167 The Solo Founder Path: When NOT To Have Employees with Anthony, Chris, Stephanie

You're staring at the decision: hire your first person or stay solo. Everyone says you need a team to scale. But what if they're wrong?Jason Cohen ran SmartBear Software solo at seven figures and turned down acquisitions because staying solo was his competitive advantage. This episode isn't about choosing the "right" path—it's about understanding you're choosing between two different games. Solo gives you freedom, speed, and full control. Teams give you leverage, collaboration, and the ability to build beyond yourself. Both can win. But you can't play both games at once. We break down the real trade-offs, the systems solo founders need to scale, why the worst hire is your first one done too early, and how to know which ceiling you're actually optimizing for. This is permission to choose your constraint consciously.Keywords: solo founder, hiring decisions, business models, founder constraints, scaling strategies, team building, entrepreneurship trade-offs, founder freedom, growth decisions