We don’t talk enough about how scary building a team really is. Not the logistics or the payroll spreadsheets-but the vulnerability and risk. The moment you decide to hire, you’re no longer just responsible for your own success. You’re responsible for someone else’s livelihood, growth, and experience of work. It’s a decision that forces you to confront your fears around control, trust, and worth. And yet, it’s often the very decision that allows a business-and its owner-to grow in ways that working solo never could.
The moment growth demands more
Business owners often reach a turning point in business-one that isn’t marked by celebration or certainty, but by exhaustion, tension, and a growing sense that something isn’t working anymore. Burnout begins to creep in. Capacity is consistently maxed out, no matter how hard you push. And the values that once fueled your work start to feel out of sync with the way the business operates day to day. This is the moment when growth stops being about effort and starts being about structure. When building a team is no longer optional but necessary for the business to remain aligned, sustainable, and true to why you started in the first place. Here are some ways this can show up in solo practice:
- being fully booked and turning away clients you genuinely want to help
- nights and weekends filled with administrative tasks and documentation
- being pulled between providing high-quality clinical care and keeping the business afloat
- feeling resentful or depleted even though your practice was your dream
Why building a team feels so scary
Building a team feels scary because it asks business owners to step into uncertainty in a very real way. It’s not just about hiring help; it’s about letting go of control, making financial commitments before there’s guaranteed return, and trusting someone else with work that feels deeply personal. For private practice owners, there’s the added weight of responsibility-knowing that your decisions affect not only your clients, but another person’s livelihood and professional growth. Fear shows up as overthinking, hesitation, and doing it all yourself. We are afraid to make a mistake, we don’t know what steps to take, and we can’t imagine working harder.
What a team actually makes possible
When it’s done right, building a team makes sustainability possible in ways working alone never can. It creates space-for rest, for leadership, for vision-without sacrificing the quality of care clients receive. A team allows a practice to serve more people ethically, to hold complexity with support rather than strain, and to weather inevitable transitions without everything grinding to a halt. For the owner, it opens the door to working on the business instead of constantly inside it, reclaiming time, creativity, and presence. Most importantly, a team transforms a practice from something that relies on one person’s capacity into something resilient, relational, and built to last.
How we help
At Compassionate Consulting Company, we help therapists grow successfully and sustainably. We provide business consultation offer the Scale Smart Mastermind that walks you through every step to expand your practice and build a team. If you have been considering hiring a clinician but are afraid to do it wrong, are unsure where to begin, or question your capacity, schedule a free consult or learn more about the mastermind here.
