Niki Jorgensen, managing director of client implementation at Insperity, specializes in human capital management and HR infrastructure.
For growth-minded businesses, the path to scale has never been more complex. These days, leaders must juggle economic pressure, oscillating talent shortages and ever-changing workforce expectations, all of which impact how leaders approach scaling—and doing so successfully.
In an environment like this, sustainable growth depends on more than funding and ambition. It’s dependent on infrastructure to help them move with speed, adapt with focus and lead with purpose. That means protecting and maximizing three critical assets: time, talent and trust.
Time
Time is every leader’s most valuable—and most limited—resource, and too often, it’s the first to go. For small and midsize companies, this strain is especially acute. Founders and executives often shift between roles: CMO, chief people officer and in some cases, impromptu compliance officer, and as a result, strategic thinking gets pushed to the side.
Sustainable growth, however, demands more than the ambition to do it all. It requires time to think.
According to a 2023 study from Time etc conducted by Censuswide, the average entrepreneur spends over one-third of the workweek on tasks like invoicing, scheduling and organizing internal operations. Those who delegate more report 82% revenue growth over two years, compared to 66% among their peers. Their mean revenue growth was 143% versus 80%.
That data should give us pause.
The question is not whether these operational and administrative tasks matter (they do) but who should own them? What if the trade-off wasn’t about cutting corners, but reclaiming capacity? How can business leaders reduce the noise just enough to hear themselves think again?
Time is the ultimate lever and allows leaders to focus on what matters most: talent.
Talent
Today’s employees are looking for more than just a paycheck. They’re evaluating companies based on culture, development pathways, flexibility and well-being support. They want to grow and they want to feel seen while doing it.
It’s not that small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) don’t have compelling opportunities, but they often lack the infrastructure to present themselves as employers of choice. Many small businesses are stuck playing defense, constrained by limited HR capacity and stretched internal teams.
But the good news? With the right support, even small organizations can offer big-company perks. This matters to the bottom line. According to my organization’s recent talent strategy research (download required), 42% of top-performing companies say their HR initiative directly drives business outcomes. This is a direct example of how activating talent in the right way can leverage growth, capability and resilience.
When talent strategy becomes a shared priority that is supported by systems, data and people who know how to make it real, companies can compete at a whole new level. And when the foundation is built on capability and capacity, what follows is confidence.
For example, professional employer organizations (PEOs) help SMBs access Fortune 500-level benefits, design strategic training and development programs, as well as compensation services. With co-employment models, SMBs can elevate their talent strategies without shouldering the full administrative or financial load alone. Organizations, like Guild (and the partnerships they forge with organizations and corporations), are reinforcing this trend, offering education and upskilling solutions that help employers invest in long-term talent development while supporting employee aspirations.
Trust
When businesses are under-resourced, they’re often under-protected. That’s the thread connecting time and talent to the final (and arguably most foundational) pillar of sustainable growth: trust.
Today’s leaders are navigating a very complicated maze full of shifting policy, varying compliance requirements and market volatility. While staying compliant is non-negotiable, staying ready is what sets resilient businesses apart.
Yet in uncertain times, many leaders, especially small and medium-sized companies, default to caution, which is natural. The complexity can become overwhelming and new concerns pile onto already heavy plates. Without trusted expert support, risk aversion becomes a survival strategy. But at what cost?
Scaling a company is like evolving from a small band into a full orchestra, where process and infrastructure are mission-critical. In the workplace, these systems and support structures should be activated in ways that allow leaders to trust that policies are current, decisions are backed by expertise and that someone is scanning the horizon—and not just reacting. This is something we see too often during times like this.
This kind of confidence doesn’t come from one or two leaders doing more. It comes from sharing the load and establishing a solid foundation that allows them to start building and growing. This allows businesses to shift from hesitation to progress.
As the industry recognizes PEO Week, it’s worth spotlighting the quiet infrastructure behind so many growth-stage companies. PEOs aren’t just administrative support—they can be strategic accelerators, helping businesses reclaim time, attract talent and lead with confidence.
Leaders can take the first steps toward sustainable growth by doing the following:
• Track your time for a week. How much of it is spent on strategic growth versus admin and HR tasks? This simple audit can be eye-opening.
• List your top three priorities for growth this quarter. If your daily workload isn’t aligned with these, it’s time to delegate or get support.
• Review your current employee experience. Would you want to work at your company? Is it clear what sets you apart?
Sustainable growth doesn’t come from doing more—it comes from focusing on time, talent and trust.
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