5 Lessons I Learned Building a Team From Scratch (The Hard Way)

When I started Paperboy, I was in the weeds on just about everything — sales, copywriting, technical, ads, you name it.

But since returning from my trip to Europe in September, something miraculous has happened. Truth be told, I haven't been in a client Slack channel more than a handful of times in 6 months.

And I gotta say, it feels brilliant to be out of the loop.
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Every week I hop on our team calls and I sit there. I listen. I drink my coffee. I occasionally chime in when I feel like I have something to contribute. But the business no longer requires my intervention to run.

And it feels truly incredible.

Today I want to talk team-building.

We’re a team of 9 at Paperboy. They run 90% of the day-to-day work and i'm free to do other things. Things that will move the business toward growth. For example...

1. Built a talk for an upcoming conference
2. Assembled a blueprint for making some podcast appearances
3. Built a custom reporting app to streamline our work
4. Designed a new offer to test

I would have never been able to do this without the team. They are keeping the engine running and the clients happy.

I'm not an expert, but I've learned a thing or two about hiring and managing a team over the last 2 years.

1. Hire for potential, not perfection.

Look, the perfect hire doesn’t exist.

Skills can be learned. But attitude, curiosity, and ownership? Either someone has it or they don’t.

Some of the best people on my team didn’t tick every box on the job description, but they showed they were hungry. They wanted to figure things out.

2. Don't over-process it.

At first, I thought processes were the key to everything. Make it foolproof, right? Well, not entirely.

I created so many rules that my team felt like they couldn’t make a move without checking with me. Every small issue came right back to my desk. It was exhausting.

Now, we still have processes, but I make sure to communicate: “This is just a guide. If it doesn’t work, change it.”

Give people the power to make decisions. The goal isn’t to follow rules; it’s to get results.

3. Don't give feedback—problem-solve.

Giving feedback feels like I'm saying, "Here’s where you screwed up, and here's how to fix it."

That dynamic sucks.

Instead, I treat it like we’re tackling a problem together. How do we fix it for next time?

Now it’s not about me vs. them. It’s us vs. the problem. That collaboration builds trust and makes them feel capable, not criticized.

4. Don’t discipline.

If you find yourself constantly disciplining someone, you probably hired the wrong person.

Sure, everyone needs a nudge now and then, but if you’re spending more time managing behavior than seeing results, it’s time to rethink that hire.

5. Let go of control (but keep accountability).

Delegating isn’t the same as disappearing.

Trust your team, but also have a way to stay in the loop.

For us, that’s our KPI scorecard. Every Tuesday, we review the numbers. I may not know what every client is up to, but those numbers will tell me if there’s an issue.

If something’s off, that’s when I step in. Otherwise, it's none of my business.

Bonus. Do the cheesy shit.

I used to think culture was fluff. Like, who cares about virtual happy hours or celebrating birthdays when there’s real work to do?

But I was wrong.

Culture drives results. When people feel connected, they want to do good work.

• Celebrate the wins.
• Ask people how their weekend went.
• Actually care.

Turns out, when you give a damn about your team, they give a damn about the work. Crazy, right?

(I still have room to grow here).

What’s been your biggest takeaway about hiring and delegating? Or, if you’re just starting, which of these hits home for you?

See you next week!

— Shane