For the first five years of my business, I did it all. I made every product in my kitchen in Queens. I labeled every jar. I packed every order. Just me alone listening to show tunes.

Eventually, my dad pulled me aside and said, “If you want this to grow, you can’t keep doing it all yourself.”

He was right. So I made my first real hire: someone to come in three days a week to make, fill, label, and ship our products.

It was a huge leap—financially and emotionally. Could I trust someone to care as much as I did?

The answer, in that case, sadly was no. Mistakes continued to happen and after she sent four orders out wrong in one week I knew this wasn't going to work. My stomach sank. But here's the thing: it wasn’t a mistake to hire someone - this just wasn't the job for her.  

So all of the feelings that rushed in saying "Never mind!  I should just keep doing everything myself - no one else can do this the way I can - not worth it" needed to get shut down and quick.  

That first hire cracked open the door to growth. I had to learn how to lead, how to train, and how to build a team. And I did find people who cared. People who helped me grow something I never could have done solo.

If I hadn’t taken the leap, honestly the business would have either stalled out or burned me out completely.  

Hiring is hard. Delegating is harder. But staying stuck? That’s the hardest of all because it literally means you're going nowhere.  I'm not into that and I know you aren't either.  Let's move FORWARD!

You've got this 😊.