You closed a few deals. You've got momentum. The logical next step is to hire, right?

Not so fast.

I've watched too many consultants scale before they were ready. They add headcount, build overhead, create obligations—and then spend all their time chasing random work just to keep their team busy. The growth they wanted becomes the cage they're trapped in.

In this episode, Kerry and I break down the actual order of operations for scaling a consulting business. It's not complicated, but skipping steps creates problems that look like market problems or team problems. They're really sequencing problems.

Show notes:

• Why "busy" isn't the same as "busy doing the right work"
• The margin question most consultants avoid asking
• What happened to the seven-figure agency owner who scaled back to solo (and took home more money)
• The specific sequence that makes growth sustainable instead of exhausting