Are you setting goals to do more in 2026, even though working harder hasn't got you where you want to be? Do you find yourself stuck at the same revenue level despite putting in long hours? If you're still the most chargeable person in your business, cherry-picking the work you love, and feeling like everything runs through you, this episode is for you.

I share what I've learned about the counterintuitive truth of scaling: the exact behaviours that got you to £100k or £250k are now the ceiling preventing you from growing beyond it. In this episode, I talk about the five critical things that worked brilliantly when you were growing but are now keeping you stuck. You'll hear honest reflections from my own struggles with delegation, how a chronic fatigue diagnosis forced me to change, and the costly recruitment mistake that set my business back 6-12 months.

What you'll learn in the podcast episode:

- Why you need to stop cherry-picking the work you love and go from being the most chargeable person to the least chargeable person in your firm

- How keeping yourself as everyone's first port of call creates bottlenecks that cost you months of growth

- The critical importance of documenting your intellectual property and processes so the magic isn't locked in your head

- Why hiring when you're desperate leads to expensive mistakes and toxic team dynamics

- How underpricing because you're scared to lose work actually attracts the most demanding, energy-draining clients

Related episodes:

This question could solve your frustrations with scaling your business https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/this-question-could-solve-your-frustrations

The real reason you keep hiring the wrong people https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-you-keep-hiring-the

The tough love I keep giving clients (because it works)

https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-tough-love-i-keep-giving-clients

How to stay mentally strong when your business is under pressure and trading conditions are tough: https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-stay-mentally-strong-when?r=l8khy

Why I can't stop doing the one thing that is limiting my business https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-i-cant-stop-doing-the-one-thing?r=l8khy

15 ways your life will unexpectedly change (and not always for the better) when you go from growing to scaling https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/15-ways-your-life-will-unexpectedly?r=l8khy

Useful links:

- sign up as a paid subscriber and use this link to get 20% off an annual membership of Start Up To Grown Up

Welcome to a free podcast episode of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth Club

Each episode of the Start Up To Growth Up Podcast is based on my weekly Substack Article on the same topic. Head over to my substack to subscribe https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup so you never miss an article or episode again.

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