Stop Being the Hero: The Hard Truth About Hiring, Burnout, and Building Systems That Work

I want to share something with you today—and I’m going to be a little vulnerable.

Most people know me as optimistic. Even when things are hard, I usually smile and say, “Alright, let’s go.” And that part is real.

But optimism doesn’t mean life doesn’t get hard.
It doesn’t mean things don’t suck sometimes—because they do.

The last 12–18 months have been some of the hardest I’ve experienced. Not financially, but mentally and emotionally, while growing Landscape Lighting Secrets, Light It Up Expo, and everything else we’re building.

When the Honeymoon Ends

When you first start a business, there’s a honeymoon phase.

Even when it’s hard, it’s exciting.
It’s new.
It’s sexy.
You’re building something from nothing.

But after a few years, something changes.

You get good at it.
You get comfortable.
And you start realizing that if you stay on the same path, it won’t be fulfilling anymore.

That’s where I was.

The Hiring Mistake Nobody Talks About

I decided it was time to replace myself in sales.

Over the past year, I recruited well and hired good people.
And I failed.

Not because they weren’t capable—but because I didn’t train or retain them properly.

Here’s the truth most people don’t want to admit:

Hiring is not the finish line.

Recruiting.
Hiring.
Training.
Retaining.

Those are four completely different stages.

Most business owners stop at hiring and wonder why everything falls apart afterward. That was me.

I assumed, “They’re great people, and we’re a great company—this should work.”

It didn’t.

Your Team Needs a System, Not Hope

Just like clients, team members need a journey.

They need structure.
They need systems.
They need leadership.

Where I failed was thinking I could just “figure it out” because I’d hired people before.

So I finally did the thing I tell others to do.

I invested.

I hired a firm to help me do this the right way—recruiting, pre-screening, onboarding, training, scripts, and coaching for them and for me.

Total investment: $16,000.

Some people would call that crazy.
I don’t.

Because I don’t see it as an expense—I see it as leverage.

If this works (and it already is), that $16,000 doesn’t return $16,000.
It returns 2x… 4x… 8x… and keeps compounding.

The Real Excuse Holding Me Back

Here’s the real truth:

It wasn’t money holding me back.

It was this thought:
“I don’t have time.”

I don’t have time to train.
I don’t have time to hire.
I don’t have time to slow down.

Those are excuses.

They’re the same excuses I hear from business owners every single week.

When I finally pulled the trigger, I didn’t wait for the “right time.” I didn’t wait for things to slow down.

I started immediately—while things were crazy.

And yes, the last few months were brutal.

Long days.
Rebuilding processes.
Testing scripts.
Breaking things.
Fixing them.

But I refused to hand a good person a broken system.

Now it’s proven.

It works.

And it’s already freeing me up to return to my unique genius—the things I’m actually best at.

The Takeaway

If you’re exhausted…
If you’re frustrated…
If you’re bored…

It’s probably not because you’re doing too much.

It’s because you’re doing the wrong things for too long.

Hiring isn’t about finding the right person.
It’s about becoming the kind of business the right person can succeed in.

Until you build that, every hire will feel like a gamble instead of an investment.

Hopefully this helps at least one of you avoid the mistakes I made.

I’ll keep you posted as this continues to evolve—but for now, remember this:

Stop trying to be the hero.
Replace yourself.
Build the system.
Keep moving forward.

— Ryan Lee

#Business growth starts with the right entrepreneur mindset—by building strong hiring systems, scaling a business through leadership development, avoiding entrepreneur burnout with smart delegation, and creating business systems that support team building and protect your unique genius.#