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E10: Why I 'Fired' 9 People and Made More Money (The Small Team Advantage)
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Вміст надано George Pu. Весь вміст подкастів, включаючи епізоди, графіку та описи подкастів, завантажується та надається безпосередньо компанією George Pu або його партнером по платформі подкастів. Якщо ви вважаєте, що хтось використовує ваш захищений авторським правом твір без вашого дозволу, ви можете виконати процедуру, описану тут https://uk.player.fm/legal.
I went from 14 employees down to 5 people two years ago. It was the best business decision I've ever made. We're more profitable, faster, and I actually enjoy work again.
The brutal reality of scaling too fast:
- 14 people = 7 hours monthly just doing one-on-ones
- Communication paths explode exponentially with team size
- You start "finding tasks" for people instead of having natural work flow
- I failed the Sunday Night Test - dreading Monday mornings because of management overhead
- Multiple developer groups created shadow societies within the company
What I learned the hard way:
- Adding people doesn't multiply output - it multiplies complexity
- When you need performance reviews to know what people are doing, you're already too big
- The moment you're allocating tasks instead of having organic work flow, you're 1000% on the wrong track
- Cash position broke with 14 people - couldn't make payroll
My small team framework now:
- Founder takes new tasks first - test with AI and existing team before hiring
- Use contractors over employees for non-core work
- Apply the "keep one person" test - who would you fight to retain?
- Sunday Night Test - if you dread Monday, something's wrong
The 5-person reality:
- No performance reviews needed (I know what everyone's building)
- No daily standups (we just hop on Slack when needed)
- Faster decision-making, better culture, actual family feel
- AI handles what used to require hiring 3-4 additional people
Red flags you're hiring too fast: Time drainage from management processes, failing the Sunday Night Test, having to create work for people, losing the startup culture feeling.
Bottom line: Your competitive advantage isn't team size - it's team efficiency. Sometimes fewer people doing more is exactly what your startup needs.
New episodes Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 9am EST. Real founder lessons, not startup theater.
Daily thoughts: @TheGeorgePu on Twitter/X
Full episodes: founderreality.com
Email: [email protected]
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