The excuses all sound so legit.  I don’t have the money to hire someone!  The systems aren’t in place yet!  Unless the new guy comes up to speed super fast, I’m not going to be able to afford him!

Sounds totally legit, right?  Of course it does, but its not. Those excuses are all about the symptoms not the real reason. The real reason you keep putting off that first (or next) hire is that you will have to completely change your job.

When you hire that first employee, they will likely take over 80% of your workload.  I am not saying that will take over 80% of your responsibilities, but they will take the workload. All that time you spend blogging, or writing quotes, or scheduling appointments, or picking up a coffee at Starbucks yet again.  All that time goes away.

That new first employee takes away tons of work.  While it is a relief, its also terrifying.  Now you need to figure out what you are going to do with your free time.

The moral of the story? If you continue to put off your first hire you are doing out of fear of your own growth.  I want to challenge you. The question isn’t if you can afford them.  The question is are you really, truly, 100% committed to doing the new work that you must do to afford them.