In my last post, we talked about the CEO's primary obsession: revenue growth. Sales should dominate your mindshare because without it, nothing else matters.

Assuming you've got your sales engine humming and that box is checked: your second obsession must be assembling an "A" team of passionate people who share your vision and drive results.

Because here's the reality: you can't scale revenue if you're still doing everything yourself.

The Team Trap Most CEOs Fall Into

I see small business CEOs make the same mistake repeatedly: they hire warm bodies to fill positions instead of building a team that amplifies their vision. They hire out of desperation, settle because "finding good people is hard," and keep underperformers because "at least they show up."

Here's what they miss: In a small business, every single team member directly impacts your ability to grow revenue. There's no room for passengers. Every person is either a force multiplier or a drag on growth.

What an "A" Team Actually Means

An "A" team isn't about hiring people with perfect resumes or impressive credentials. It's about assembling people who:

Believe in Your Mission: They're not just collecting a paycheck. Rather, they genuinely care about where the company is going and their role in getting there. When someone believes in your vision, they bring energy and creativity that you can't buy with salary alone.

Are Deeply Engaged: They take ownership of outcomes, not just tasks. They see problems and solve them without waiting for direction. They understand how their work connects to revenue and they care about that connection.

Stay Productive Without Micromanagement: You shouldn't have to check if they're working or remind them what matters. They know what needs to be done and they do it, freeing you to focus on sales and strategy instead of babysitting.

Are Intrinsically Motivated: The best team members push themselves harder than you'd ever push them. They want to win, they want to grow, and they want to be part of something successful.

Small Teams Require Higher Standards, Not Lower

When you're running a small business with limited headcount, every hire matters exponentially more than it does at a large company. A bad hire at Google affects 0.01% of the workforce. A bad hire in your 5-person company affects 20% of your capability.

This means you can't afford to lower your standards just because you're small. You need to raise them.

You need people who can wear multiple hats without complaining. People who understand that in a small business, "that's not my job" is a company-killing phrase. People who get energized by building something rather than maintaining something that already exists.

The Real Cost of the Wrong People

Wrong team members don't just fail to contribute. They actively drain the business. They consume your time with constant direction and correction instead of freeing you to focus on sales. They lower the bar, making your "A" players question why they're working so hard. And they block growth by occupying seats that could be filled by people who actually move the business forward.

Building Your "A" Team: The Non-Negotiables

Nick Saban, the legendary Alabama football coach, once said: "My job is to make sure I get the right people on the bus and to get people off the bus who don't fit our culture nor meet our high standards." If one of the most successful coaches in sports history obsesses over getting the right people, you should too.

Hire Slow, Fire Fast: Take your time finding the right people, but move quickly when someone isn't working out. Every day you keep the wrong person is a day you're not finding the right one.

Values Alignment Trumps Everything: Skills can be taught. Attitude and alignment with your mission cannot. If someone doesn't genuinely believe in what you're building, their technical skills are irrelevant.

Look for Self-Starters: You need people who see what needs to be done and do it. If they need constant direction, they're not a fit no matter how talented they are.

The CEO's Role in Team Building

Building an "A" team isn't a one-time hiring exercise. It's an ongoing obsession. You need to stay connected with regular one-on-ones, not to micromanage, but to remove obstacles and keep everyone aligned. Your team can't execute on a vision they don't fully understand, so you need to constantly reinforce where you're going and why it matters. And when someone isn't the right fit (even if they're talented), you need to make that hard decision quickly. One toxic team member can destroy everything you've built.

The Bottom Line: People Are Your Revenue Multiplier

Sales might be your first obsession as a small business CEO, but your team is what allows that obsession to scale. Your team is how you break through personal limits.

But only if they're the right people. Stop settling for warm bodies. Stop keeping people who aren't truly contributing. Start obsessing over building a team that makes everything else possible.

Your sales obsession drives revenue today. Your team obsession drives revenue tomorrow and beyond. Both are non-negotiable.

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