I was totally wrong about needing a huge team to scale.

Spencer Kelly · 2026-04-02T00:00:27.100835+00:00

A mentor in Chicago told me, "You're hiring for tasks, not for growth," and after 3 months of stalled revenue, I cut my team from 12 to 8 and focused on cross-training, which doubled our project output.

carr.xena5mo ago

That's a really sharp point from your mentor. A business book I read talked about the "myth of more hands," where adding people just adds coordination problems instead of real work. Focusing on skill depth over headcount seems to be the real key.

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jakef663mo ago

Funny, my dad used to say the same thing about putting together a band.

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robertb305mo ago

Yeah, that book idea is close, but it's not just about coordination. Sometimes you add people who just aren't the right fit for the next stage. It's more like... upgrading the team's skills, not just avoiding new hires.

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