Lesson 2: Team Building & Hiring Strategy

You have a vision and a one-page plan. The next step is deciding when and how to add people. This lesson turns your goals into a team-building strategy: when to use contractors, when to consider a part-time or first hire, and how to avoid the common traps of hiring too early or for the wrong role.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

Decide when to add people based on revenue, runway, and recurring need
Choose between contractors and hires for different types of work
Define clear roles and deliverables so you hire for output, not vague "help"
Write a simple hiring plan (roles, timing, budget) aligned with your business plan
Avoid hiring too early, hiring for the wrong thing, or hiring without a clear brief

Why This Matters

Adding people is one of the biggest levers—and risks—for a growing studio. Hire too early and you burn runway without enough recurring work. Hire for "general help" and you get confusion and overlap. A simple strategy: when to add whom, for what, and with what budget keeps you from reacting to every opportunity or panic.

Step 1: When to Add People

Add people when you have:

Recurring need – The same type of work keeps coming back (e.g. art for every project, community management, marketing). One-off work is better handled by contractors or by you.
Budget and runway – You can pay for at least 3–6 months of the role (contractor or hire) without depending on a single unreleased game. If you cannot, delay until revenue or savings support it.
Clear scope – You can describe what the person will do and how you will know they have succeeded. "Help with the game" is not scope. "20 character sprites by March" or "run Discord and social 10 hours/week" is.

Do not add people when:

You are pre-revenue and have no runway.
The work is one-off (e.g. one trailer, one soundtrack). Use a contractor for a fixed deliverable.
You cannot define the role. If you cannot write a short job description, you are not ready to hire.

Pro tip: Map the next 6–12 months of work. Which tasks repeat? Which can only you do? The repeating tasks that you want to hand off are the first candidates for a contractor or hire.

Common mistake: Hiring because you feel overwhelmed instead of because there is a defined, recurring need. Overwhelm is often a scope or process problem, not a headcount problem.

Step 2: Contractors vs Part-Time vs First Full-Time Hire

Contractors (project or milestone-based)

Best for: Art, music, UI, localization, trailers, specific code (e.g. networking). You pay for a defined deliverable and you are done when it is done.
Pros: No long-term commitment, clear cost, easy to scale up or down. You own the output (with a proper work-for-hire contract).
Cons: You manage the relationship and the brief. They are not "in the room" for every decision.
When: Whenever you have a clear deliverable and budget. This is usually the first way to add capacity.

Part-time or fractional role

Best for: Recurring work that does not need 40 hours/week (e.g. community 10 hrs/week, marketing 15 hrs/week, QA 20 hrs/week).
Pros: Lower cost than full-time, person can own one area, you get consistency.
Cons: You still manage and coordinate. Part-time can be harder to recruit for than contract or full-time.
When: When the same type of work recurs for at least 6–12 months and you have budget for a fixed number of hours per month.

First full-time hire

Best for: When one role is clearly 40+ hours/week and you have at least 6–12 months of runway. Often the first full-time role is a "second in command" (e.g. lead developer, lead artist) or someone who owns a whole function (e.g. production, marketing).
Pros: Someone fully committed to the studio, easier to align on culture and goals.
Cons: Salary, benefits, and commitment. Hard to unwind if things do not work out.
When: When revenue or savings support it and you have already validated the need with contractors or part-time. Do not make the first hire the first time you add capacity—start with contractors.

Pro tip: Default to contractors first. When the same contractor is busy every month and you keep briefing them, that is a signal that a part-time or full-time role might make sense.

Common mistake: Skipping contractors and hiring full-time because "we need someone dedicated." Dedication is not the same as headcount. You can get dedicated output from a contractor with a clear scope and good communication.

Step 3: Define the Role and Deliverables

Before you post a job or reach out to a contractor:

Title and one-sentence summary – e.g. "2D Character Artist – create character sprites and animations for our next game."
Deliverables – What will they produce? (e.g. "X character sprites per month," "Discord and Twitter 10 hrs/week," "trailer by date Y.")
Success criteria – How will you know it is working? (e.g. "sprites match style guide," "community response time under 24 hrs," "trailer approved by date.")
Budget – Total or per deliverable. For contractors, a rate or fixed fee. For hires, salary range + any benefits.
Duration – Contract: project length or number of milestones. Hire: trial period (e.g. 3 months) then extend or part ways.

