#598: Team Bonus Best Practices

In this solo episode, Bradley Hamner breaks down the eight best practices behind a monthly team bonus that the team tracks on its own. He built the one-pager after a listener emailed asking how to structure one, and he walks through the whole thing here. Bradley covers aligning the bonus to quarterly priorities or annual objectives, keeping the math simple enough to explain in a sentence, and putting the plan in writing so it survives past the meeting where it was announced. He also covers how often to bring it up with the team, why a plan needs at least ninety days before you judge it, where bonus pay should land as a percentage of total compensation, and whether part-time and fractional team members belong in the plan. This episode moves beyond the mechanics of paying people. Does your bonus point at the results you are already chasing this year? Can every person on your team explain how it works without looking it up? And have you given the current plan enough runway to tell you anything? If you are putting together a monthly team bonus and want it to actually change behavior, this episode is for you. Join us in the free Circle community and hop on the email list to get practical tools, resources, trainings, and updates on what we’re working on next. https://blueprintos.com/assets/ Resources Mentioned Listen to the companion episode on compensation plan guidelines: https://podcasts.apple.com/rs/podcast/above-the-business/id1491236828?i=1000780448943 Thanks to our sponsors Coach P Consulting Coach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at: https://coachpconsulting.com Be sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast. Autopilot Recruiting Autopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities. With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions. https://www.autopilotrecruiting.com Mention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out. Direct Clicks Direct Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads. Exclusive offer for listeners: https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusiness Get a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived. About Above The Business Above The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.