Hiring for a Growth-Stage Business (and why your current team can’t take you further)
You're hiring the same type of person you hired 2 years ago. Same skills. Same level. Same "cultural fit".
And you're wondering why business growth has stalled.
The people who got you to £3m aren't the people who'll get you to £10m and if you keep hiring the same type of person over and over, your business will actively go backwards!
What You're Blaming vs What You're Actually Doing
What you're blaming:
Can't find people who “get it”
The market doesn't have quality candidates anymore
Young people don't have the same work ethic
“Nobody wants to work as hard as I did”
What you're actually doing:
Hiring “the same but different” on repeat
Looking for younger, cheaper versions of yourself
Avoiding people who might challenge you
Hiring for today’s challenges instead of tomorrow’s business
The first list keeps you comfortable.
The second list tells you why you're stuck.
And until you're willing to face what’s on the second list, you'll keep hiring the same people and getting the same result.
Why Your Business Growth Has Stalled
Your growth has stalled because your team can't handle the complexity that comes with scale. And they can't handle it because you keep hiring people suited for where you were, not where you're going.
Your £3m business needed people who could follow instructions, execute tasks and keep things running.
Your £10m business needs people who can make decisions, solve ambiguous problems and drive growth without your constant input.
These are completely different skill sets. Different levels of autonomy. Different ways of thinking.
If you keep hiring for £3m whilst trying to reach £10m, you'll stay exactly where you are. Just more exhausted!
The £3M Team vs The £10M Team: What Actually Changes
This is about capability, not about headcount.
At £3M, you need:
Doers - people who execute your vision reliably.
Your Junior Developer builds features from tickets you've prioritised. When a bug comes in, they ask you which one to fix first. They're brilliant at execution but need clear direction.
Task followers - people who can handle clear instructions.
Your Customer Success Exec handles support tickets using the process you created. When something falls outside the process, they escalate it to you.
Problem reporters - people who escalate issues for you to solve.
Your Operations Coordinator spots that onboarding is taking too long, so they flag it but you need to figure out the solution, not them.
You're still the main decision-maker here and this works when the business is small enough for you to be involved in everything. But the moment you try to scale past 20-30 people, it breaks.
At £10M, you need:
Decision-makers - people who can make calls without you.
Your Head of Product owns the roadmap. They decide what gets built, when and why, and they only involve you in major strategic changes, not feature prioritisation.
Problem solvers - people who fix issues before you even know about them.
Your Head of Customer Success notices retention dropping. They analyse why, design a fix, implement it and report back on results. You're informed, not consulted.
Strategic thinkers - people who can handle ambiguity and complexity.
Your Operations Director sees the business is about to outgrow current processes. They figure out what needs changing when and how to implement without disrupting delivery.
Leaders - people who can build and run their own teams.
Your Engineering Lead builds and runs their own team. They hire, develop and manage performance. They set expectations and maintain standards.
Specialists - people who know more than you in their domain.
Your Head of Finance knows more about cash flow modelling and financial planning than you ever will. Your cybersecurity expert knows things about data protection you don't even know you should ask about. And you're fine with that because you hired them for their expertise, not to validate what you already think.
The “Same As Me” Hiring Trap That's Keeping You Small
Most business owners hire people who think like them and have similar backgrounds. Those who agree with them. Who make them feel comfortable. You're probably doing it without realising it.
What this looks like in practice:
The founder who built the business through 70-hour weeks and weekend work hires people who "show hunger". In interviews, they ask: "How do you feel about putting in extra hours when needed?" Anyone who mentions work-life balance gets noted as "not committed enough".
Result? A team of workaholics who burn out by month 18. High performers who want to work smart (not just hard) don't even apply.
Or: The technical founder with a computer science degree only hires developers with formal CS backgrounds. Self-taught developers - even brilliant ones - get dismissed as "lacking fundamentals".
Result? You miss exceptional talent and create a team that all approaches problems the same way. No diversity of thought. No challenge.
Or: The founder who's highly detail-oriented hires people who "get into the weeds" like they do. Anyone who thinks more strategically or wants to delegate details gets labelled "not hands-on enough".
Result? Everyone's focused on tactics, nobody's thinking about the bigger picture. Growth stalls because you're all in execution mode.
This isn't conscious. You're not sitting there thinking "I only want people like me".
Why you do this:
Because hiring people who are different is uncomfortable. People who:
Challenge your decisions
Bring skills you don't have
See things you've missed
Question your approach
They threaten your position as “the person who knows everything” yet that's exactly why you need them!
You don't need more people who think like you. You need people who think differently, who have capabilities you don't, who'll push back when you're wrong and who can handle the complexity you're avoiding.
What Hiring for Scale Actually Looks Like
The shift from startup hiring to hiring for scale isn't about hiring more people, you need to think longer-term.
