 without you noticing.

Start with test runs, not long-term contracts

Here's where most people screw up: they treat hiring like marriage instead of dating.

Instead of bringing people on for "three months" or "part-time ongoing," I start every relationship with a single project or event.

"Let's work together on this one event and see how it goes." Or, "Can you create content for this one campaign?"

This removes pressure from both sides and gives you real working data instead of interview performance.

If these go well, we'll talk about expanding. If not, we part ways with no hard feelings.

Your next steps

If you're reading this and thinking "I should probably hire someone" or you’re in the process of hiring, here's your action plan:

1. Audit your time for two weeks. Track where you're spending time that doesn't require your unique skills or perspective.

2. Look at your existing network first. Who's already helping? Who's expressed interest in doing more?

3. Define one test project. Not a role, not a contract. Just one specific thing you need done well.

4. Apply GWC ruthlessly. Don't compromise on any of the three criteria.

5. Start small and scale. Better to under-hire initially than over-commit and create a mess.

Remember: your first hire sets the tone for every hire after. Take your time, test thoroughly, and don't be afraid to wait for the right person.

In a future newsletter, I'm going to share how I onboard these folks to set everyone up for success from day one. Because finding the right person is only half the battle. Integrating them effectively is where the real work begins.

Alright, here we goooo!

🎪 City Happenings

Upcoming Event: Creator Walk – Stroll Don’t Scroll

We’re trying something different this month that we’ve been wanting to do for a long time!

Tomorrow, August 16, we’re hosting our first-ever Creator Walk in Central Park. Good conversations, fresh air, and a slow stroll with fellow creators and industry friends.

Meet us at 10 am at the 5th Avenue East entrance (details to follow). Weather pending, of course.

Bring your coffee. Bring a friend. Bring that idea you’ve been thinking about.

Let’s walk and talk. Stroll don’t scroll.

What’s Next:

We're planning what's coming next for our Creator Economy NYC community.

As always, you'll hear about confirmed events first right here in the newsletter, then on our socials. Stay tuned!

📚 Resources

LAUNCHING SOON: "F*ck It, Create It" Course (Early Access)

I've been heads down working on our first creator education course: "F*ck It, Create It."

It's designed to break through the mental barriers that keep you stuck in planning mode instead of creating mode.

I’m looking for early testers to help shape the course. Jump in early and get a limited-edition hat plus access to resources, challenges, and community accountability.

2 FREE resources to accelerate your creator growth

The Creator Goal Setting Guide: A simple but powerful document to help you declare who you want to BECOME in 2025.

The Creator Accountability System: Your visual companion for consistent creation in 2025 (I’m using this now to send one newsletter a week!)

✌🏽 Stand Clear of the Closing Doors Please

Thanks for reading! Hope this resonated! If you have anything to add from your own learnings, hit reply and let me know.

Let's keep creating,

Brett