# Growth's Dirty Secret: Why Getting Bigger Feels Like Falling Apart (And How to Fix it.)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-spiro-podcast-managing-your-real-estate-photography-videography-business-5659239/growth-s-dirty-secret-why-getting-bigger-feels-like-falling-apart-and-how-to-fix-it
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-spiro-podcast-managing-your-real-estate-photography-videography-business-5659239/growth-s-dirty-secret-why-getting-bigger-feels-like-falling-apart-and-how-to-fix-it.md
Podcast: [The Spiro Podcast: Managing your Real Estate Photography & Videography Business](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-spiro-podcast-managing-your-real-estate-photography-videography-business-5659239)
Published: 2026-06-17T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://spiromedia.podbean.com/e/growths-dirty-secret-why-getting-bigger-feels-like-falling-apart-and-how-to-fix-it/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3k7r4j846yeqqfqt/riverside_craig_todd_take_02_spiro_podcast7glsj.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-spiro-podcast-managing-your-real-estate-photography-videography-business-5659239/episodes/growth-s-dirty-secret-why-getting-bigger-feels-like-falling-apart-and-how-to-fix-it
Duration seconds: 3458

## Resource

You finally hire help—and then immediately wonder why they don’t work exactly like you. In this episode, Craig and Todd talk through one of the hardest parts of growing a real estate media business: trusting other people with something you’ve spent years building. They discuss unrealistic expectations, employee mistakes, incomplete training, the “owner trap,” and why growth often feels like a collection of small problems hitting all at once. Todd also shares how strong SOPs, clearly defined core values, and a genuine investment in your employees can help you build a team that takes ownership, makes good decisions, and eventually improves the business even when you aren’t there. Relevant Links: Spiro:https://www.spiro.media/ Contact Spiro:hello@spiro.media Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Cold Open – Expecting New Hires to Perform Like the Owner0:51 Welcome to the Spiro Podcast1:41 Introducing the Growing Pains of Building a Team3:07 Spiro Updates: Open API and Internal Communication5:07 The Paradox of Growth and Letting Go6:26 Remembering How Bad We Were When We Started12:13 Hiring, Training, and Unrealistic Expectations17:04 Mistakes Are a Sign That Your Business Is Growing23:01 Escaping the Owner Trap and Learning to Trust25:59 Creating a Team That Improves the Business Without You29:04 Defining the “Secret Sauce” You Expect Employees to Follow35:13 Turning Problems into SOPs and Training36:55 Appreciating How Far Your Business Has Come38:53 Why You Can Never Be Finished Building SOPs41:07 Using Core Values When the Handbook Has No Answer46:02 Helping Employees Build Their Own Long-Term Success48:48 Whose Goals Matter More: The Employee’s or the Company’s?53:56 Action Steps: Train Better and Pour Back Into Your Team56:40 Final Thoughts and Episode Wrap-Up

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## Transcript

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