Startup hiring (£1M-£3M):
"Can they do the tasks I need done right now?"
"Will they fit in with how we currently do things?"
"Can I afford them?"
"Do they seem like someone I'd get on with?"
"Will they work hard and not cause problems?"
This gets you loyal, hardworking people who keep things running; not growth.
Hiring for growth stage business (£5M-£10M):
"Can they make decisions in their area without me?"
"Will they challenge poor standards and push for better quality?"
"Can they handle complexity and ambiguity?"
"Will they bring skills and thinking we don't currently have?"
"Can they build and lead their own team?"
See the difference? One is about safety and comfort, the other is about capability and growth.
The question you should ask before every hire:
"Is this person suited for where we are now, or where we'll be in 12-24 months?"
If you're hiring for now, you're doing it wrong!
How to Tell If You're Outgrowing Your Original Team (…and what to do about it)
Sometimes the people who were brilliant at £1M, those early hires, can't handle £5M or £10M.
But before you write someone off as “not suited for scale”, you need to ask yourself an uncomfortable question:
Is this a capability problem or a support problem?
Signs that could mean either:
They avoid making decisions without checking with you first
They get overwhelmed when things change, so they resist new ways of working
They say "this isn't what I signed up for"
They're great at getting things done but can't think strategically
Another question to ask yourself here is:
Have I actually equipped them for what I'm expecting now?
If you hired them fast with a few quick and informal interview chats, threw them in without clear onboarding, never explained what good looks like at this stage, or expected them to "just figure it out" as the business changed, then they're not failing. You set them up to fail.
The test:
Can this person genuinely not handle scale? Or have you not given them clear expectations, the authority to make decisions, regular feedback, and a proper understanding of where and how they fit in to the business growth plans?
If you haven't done those things, you don't have a capability problem. You have a leadership problem and this is exactly why people stop caring - they're not set up to succeed, then you blame them when they fail.
What to do:
Be honest about capability gaps - can this person genuinely grow into what you need, or are you hoping?
Give them a real chance - invest in development, coaching, set clear expectations
Make the call - if they can't step up after genuine support, make a change
Do it with dignity - they're not failing, they're just in the wrong role for this stage
The difference between a team that can't scale and a team you haven't equipped to scale is massive, so make sure you know which one you're dealing with.
The Questions That'll Tell You If You're Hiring Wrong
Right, enough theory. Here's how to know if you're making these hiring mistakes when scaling your business:
1. The 3-year capability audit
Write down what your business will look like in 3 years:
- Revenue target
- Number of clients
- Geographic reach
- Product/service expansion
Now list the actual capabilities (not job titles) you'll need:
- Who will handle strategic client relationships so that I don't need to be in every meeting?
- Who will drive innovation without waiting for my ideas?
- Who will build and lead high-performing teams?
- Who will manage complex operations at scale?
- Look at your current team and recent hires. How many of them match that future?
If the answer is "not many", you're not hiring for your future business.
2. The mirror test
Look at your last 3 hires. List how they're:
Similar to you: background, thinking style, skills, approach
Different from you: perspective, expertise, experience, ways of working
If “similar” massively outweighs “different”, you're hiring for your own comfort.
3. The challenge check
Think about your team. Who actually challenges you? Who pushes back when you're wrong? Who brings ideas you haven't thought of?
If the answer is "nobody" or "rarely", you've built a team of yes-people, and yes-people don't scale businesses.
4. The capability question
Who on your current team is genuinely better than you at something important?
If you can't name 3-5 people immediately, you're not hiring with the future in mind. And you can't scale by surrounding yourself with people less capable than you.
What to Do Next (beyond just “hiring better”)
Stop hiring the same profile on repeat
Next time you recruit, force yourself to interview at least two candidates who make you slightly uncomfortable because they challenge your assumptions, have a different background or have skills you don't. You don't have to hire them. But do explore what it would be like to work with someone who doesn't just nod along.
Audit your current team honestly
This is about their capability for the next stage; not their effort or loyalty. Can they genuinely handle what's coming, or are you hoping they'll figure it out?
Slow down
I know you're desperate to fill the gap. But hiring the wrong person because you're rushing costs you far more than leaving the role vacant for another month. (This is why you can't hire your way to £10M - speed without strategy just creates more problems.)
Get honest about what you're avoiding
If you keep hiring people like you, what are you scared of? Being challenged? Losing control? Being proven wrong? That fear is what's stopping your growth.
The Bottom Line
You've built something brilliant to get to £3M but the next stage requires different people with different capabilities. The business owners who make it to £10M aren't the ones who hired perfectly from day one - they're the ones who recognised when their team couldn't take them further and who challenged their own thinking, to hire differently.
