A Sole Practitioner’s Guide to Hiring Your First Employee - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)

Recorded On: 10/08/2024

Ready to make the leap from solo practice to delightful design duet? Join two experienced micro-office leaders in an honest discussion about the risks and rewards of hiring your first employee. We will discuss the who, what, when, and why, and how to go about it.

Learning objectives:

Describe the positives and negatives of making your first hire. Does it fit your professional, lifestyle, and financial goals? Evaluate your financial ability and workload stability to support an employee.
Learn how to go from lone wolf to leader of the pack. Understand physical and operational structures for an office of two.
Understand legal and financial considerations, including contracts, insurance, benefits, and pay.
Learn how to evaluate growth, success, and change.

Michael Radner, ASLA

President

Radner Design Associates, Inc.

A business owner since 2001, Michael is founder of Radner Design Associates, Inc. He brings 30 years of experience to institutional, multi-family, commercial, open space, and mixed use projects. Radner Design Associates is based in the Boston area and serves Southern New England. He has survived 3 recessions (so far), has taught Professional Practice at UMass Amherst’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, and proudly serves on the Executive Committee for the Boston Chapter of ASLA. Michael holds an MLA from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a BS in Biology from Binghamton University.

Emma Kelly, ASLA

Principal

Emma Kelly Landscape, LLC

Emma’s work is driven by a joyful embrace of the design process – from sketch exploration to successful implementation. Practicing primarily in Maine and focusing on residential landscapes, she’s a fierce advocate for place-specific design and team-built success. In 2013 Emma formed Emma Kelly Landscape and more recently launched ColLab, a collaborating laboratory of six women-owned practices throughout the Northeast. Emma received her master’s degree in Landscape Architecture, with distinction, from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. She's shared her love of design as a critic and instructor for programs from the GSD to Southern Maine Community College.