The Hidden Cost of Hiring the Wrong Person

Earlier this year, I found myself in a season where clients are coming in fast — full, busy, and demanding in the best way. There was a lot to manage, and like many business owners in that position, I decided it was time to get help with the backend of the business.

Hiring someone always comes with trust. You’re not just delegating tasks — you’re handing over parts of your momentum, your systems, and your ability to breathe.

The person I hired knew what was expected. She knew she needed to show up. And she didn’t.

So I did.

For three months, I carried the work anyway. I filled the gaps. I compensated for the unpredictability of her presence. And over time, that cost me more than I anticipated. I burned out. I paid financially. I lost momentum.

Unreliable support doesn’t just fail to help. It actively drains you.

It took another two months to find someone new. This time, I found someone reliable — consistently present, responsive, and steady. I trained her for three months, bringing her into my workflows, my standards, and the way I care for clients. But by the time that system was finally stabilising, the timing had shifted. Leads slowed. External changes hit. And the cost of the earlier misalignment became very real.

That experience clarified something I think many people underestimate: hiring the wrong person is not neutral.

Hiring comes with a cost — resources, money, patience, time, and emotional bandwidth. When you bring someone into your business, you are assuming responsibility not just for the outcome, but for how the work is held along the way. Training alone takes time. Teaching someone the nuances of how you think, how you work, and how you care for your business is not plug-and-play.

I know this because I’ve seen it from the other side too.

I’ve worked with clients who needed constant reminders — even for something as contained as a website build. I’ve worked with clients who needed encouragement and reassurance throughout the process because they were already burned out by the time they reached me. My work has never been just about concepts or deliverables. There is always nuance in between — emotional, strategic, human — and that’s what makes the work meaningful, and honestly, satisfying.

I’ve also seen what happens when clients carry freelancer trauma into new projects. They hesitate. They bargain. They project past disappointments forward. That’s not a flaw — it’s a response to misalignment that lasted too long.

Which is why hiring based solely on skill is never enough.

Hiring someone because they care — because they show up consistently, communicate clearly, and treat your business with respect — is a very different decision.

A “wrong hire” isn’t always someone who fails spectacularly. More often, it’s subtle. It’s someone who shows up when they can, not when they’re needed. Someone whose turnaround time is technically acceptable but consistently slower than expected. Someone who communicates only via email, creating delays where real-time clarity would have prevented friction.

In theory, none of this sounds catastrophic. In practice, it adds weight.

Most of my clients are solopreneurs. They’re building something deeply personal. Yes, they want their courses launched or their platforms built — but they also want someone steady in the room with them. Someone who doesn’t disappear. Someone who understands that the work isn’t just about moving pixels or ticking boxes.

At the same time, hiring someone doesn’t absolve the business owner of responsibility. I’ve also worked with clients who believed hiring me would solve everything. There’s a nuance there too. The person you hire can hold structure, translate vision, and execute — but the work is still shared. Alignment goes both ways.

People underestimate how dangerous misalignment can be because it doesn’t always explode. Sometimes it just erodes. You’re either stressed, compensating quietly, or slowly getting fed up without realising why.

Hiring is meant to share the weight of your business. If you find yourself consistently picking up someone else’s slack, it’s not support — it’s an added burden.

You are allowed to protect your business.

You are allowed to protect your mental health.

And you are allowed to treat discernment not as harshness, but as care.

The right support doesn’t just help you move faster.

It helps you move with clarity, steadiness, and trust.