Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast – Episode 952
"Why You're Afraid to Hire (And It's Costing You Everything)"
Host: Brian Fullerton
Release Date: April 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Fullerton Unfiltered, host Brian Fullerton dives deep into the fears and obstacles around hiring in the lawn care and landscaping industry. He breaks down the reasons entrepreneurs are reluctant to expand their teams and explores how these mental blocks can bottleneck business growth. With candid stories from his own journey and practical advice, Brian encourages listeners to face hiring head-on and shares how building solid systems—and a willingness to lead—can unlock massive potential for business and personal growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Reluctance to Hire

• Brian reflects on his own journey, acknowledging that hiring can be intimidating and a source of anxiety for many entrepreneurs. He points out that avoidance in this area is a major factor stunting business growth.
• Quote: “I get the anxiety. I get the apprehension. But that doesn’t mean that it should bottleneck or hold back or hamstring your business indefinitely.” (06:07)

2. Business Growth Demands Growth in Leadership

• Explains that mastering hiring is just one of many essential skills for running a business; most people don’t start with all the answers and need to learn through experience.
• Comparison: Some people jump right into hiring, while others avoid it for years out of fear.
• Quote: “Just because you start a business or just because you are like CEO, founder in your profile on Instagram, doesn't automatically mean that you just come with a set of skill sets to … be successful, right?” (07:30)

3. The Two Oars of Business: Sales/Marketing and People

• Brian attributes this analogy to Sam Gimble: Business growth fundamentally relies on two things—sales/marketing and people.
• Quote: “There’s basically two oars in the water, right? Like sales and marketing and people. … People in sales and marketing.” (08:56)

4. Breaking Down the Common Fears of Hiring

Brian systematically unpacks the typical reasons business owners hesitate to hire:

a. Lack of Trust (“No one cares as much as I do”)

• Many owners believe nobody else will work with the same dedication or quality.

b. Fear of Payroll and Financial Commitments

• Anxiety over the extra cost of payroll (“How can I afford $500, $800, $1,000 a week?”).
• Reframes the issue: the right hire brings in revenue and pays for themselves.
• Quote: “If they bring in $100,000 or $200,000 in revenue, then that 25% … can now go to payroll—they’re going to pay for themselves.” (18:50)

c. Not Knowing How to Lead

• Many avoid hiring because they’ve never led a team before and are unsure how to manage, train, or correct employees.
• Quote: “It’s not hiring, it’s not just training and managing—it’s correcting, right?” (20:03)
• References his early experience at Little Caesars, learning leadership organically through necessity.

d. Lack of Systems and Processes

• Without job ads, descriptions, onboarding structures, or review mechanisms, the process feels chaotic and overwhelming.
• Quote: “It all feels very chaotic instead of structured. … If you don’t have a roadmap or a checklist, then it shouldn’t be intimidating.” (21:44)

e. Fear of Making a Bad Hire

• Horror stories of bad hires deter many from trying (“Why bother?”)
• Result: Many default to “stay small, keep it all.”

f. Comfort with the Status Quo

• Some get comfortable solo, accept their income and workload, and rationalize the stress and strain as “just how it is.”
• Brian challenges: "Are we even really making any money?" pointing out tax surprises and hidden inefficiencies at this size. (24:55)

5. Hiring Is a Skill: Practice Makes Progress

• Brian emphasizes that just like mowing or landscaping, hiring is a skill developed with repetition—“the more you do it, the better you get.”
• Quote: “It’s just like a muscle, right? The more you use it, the stronger it gets.” (27:00)

6. The Inevitable Pivot to "People Business"

• Reflects on how entrepreneurial leadership roles eventually shift focus from technical work to managing people and culture.
• Quote: “You quickly realize … us as owners, we go from being in the landscape business to being in the people business. And the people that we steward and lead are in the landscaping business.” (27:52)

7. The Call to Action: Face It, or Stay Small

• Business owners have two choices: Lean into learning how to hire, or stay limited in growth and revenue ceiling.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On taking the plunge: “Eventually you have to do it, dude. You have to, like, pull the trigger. You have to jump in.” (05:50)
• On the myths of instant CEO competence: “Just because you are like CEO, founder in your profile on Instagram, doesn't automatically mean that you just come with a set of skill sets to, like, make it happen or to, like, be successful, right?” (07:30)
• Encouragement: “Yes, you can. You can do all the above. … The more you continue to do something, the better the skill set that you develop.” (26:48)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Welcome, episode milestone, spring business update | | 06:00 | Introduction to the main topic: fear of hiring | | 08:50 | The two oars of business: people and sales/marketing | | 10:58 | Brian shares his early management/hiring experiences | | 18:30 | Breakdown of most common hiring fears | | 24:55 | Reality check: Are solo operators really making money? | | 27:00 | Embracing hiring as a skillset | | 27:52 | Owning that business evolves to “people business” | | 28:34 | End-of-episode wrap and teaser for next episode |

Notable Listener Takeaways

• If you’re stuck in solo mode or afraid to hire, it’s costing you not just business growth, but also personal freedom and income potential.
• Every entrepreneur can—and must—learn to hire and lead if the goal is sustainable, scalable success.
• Lacking systems and SOPs is the biggest obstacle—these are learnable or can be adopted from resources like Brian’s SOP bundle.
• Don’t let the fear of making mistakes keep you confined to a small business and a "small life."

Final Thoughts and Tone

Brian's approach is authentic, positive, and relatable, filled with down-to-earth anecdotes and a bit of tough love. He’s transparent about his own mistakes but ultimately strikes an encouraging and motivational tone:

“You can do all the above. … The more you use [the hiring muscle], the stronger it gets." (26:48)

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Brian will share specific tools, systems, and resources—like SOP bundles—to make hiring and scaling more achievable.

For those wrestling with the decision to hire, this episode offers clarity, empathy, and actionable encouragement to take the leap and grow your business and your life.