When I launched my business, I was scrappy.

→ I did everything myself.
→ Posted content on the fly.
→ Said yes to every client—no matter the scope (or the fee).
→ Wrote proposals in bed at 10:30pm.
→ Panicked every time someone asked, “So… what exactly do you do?”

Sound familiar? Most of us start that way.
It’s how almost every founder begins—hustling, improvising, and trying to make it work.

But here’s the trap:
That same scrappiness that got you started will crush you if you try to scale with it.

You add headcount.
You add chaos.
You add fires to the ones you’re already fighting

Then you wonder why growth stalls at 10 people.

I know because I’ve seen.
And it nearly broke me.

So here’s what I learned (the hard way):

❌ Stop saying yes to everything just because you need the cash.
✔️ Start qualifying clients with real metrics.
Be picky about your clients. Qualify them right away like you’re finding the right partner in life. Spend time learning how they work and how committed they are. It will make all the difference in building a lasting business.

❌ Stop hiring just to fill the gap.
✔️ Start looking inward first.
Define the role before you advertise it. Make sure you intimately understand what the job entails. The best hires rarely come through applications.

❌ Stop doing it all your way.
✔️ Start letting your team do what you hired them to do.
Odds are, they’re better at it than you anyway.

If you stay in fight-or-flight long enough, don’t be surprised when you feel like you’ve aged 20 years in six months.

I’ve been there.

When I built Growth Code I knew it was something people needed - that belief fueled me.
But passion alone can burn you alive if you put it before everything else for too long.

The truth?
The version of you that gets to $1M is not the same one who just celebrated their first $10K month and spent it like they won the lottery.

Be passionate.
Be relentless.
But be smart.

Operate from the $1M mindset always.

That’s how you scale without breaking yourself.

P.S.

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