Hire to solve a problem, not create one

How do you grow your accounting business from solopreneur to seven-figure exit? Sharrin Fuller of Glass Wallet Ventures has successfully done it twice.

Here, she shares the biggest hiring mistakes smaller firms should avoid, plus how to effectively delegate, whether or not you’re planning for a future buyout.  

—Interview by Lauren Ward, edited by Bianca Prieto

Many accountants and bookkeepers launch their own firms as solopreneurs. How do you distinguish between a capacity problem and an efficiency problem when deciding when to hire?

Most firm owners think they have a capacity problem when what they really have is an efficiency problem.

A capacity problem means there is simply too much demand for the work, even after processes are documented, tech is fully used and non-essential tasks are removed. An efficiency problem shows up when the owner is busy all day, but progress feels slow, work is duplicated or everything still runs through one person.

Before hiring, I always look at three things. First, are there documented processes, or is everything living in someone’s head? Second, is the tech stack actually being used the way it was intended, or is it just an expensive decoration? Third, is the owner still doing tasks that do not require their level of experience?

If the answer to any of those is no, hiring will just add cost and complexity. Fix the system first. Hire only when the system is stable, and the work still cannot be absorbed.

What hiring mistakes do you see repeated among smaller firms, and how can they be avoided?

The most common mistake is hiring out of panic.

Someone is overwhelmed, behind on deadlines or emotionally done, so they hire the fastest option available. That usually means no clear role definition, no documented expectations and no onboarding plan. The result is frustration on both sides and a belief that people just do not work out.

Another big mistake is hiring to replace the owner instead of hiring to remove specific tasks. Owners try to find a unicorn who can do everything they do, instead of peeling off repeatable work in layers.

The fix is simple but not easy. Define the outcome before the person. Document the task before the hire. Hire for one clear function at a time. When firms do that, retention improves and growth becomes predictable instead of stressful.

You’ve successfully scaled and sold multiple businesses. At what point should firm owners start making decisions with an exit in mind, even if they’re not sure they want to sell in the future? 

From day one.

Building with an exit in mind does not mean you are planning to sell tomorrow. It means you are building something that could run without you if life forced the issue.

An exit-ready firm has documented processes, consistent pricing, clean financials and clients who are loyal to the firm, not just the owner. Those same things also make the business easier to run and more profitable while you own it.

You do not lose flexibility by thinking this way. You gain it. The firms that struggle to sell are usually the ones that waited too long to make themselves transferable. 

If a firm owner could only focus on one milestone in 2026 to improve future exit outcomes, what should it be?

Remove themselves as the operational hub.

If every decision, approval and client issue flows through the owner, the firm is fragile. Buyers see that risk immediately. 

The most valuable milestone is building a business that can operate day-to-day without the owner being involved in everything. That means documented workflows, delegated responsibilities and a clear structure for how work moves through the firm.

When that happens, profit improves, burnout drops and exit options expand. Even if the owner never sells, they gain time, leverage and control over their business instead of the other way around.

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The Net Gains is curated and written by Lauren Ward and edited by Bianca Prieto.