Pro tip: Write this as a one-page brief before you talk to anyone. If you cannot fill it out, the role is not clear enough yet.

Common mistake: Hiring for "help with the game" or "generalist." Generalists are rare and expensive. Define one primary function (e.g. art, marketing, code) and hire for that.

Step 4: Write a Simple Hiring Plan

Align with your business plan:

Year 1 (or next 12 months): List 0–3 roles you might add. For each: contractor or hire, what they do, when you need them (e.g. "Q2 – contract artist for character sprites"), and rough budget.
Year 2: Same idea, but you can assume one or two roles from Year 1 are still there or have become full-time.
Review: Revisit the plan every 6–12 months. If revenue or scope changes, adjust. Do not hire because the plan said "hire in Q3"; hire when the need and budget are real.

Pro tip: The plan is a guide, not a contract. If you do not need to hire in Year 1, do not hire. Delaying is often smarter than hiring on hope.

Step 5: Where to Find Contractors and Hires

Contractors:

Portfolios and networks – Twitter, Discord, itch.io, ArtStation, LinkedIn. Post a short brief and ask for reblogs or referrals.
Job boards – itch.io jobs, Work With Indies, remote game dev boards. Be specific about deliverable and rate.
Agencies or middlemen – For music, VO, or localization, agencies can curate talent. You pay a premium for that curation.

Hires (part-time or full-time):

Same channels – Post the role with clear title, deliverables, and compensation. "Small indie studio, remote, part-time community manager, 10 hrs/week" is a real job.
Referrals – Ask your contractors and network. People who have worked with you or your projects are the best pipeline.
Trial – Consider a paid trial (e.g. 2–4 weeks contract) before committing to part-time or full-time. You both learn if it fits.

Pro tip: Your first contractors and hires will set the tone. Be clear, pay on time, and give feedback. Word gets around.

Common mistake: Posting a vague job ("join our indie studio!") and hoping for the best. You get vague applicants. Be specific and you get people who want that specific role.

Troubleshooting

Problem: We cannot afford anyone yet.
Solution: You do not have to hire. Focus on revenue and scope. Use your business plan to decide when "we have 6 months runway and recurring need" is true. Until then, stay solo or use very small contractor bursts (e.g. one asset pack, one trailer).

Problem: We need "someone who can do a bit of everything."
Solution: That person is rare and expensive. Split the work: one contractor for art, one for music, or one part-time person for the one function that recurs most (e.g. community). You can still do the rest.

Problem: Our first contractor was a bad fit.
Solution: Use a short trial or one milestone before committing to a long contract. If it does not work, part ways clearly and pay for what was delivered. Update your brief for the next person based on what you learned.

Problem: We want to hire a friend.
Solution: Treat them like any other hire: clear role, deliverables, and compensation. Friendship and business can mix, but only if expectations are written down. Otherwise, resentment builds.

Pro Tips

Tip 1: Start With One Role
Do not hire three people at once. Add one contractor or one hire, get the relationship and scope right, then consider the next. Scaling is sequential, not simultaneous.

Tip 2: Pay On Time
Contractors and part-time staff depend on you for income. Pay on the agreed date. If you are late, communicate. Trust is the basis of every good working relationship.

Tip 3: Document the Role
Keep a short doc: title, deliverables, success criteria, and how you work together (tools, meetings, feedback). When someone new joins or you need to backfill, the doc is already there.

Recap

When to add people – Recurring need, budget/runway, and clear scope. Not when you are pre-revenue or when the role is vague.
Contractors vs hires – Contractors for deliverables; part-time or full-time when the same work recurs and you have runway. Default to contractors first.
Define the role – Title, deliverables, success criteria, budget, duration. Write it before you post or reach out.
Hiring plan – Align with your business plan. List 0–3 roles for the next 12 months; revisit every 6–12 months.
Where to find people – Networks, job boards, referrals. Be specific in the brief; you get better matches.

Next Lesson

In Lesson 3: Legal Structure & Business Operations, you will set up the legal and operational foundation so contracts, IP, and day-to-day operations are clear before you scale the team.