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

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

But that 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.

And here’s why.

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 shifts.

You get good at it.
You get comfortable.
And you start realizing… if I stay on this path, this isn’t going to be fulfilling anymore.

That’s where I was.

So I decided it was time to replace myself in sales.

Over the last year or so, I went through multiple people trying to make that happen. I recruited well. I hired good people.

But I failed.

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

And this is the part nobody wants 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.”

Wrong.

Just like clients, team members need a journey. They need structure. Systems. Leadership.

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

So eventually, I did the very 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.

Here’s the real truth, though.

The thing that held me back wasn’t money.

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.

And 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 have been 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 get back into my unique genius—the things I’m actually best at.

Here’s the takeaway for you:

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, entrepreneur mindset, hiring systems, scaling a business, leadership development, entrepreneur burnout, team building, business systems, delegation, unique genius #