At a certain point in your business, it becomes obvious you cannot keep doing everything yourself and expect to keep growing. You need support. But what happens when hiring a team actually makes your business less profitable and more complicated?

In this episode, I'm joined by Brittany Braswell to unpack a smarter, more sustainable way to delegate without immediately jumping into expensive hires. We're talking about how to leverage interns strategically so you can get out of the weeds, protect your profit margins, and build real systems that support long-term growth.

If you've ever felt stuck between burnout and overhiring, this conversation will give you a completely new way to think about building a team.

[03:19] Brittany shares how her early experience with interns shaped her entire business model
[06:15] Why most people have a negative experience with interns and what usually goes wrong
[09:07] The biggest mistake that turns internships into a time drain instead of a business asset
[11:21] How defining clear roles and repeatable tasks changes everything
[12:32] Why a simple training process eliminates constant hand holding
[16:09] The mindset shift high-performing CEOs need to delegate effectively
[20:05] How internships force you to build systems and stop doing everything yourself
[21:16] Why you should not wait until things are perfect before delegating
[23:38] The role of structure in protecting creativity and increasing efficiency
[26:02] How to decide between hiring paid help or starting with interns
[29:04] Why repetition helps interns become faster and better than you at certain tasks
[30:39] Examples of tasks Brittany successfully delegates like blogging and research
[33:24] Where to find high quality interns and how to attract the right people
[35:15] What Brittany looks for in the application and hiring process
[41:54] What motivates unpaid interns to do great work
[50:20] How overhiring paid team members can destroy your profit margins
[51:25] Using interns to support paid team members and increase efficiency

"Interns become a really fantastic way to force you into some structure and force you into some systems and push you out of that mindset of 'it's faster for me to just do it myself.'"

"Having really clear roles, a simple repeatable training process, and defined tasks removes the hand holding and protects your mental capacity as a CEO."

"If you get stuck in the mindset of 'it's faster for me,' it's not actually faster if you have to do it forever. Delegation is what creates long term efficiency."

"Most tasks in your business do not require a high level of expertise and when someone does them repeatedly, they often become faster and better at them than you."

"People want to learn from you even if you are just a few steps ahead and that value exchange is what makes internships so powerful."

• Brittany's Free Limited Podcast Series: Learn how to start delegating and building a team of interns
• Intern Accelerator Program: Step by step support to launch your internship program in 8 to 10 weeks
• Connect with Brittany on Instagram: @brittanybraswellrd
• Take the CEO Type Quiz: lauraschoenfeld.com/quiz

If this episode got your wheels turning, make sure to follow, rate, and leave a review. It helps more business owners find conversations like this. And if you know someone who is stuck doing everything themselves, share this episode with them.