Why I Refuse to Hire (and Built a 7-Figure Business Anyway)

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My main motivation for not wanting to hire employees or contractors was never about the cost, it was about… annoyance.

Solopreneurs are a unique type of entrepreneur.

Where other people view hiring others as a sign of success, an opportunity for growth, and a way to offload work, I see it as a headache.

Why? Because in my three decades of work, I’ve found that true dedication to excellence is rare.

I don’t always view my own dedication as a gift; I often view it as a burden.

My clients never had to sit me down and ask me for more dedication to my craft, smarter work, or a stronger product. I oddly found myself sitting CEOs and managers down, asking for better communication and vision from them and the staff that they led.

It became unsettling to care more about the work than a client did.

And that unsettling feeling started to trickle down into my views of the work (or lack of) that I saw being done around me each day.

How could I expect anyone to care about what I am building as much as I do?

Because here is the truth, I don’t want to spend my time dealing with someone who’s child care plans fell through for the tenth time, who drank too much last night, who missed the deadline for the third time, or is spending their time in the latest work gossip.

I want people to get the job done, have fun doing it, and care about the results.

I have discussed how one bad client can ruin your business, but that same result can come from one bad contractor or employee.

Here is where I don’t want to put my time:

I don’t want to look for a new hire. I don’t want to do a first, second, and third interview. I don’t want to do quarterly reviews. I don’t want to have to talk to the client to cover for my employee/contractor when the work doesn’t meet the standard they expect from me. I don’t want to pay health insurance, PTO, and 401k. I don’t want to be their therapist when they have a hard day (and we all have them). I don’t want to end up doing the work myself when they do a lackluster job. I don’t want to put them on a 90 day “save your job” window, and I don’t want to deal with lawyers or a severance plan. You get the point.

Here is what I do want. I want to create good work. I want to help the people around me. I want to be paid well for my time and efforts.

Most of all, I want the freedom that comes from owning your own successful and profitable business. A one-person show is exactly that. It is not a baby-sitting gig. It is not a stepping stone. It is not separate from you. It is an extension of who you really are.

Being able to count on myself and trust myself is my most important asset. I know I can trust myself to do the work. I know I can trust myself to get out of bed every morning no matter how sick I am, who in my life is going through a hard time, and no matter what funeral I have to attend.

That is the question I have for you.

Can you count on yourself? Can you count on yourself sometimes or all of the time?

Are you waiting for someone else to save you or are you willing to get your hands dirty and save yourself?

Only you can answer that but within that answer is the truth that lies within the heart of every solopreneur.

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