Feeling Stuck in the Busy-But-Broke Zone – How Did You Break Through?

Most owners wait until they feel ready to hire. That’s backwards. You don’t hire because you’re ready, you hire to become ready for the next level. You buy back your time before you think you can afford it, or you’ll stay trapped in the job you built for yourself.

Start small if you need to, bring someone on part-time, even just 2–3 days a week, to test the waters and create some breathing room.

What changed everything for me was shifting my profit focus from “What did I make this week?” to “What am I building this year?” That meant accepting temporarily lower margins in exchange for time. I had to let go of “I can do it faster and better,” and embrace “Who can do it 80% as well and free me up for growth?”

Waiting for the “perfect time” kept me stuck. What gave me real confidence was giving my first hire crystal-clear checklists and KPIs from day one, no guessing, no gray areas. That made delegation easier and performance measurable.

I would also track your closing rate, if its above 60% I would recommend increasing your prices. 

Hey Mrbackflow, personally I hired when I was too swamped with work. As soon as it gets to the point that you feel like you just don't have enough time in your day for scaling - its time to hire. I can personally say that it was the best move i've ever made. as soon as i hired, i scaled like crazy! why/how? well i had more time to focus on advertising, systemising, and the overall "game plan" for the company. money was tight at first, but you'll quickly realize that its more than worth what you'll have to pay people. start small if you're scared. Part time people, and low hourly pay. They're out there. indeed is free. take that leap. but don't relax because you can. While employees are busy, focus and scale! 

I hired at part time with moving to full time.  The part time also allowed to train on the job.  It sounds like you will need to make this step in order to grow.  

What I don't see being mentioned here is accounting. You cannot do business by what is in your bank account. Get your books straight. This will tell you where you need to go as far as to hire or not. I have a team of schedulers and we have a formula. Each of my team hits a certain number to cover their payroll. Once I get over 2 weeks out with each time then I look at another team. Good luck to you. 

I have an entire podcast addressing this. It is called the "Off the Ladder" podcast. The reality is you need to raise your prices. For example if you charge 60 an hour you will need to start charging 120 an hour, or more. Most people are also held back by a lot of myths that are common in the trades - I just did an episode with Nick Slavik and he addresses a lot of the common myths. One of my favorite stories is of a friend of mine. He had reached out to me asking how to get out of the field. I simply told him...you could be off the ladder tomorrow if you wanted to, but you have to change your mindset and what you believe. He told me that hit him and he soon got off the ladder after years of trying.

You could realistically hire a qualified person within the next week, step off the job, and start marketing and selling to grow your business now. The question is if you will accept that its possible then do the work to make it happen. 

Take extreme ownership, change your mindset, learn how to do it, and then take massive action. You got this! Reach out to me directly if you want to chat in more detail and make a specific plan.