The $200,000 Mistake You're Probably Making Right Now

Let's have some real talk about that person on your team. You know the one.

They're not bad at their job. They might even be really good at certain parts of it. But something's... off. And every morning when you open your laptop, you feel that knot in your stomach because you know you're going to face another day of almost-but-not-quite-right work.

Here's the thing: Having the wrong person in a seat on your org chart isn't just a minor inconvenience. It's literally setting fire to your money, time, and team morale.

Truth bomb time ??

The Real Costs (Warning: This Might Hurt)

1. The Money Drain

Let's get brutal with the numbers:

- Their salary (let's say $85k)

- The benefits you're paying

- The software licenses they need

- The training you've invested

- The meetings to "course correct"

- The time you spend reviewing/fixing work

- The opportunities lost because things aren't quite right

But that's just the obvious stuff.

2. The Hidden Cash Leak

Ever thought about:

- Other team members picking up slack (at their higher rates, or letting other things fall through cracks)

- Clients who don't renew because something felt "off"

- Projects taking 30% longer than they should

- Your time spent worrying instead of growing the business

- Emergency freelancers filling capability gaps

Suddenly that $85k salary is costing you north of $200k. Ouch.

3. The Team Chaos Tax

Here's where it gets even messier:

- Good team members burning out covering gaps

- Confusion about who handles what

- Loss of trust in leadership (yeah, they notice)

- Weird workarounds becoming "normal"

- Culture death by a thousand paper cuts

4. The Long-Term Impact

This is the stuff that keeps you up at night:

- Missed growth opportunities

- Innovation that never happens

- Good people who leave

- Systems that get corrupted

- Processes that become bloated

And then there's the replacement cost...

The Real Price of Starting Over

- 3-6 months to hire right

- 2-3 months of training

- Team productivity dip during transition

- Your time in the hiring process

- Potential consultant costs

- Risk of making the same mistake

So why do we let this happen?

Usually because:

- "They're not bad enough to fire"

- "It would be too hard to replace them"

- "Maybe they'll improve"

- "At least they know our systems"

- "We don't have time to hire right now"

- "I care about them too much"

Sound familiar?

Here's the Truth

That knot in your stomach? It's trying to tell you something. The longer you wait, the more expensive this gets - in every way that matters.

The Solution

It's not about firing fast. It's about:

1. Getting crystal clear on what each seat really needs

2. Being honest about current capabilities

3. Having real conversations early

4. Creating clear improvement paths

5. Making decisions based on data, not hope

Sometimes the right answer is helping someone find a better seat - maybe even in another company. Yeah, it's hard. But not as hard as watching your company bleed money and morale for another year.

Next Steps

Take a hard look at your org chart. Find those spots where something feels "off." That feeling? It's probably costing you six figures.

Ready to talk about fixing it?

I help $3M+ agencies stop the bleeding and build teams that actually work. No sugarcoating, just real solutions.

Drop a comment or message me. Let's talk about what's really going on in your org chart.

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