You didn’t start a business to babysit adults. But now, every question, deadline, and dropped ball lands back on your plate. You’re spending more time managing than building, and every new client feels like a risk instead of a win.

The problem isn’t your team. It’s that you’re trying to grow without structure.

I spoke with a founder the other day who couldn’t figure out why his team was underperforming. He was trying to grow, but every time he hired, he created redundancy instead of relief. His team of ten was full of overlapping roles because he didn’t trust people to show up or follow through.

“I think we have a performance problem,” he said. When I asked about systems, he shrugged. “We have SOPs. Not that they help much.”

So I asked, “How do you manage performance?”

“Oh, we’re too early for that,” he said. “Everyone wears a lot of hats, it’s hard to hold anyone accountable.”

At that point, I wasn’t just concerned about performance. I was amazed the business was still profitable at all.

Like so many small business owners be