“Get some help”, they said.

This is the life-changing advice they gave me, and it worked.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Issue #68 | December 12th, 2023 Hi, it's Pat! Me in 2008 when I started my online business: “I’ll never hire anyone. It’s just going to be me running this thing forever. Freedom!” Me in 2023, 15 years into my online business: “I can’t imagine running my business without my team. Freedom!” While every entrepreneur's journey to success is unique, we all eventually reach a crucial crossroads: deciding whether or not to hire help. Whether you're considering your first hire or expanding your current team, this email will help you get unstuck. Let’s do it. QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Time spent on hiring is time well spent.” – Robert Half THE STORY There’s nothing wrong with being a solopreneur and doing it all yourself. In most cases, that’s the only way to start. With that said, if you want to grow your company, one of two things will happen if you continue trying to do it all yourself: - The company will break down because it’s spread too thin. - You (the business owner) will burn out because you’re spread too thin. I’ve seen both happen, and it’s not pretty. To avoid these outcomes, you have to decide between two options: Option 1: Opt out of growth, and choose maintenance. This option relates to a really good book on this topic called Company of One by Paul Jarvis. Paul was my featured guest in an early episode of the SPI Podcast titled “[Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing,”]() with the main thesis that it’s okay not to scale up and grow. If you have a business that generates enough revenue to maintain a life that you’re happy with, then stop worrying about growing just because everyone else is doing it. Instead, focus on how to maintain that level. It’s an eye-opening option that many of us don’t even realize is okay. You don’t have to grow big. Paul maintains a certain number of clients each year for his business and doesn’t take on any more, even though he could do so. It’s an interesting exercise to consider why we want to grow in the first place and how big is enough for each of us. With that said, there are many circumstances where growth makes sense. Perhaps you have much larger revenue goals, want to serve even more people, or have a calling and want to get your offerings in front of more people. If that’s the case, here’s the other option: Option 2: Choose to grow and scale, but opt out of believing you can do it all by yourself. Like I said earlier, you may have to go solo for a while. Eventually, you hit that point of overwhelm where you either decide to hire help or unknowingly decide to allow your future self to burn out. I don’t want you to burn out. I’ll be sharing specific tips for hiring help in next week’s Unstuck newsletter (like what to get help for and how to find good people, even if it’s just temporary as opposed to full or part-time), but I will leave you with this… As someone who once said, “I need to do it all myself and can’t imagine someone else out there can do it quite like I can,” and as someone who almost experienced burnout in 2013 because of it, I can tell you this: You must let go, to grow. That’s what my business mentor (and the five other mastermind group members) told me when I went to them for help. You must let go, to grow. Letting go of things I didn’t like or couldn’t do was easy. But learning to let go of the things I was not only good at, but also enjoyed, is what led to major growth in my business. In other words, what got you here won’t get you there. What will help you get there, however, is all of us at SPI. I can’t thank you enough for allowing me and the rest of the SPI community to be a part of your journey. I’ll see you next week! SPONSORED CONTENT = = ​ SPI NEWS AND EVENTS Webinar Wonderland kicked off this week, but it’s not too late to join the excitement! Pat will go live every day at 12:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM ET until December 15th. Immerse yourself in live training sessions, diving into some of Pat's favorite workshops from the past year. Learn the ropes of creating your online course, launching a community, and earning extra income through affiliate marketing. [RSVP here]( and add your selected events to your calendar. Have you ever wondered why some creators effortlessly gain traction while others struggle? Check out the latest Smart Passive Income Podcast episode featuring Instagram growth expert Zach Benson. This episode dives into rarely discussed marketing tactics and unveils the secrets to success in the ever-evolving world of Instagram. [Listen now]( and discover how to build a thriving social media presence. Master a crucial skill that entrepreneurs either love or fear: public speaking. Join our exclusive All-Access Pass Workshop on December 13th at 12:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM ET, hosted by Expert in Residence Terry Rice. Gain the confidence and clarity needed to take center stage at industry events with talks that leave a lasting impression. Learn to craft a unique signature framework, conquer stage fright, master storytelling, and more. Not a member yet? [Sign up today](=) so you don’t miss out! We're gearing up for next year and would love your input! We're interested in learning which topics you would like to explore within the All-Access Pass, both as course accelerators and general resources. Please take a moment to [complete this brief survey]() and help us fine-tune our product to better suit your learning and business needs. Your help is greatly appreciated! DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK A recruiter asks a job candidate, “How long were you in your last position?” The job applicant replies, “I’d say my biggest weakness is my listening skills.” Did a cool person forward you this email? [Sign up here for free](. Want to reach over 125,000 entrepreneurs? [Become a sponsor](. [Link to SPI's Website](=) [Link to SPI's Twitter Account]( [Link to SPI's LinkedIn Account]( [Link to Pat Flynn's YouTube Account]() SPONSORED CONTENT [/>](=) = You are receiving this because you signed up for Pat Flynn’s newsletter at [smartpassiveincome.com](=). If you'd like to adjust which emails you receive or update your name and email address, click here: . If you'd like to stop receiving all emails from SPI, click here: . No hard feelings. 10531 4S Commons Drive, Suite 524, San Diego, CA 92127