You’re crushed for time. Important tasks are falling through the cracks. Paperwork is piling up. You’re sensing the pressure as your solo business grows. Ah ha, you think, an employee could solve the problem by handling many of the routine chores.

That’s a natural reaction to feeling overwhelmed. But you might be drawing the wrong conclusion. Hiring an employee can be a lifesaver to you and your expanding business. It can also be a nightmare.

“Being a boss is tough. It’s one of the most demanding challenges of running a company, but it’s often given little thought,” counsels Rhonda M. Abrams, small-business consultant, speaker and author.

Before you catapult yourself from a one-person business to the role of employer and manager, take time to weigh the decision carefully. This article will help. It will zero in on questions you need to answer, present legalities you need to consider and show you pitfalls you need to beware of. It will also give you a look at some alternatives to taking on a permanent employee, just in case you decide that hiring an employee is not the best bet for your growing business.