Melissa asks: "I'm told to hire a virtual assistant, but their paycheck comes straight out of mine. How do I know when my business is truly ready?"

In this episode of Fix My Business, Scott Todd reveals why the fear of hiring is actually masking a bigger problem: you're undervaluing your time. Learn the exact framework to calculate whether hiring will grow or shrink your income, plus how to "dip your toe in" without committing to full-time help.

You'll discover the time-value audit system that shows exactly which tasks to delegate first, how to estimate the true cost vs. opportunity, and alternative pay-for-performance models that remove the risk. If you're stuck doing $15/hour work while leaving $100/hour opportunities on the table, this episode will change how you think about leverage forever.

Do you have a business question, ask Scott Todd here: https://www.scotttodd.net/ask

Key Topics: virtual assistant hiring, first employee, delegation strategy, time management for entrepreneurs, small business hiring, valuing your time, outsourcing tasks, business leverage

You're paying your team well—so why are you still doing their work? If you've ever found yourself finishing tasks your employees should have handled, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Fix My Business, Carlos asks a question every business owner has faced: "I'm paying my team very good, but I'm still doing tasks they should have handled. How do I address this without becoming the bottleneck or turning into a micromanager?" Sound familiar? Scott Todd breaks down exactly why employees don't get work done and gives you a proven four-step framework to fix it without losing your mind or your weekend.

In This Episode:

• The only 3 reasons employees don't complete their work (competency, resources, or motivation)
• How to diagnose which problem you're actually facing with each task
• The exact conversation script to use when addressing underperformance with your team
• Why doing their work for them teaches them the wrong lesson—and what to do instead
• A four-step action plan to stop being the safety net and start leading effectively

Stop picking up the paintbrush and painting the house you hired someone else to paint. This is your roadmap to getting your time back and building a team that actually owns their responsibilities.

Got a business problem you need solved? Head over to scotttodd.net/ask and submit your question—you might be featured in an upcoming episode!

Enjoying the show? Leave us a review and share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs to hear it. Your support helps us reach more entrepreneurs who need real solutions to real problems.

Scott Todd tackles the scaling trap that's secretly draining profits from growing businesses. When Brian, a home flipper with 8 years of experience, asks why he's taking home less money despite higher revenue, Scott reveals the hidden problem: margin erosion. As businesses scale, expenses often grow faster than revenue, creating the illusion of success while actually reducing profitability. Scott shares his proven three-step system for identifying and eliminating the "bad guys" in your financials using percentage-of-revenue analysis—the same method he uses to manage his own business.

• Why growing revenue doesn't automatically mean you're making more money
• The scaling trap: how expenses creep up faster than sales as businesses grow
• Why looking at whole dollar amounts on financial statements misleads you
• The power of percentage-of-revenue analysis for spotting profit leaks
• How to identify your biggest expense problem in under 30 minutes
• The deep dive methodology for getting expenses back under control

• The Scaling Trap Reality: Every new sale at a lower margin means you're working harder for less—your revenue might grow 10% while expenses grow 12%, silently killing profitability
• Percentage Over Dollars: Whole dollar amounts don't tell the story—percentage of revenue reveals the true villains in your business
• The Three-Year Rule: Compare your current year to three years ago to spot margin erosion patterns (example: if cost of goods sold was 25% in 2022 and is 32% today, that 700 basis point change is your enemy)
• One Bad Guy at a Time: Circle the biggest percentage increase first—trying to fix everything at once leads to fixing nothing
• The Three Decision Framework: After your deep dive, you'll face three choices: cut costs, raise prices, or have an all-hands meeting to control spending
• Monthly Vigilance: Review percentage-of-revenue statements every single month with your team—this is non-negotiable for business health

• ScottTodd.net/ask - Submit your business question for the show