The Best Decision I Made Was Letting People Go

Sometimes subtraction is what makes space for real growth.

There’s a part of entrepreneurship no one glamorizes:
The letting go.
Of people. Of plans. Of what you hoped would work.

I used to think the hardest part of building a business would be the risk. The hours. The pressure. But over time, I’ve realized — it’s the people.

Letting someone go, especially someone you’ve invested in, trained, and believed in, is gut-wrenching. It makes you question yourself. Could I have coached better? Did I move too fast? Am I just being reactive?

But here’s what I’ve learned: a brand can’t thrive in misalignment.
You can have the best service in the world, but if the energy behind the scenes is off — your clients will feel it. Your sales will stall. Your growth will plateau.

This year, I had to make a super hard call — twice.
And guess what? Not only did the revenue skyrocket but the energy felt SO.MUCH.BETTER immediately after.

It wasn’t a new promotion.
It wasn’t a location change.
It was simply removing what wasn’t working.

That’s not to say people are disposable — I care deeply. I’ve cried many times after letting people go. I’ve questioned my leadership. I’ve held onto people longer than I should’ve because I wanted it to work so badly.

But the truth is: holding onto the wrong fit doesn’t make you loyal — it makes you stuck.
It slows down the good. It blocks the right people from stepping in.

If you're afraid to make that call — I get it.

It stings. But only for about 48 hours.
After that? You breathe. You get your energy back. Your team rises. And the business moves.

Because real growth isn’t always about adding more.
Sometimes it’s about having the courage to subtract.