IAM2712 – Why You Don’t Need a Payroll to Build a Team

The Myth of the Unaffordable Hire

Gresham Harkless opens this special episode by dismantling the common belief that founders must have a massive payroll or a full-time staff to start building a team. He identifies a common “trap” where business owners wait too long to get help because they are overwhelmed by the thought of benefits, overhead, and traditional employee expenses. Harkless argues that you don't actually need a traditional payroll to stop doing everything yourself; instead, he encourages founders to shift their perspective and realize that hiring is possible much sooner than they think.

Creative Compensation and Resourceful Scaling

To overcome financial barriers, Harkless suggests leveraging freelancers, virtual assistants, interns, and automation tools that work while you sleep. He emphasizes that compensation doesn't always have to be cash; founders can think creatively by trading equity, time, access, or future value to build their vision. By starting small—with just five to ten hours of help a week in a weak area—entrepreneurs can reclaim their sanity and build momentum, scaling their help alongside their growth.

Practical Wisdom for the CEO Journey

Drawing from over 1,600 interviews and a decade of experience, this segment provides “CEO nuggets” designed to strengthen the foundational principles of any business. Harkless reminds listeners that success is rarely a straight line, but rather a “plate of spaghetti,” requiring leaders to “run their own race” rather than follow someone else’s blueprint. Guided by the equation “Visibility plus Resources times Connections equals Success,” this episode offers practical wisdom that founders can apply immediately to ensure their business is moving toward long-term victory.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2710-the-metric-that-actually-matters/

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Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
Newsflash. If you're stuck doing everything in your business because you think you can't afford to hire, I'm about to change your whole perspective. You don't actually need a payroll to build a team. And here's the thing. You're not alone. Most founders wait way too long to get help that they need for their business because they're thinking full time employees thinking benefits, overhead, all those expenses, and often say, like, there's gotta be another way. And there is.

If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh, and for over a decade I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners just like you on how to build. After recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose, even when you feel the journey should be a straight and linear path. What I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 01:52
Newsflash. If you're stuck doing everything in your business because you think you can't afford to hire, I'm about to change your whole perspective. You don't actually need a payroll to build a team. And here's the thing. You're not alone. Most founders wait way too long to get help that they need for their business because they're thinking full time employees thinking benefits, overhead, all those expenses, and often say like, there's gotta be another way. And there is. Think about freelancers on Upwork on Fiverr potentially could be virtual assistants from onlinejobs, PH revenue share partners who bet on your vision, perhaps as college interns that want to experience even automation tools that work while you sleep. And here's the thing that most people mix. You don't have to trade cash. You can trade equity, you can trade time, you trade future value, you can trade access. There's many different ways to cultivate and create this agreement. Now put your thinking cap on and think creatively on how you compensate. And suddenly hiring becomes something that's possible way sooner than you think. Start small. Five to ten hours a week of help in your weakest area in business. And honestly, that's absolutely it. You get your time back, momentum, and sanity as well too. As you start to grow, you scale the help right alongside it. Now, don't wait for the absolute perfect opportunity. Start building your team today.