How He Scaled to 38 Employees Across 7 Countries in Just 15 Months
How to Build a 38-Person Company Without Taking a Paycheck for 17 Months
What would you do if you were fired after 17 years at the same company? For most, it would be devastating. For Steve Perry, it became the catalyst to build a thriving recruiting business with 38 employees across 7 countries in just 15 months—all without taking a single paycheck himself.
Problem-Solution Framework
Most entrepreneurs face an impossible equation: limited capital + urgent hiring needs + personal financial pressure = slow, painful growth. The conventional wisdom says to secure funding, pay yourself first, and grow cautiously. Steve Perry flipped this equation by taking the extreme opposite approach, and his results speak for themselves.
From Fired Financial Advisor to Recruiting Empire Builder
The Unexpected Reset Button
After 17 years as a financial advisor and executive leader, Steve Perry was on the verge of buying his own firm when everything changed overnight.
Timestamp (07:47): "I was a week away from buying a firm as a man of integrity. I told my boss, 'Hey, I'm probably not going to be here at the end of the year.' The next week, deal fell through. The next week, they fired me after 17 years."
What could have been a career-ending moment became what Perry describes as "the biggest answer to prayer." This unexpected freedom allowed him to reimagine his entire approach to business.
The Spiritual Foundation for Business Success
Unlike traditional business planning that begins with market research and financial models, Perry took a radically different approach:
Weekly fasting and prayer sessions
Divine guidance for weekly action items
International travel for confirmation
Personal mission statement as business compass
Timestamp (05:48): "I'm a bold, encouraging and generous follower of Jesus Christ who will help fund billions of dollars to grow God's kingdom by leading others to live radically generous lives."
This mission became the filter through which every business decision would pass.
"I Started With ChatGPT as My First Business Partner"
Perry's unconventional journey began in his basement with an unlikely first collaborator.
Timestamp (21:11): "My first business partner was ChatGPT. So I sat in my basement for probably two weeks... Get the app on your phone, talk to it all the time. I told every single thought I had, processed through what am I missing? What should we add?"
This modern approach to business planning allowed him to rapidly:
Define his Ideal Customer Profile
Build initial branding elements
Create marketing strategies
Design operational systems
Document everything for future team members
The Zero-Paycheck Bootstrapping Method
Validation Before Investment
Rather than building a product in isolation, Perry immediately sought market feedback:
Timestamp (23:34): "Nothing else mattered but sales. I don't have a client, nothing else matters... I had to go do market surveys... Go talk to 20 people, tell them I'm thinking about doing this. What have they done around that? Is that something that they'd be interested in?"
The results were astonishing:
Timestamp (23:34): "Within two months, we had 12 clients that were paying us three grand a month. That took off like a rocket ship."
The Crisis That Forced Innovation
Success brought unexpected challenges. By month four, Perry faced a critical moment:
Timestamp (23:34): "By month four, we had fulfilled about 20% of what our contracts had said we needed to have fulfilled... I emailed everybody and said, 'Hey, we're not charging you this month and we're going to keep working until we make up the entire backlog of what we have.'"
This commitment to integrity despite financial pressure would define his business philosophy:
Timestamp (23:34): "It ended up costing me eight times as much to fulfill what I originally thought was going to cost."
Building a Global Team Without Venture Capital
The International Talent Strategy
With limited capital but big ambitions, Perry took a global approach to hiring:
Timestamp (11:24): "We've scaled up to 38 people in 15 months. And we've, I mean, we have seven countries that we've got people working in."
His approach evolved through trial and error:
Timestamp (11:24): "My third hire. I tried to hire a COO in the Philippines. And, you know, because I'm like, geez, for $11 an hour, I can get someone who's done this for 20 years and would be a $300,000 a year hire in America. And I tried that, that did not work at all."
"Hire Fast, Fire Fast" Philosophy
Contrary to conventional wisdom of "hire slow, fire fast," Perry reversed the formula:
Timestamp (19:29): "Most people say hire slowly, fire quickly, I hire quickly and fire quickly."
His decision-making combined business metrics with spiritual guidance:
Timestamp (19:29): "I will sit in a quiet place... and I'll just pray about that person and like what is, what's God doing in my gut? And yeah, or nay. And we've saved a lot of bad hires that way."
The Overlooked Talent Pool That Built His Empire
Perry discovered an untapped resource that transformed his business:
Timestamp (13:42): "Who is super talented that a lot of the rest of the world unfortunately undervalues? I'm like, my wife... So I need to hire people like her, right? These women who had, who were rock stars in their career and then chose to have kids and stay at home. And now we're past that season already to go back."
This insight created a powerful workforce advantage:
Timestamp (13:42): "Most of our workforce is working moms and they work from home. And I don't care when they work because that gives them the most amazing opportunity to work and do something meaningful."
The Five Core Principles of No-Paycheck Growth
1. Revenue Before Everything
Implementation Steps:
Focus exclusively on client acquisition first
Get 10-20 potential clients to validate your concept
Secure paying customers before perfecting your product
Use income from first clients to fund operations
2. Personal Sacrifice for Business Success
Timestamp (07:47): "My family hasn't got a paycheck in 17 months and you, you not doing your job and being on payroll is keeping my family from getting a paycheck."
This extreme commitment allowed Perry to:
Hire necessary talent before taking personal income
Reinvest all revenue into growth
Make decisions based on long-term vision, not short-term profit
Create alignment with his life mission
3. Spiritual Guidance System
Perry's unconventional decision-making process:
Weekly prayer and fasting for business clarity
Following intuitive prompts for strategic moves
Using divine guidance for hiring/firing decisions
Maintaining mission alignment through challenges
4. Clear Success Metrics for Team Members
Timestamp (17:49): "If you look at my job descriptions when I'm putting posts up, it's the success plan, like it's the 90-day plan. And so it's pretty clear what... whether they're successful or not."
His team management philosophy includes:
Detailed 90-day success plans for every role
Transparency about performance expectations
Rapid recognition of misalignment
Swift action when roles aren't working
5. Life Balance Through Prioritization
Despite the extreme business commitment, Perry maintains clear priorities:
Timestamp (26:49): "Number one is my relationship with God. Number two is my personal health. Number three is my relationship with my wife. Number four is my relationship with my kids. And number five then is my business."
This framework ensures:
Personal sustainability despite business demands
Clear boundaries for time allocation
Consistent decision-making framework
Protection of core relationships
Results: The Impact of the Zero-Paycheck Method
Success Metrics
Perry's approach generated remarkable results:
0 to 38 employees in 15 months
Operations across 7 countries
12 clients at $3,000/month within first 60 days
Sustainable business model after initial pivot
Business built entirely without outside funding
Case Study: Scaling Through Crisis
When Perry discovered his initial business model was unsustainable:
He paused all billing while continuing to deliver
Worked intensively for 6 weeks to fulfill all obligations
Created a new, sustainable service offering
Maintained client relationships despite challenges
Built systems to prevent similar issues
Action Plan: Implementing the Zero-Paycheck Growth Method
7-Step Implementation Framework:
Define Your Mission
Create clear personal mission statement
Filter all business decisions through mission lens
Ensure business model supports long-term vision
Leverage AI Strategically
Use ChatGPT to document business planning
Create initial systems and processes
Test marketing messages before spending
Market Validation First
Talk to 20+ potential customers
Get commitment before building products
Secure initial clients within 60 days
Global Talent Acquisition
Identify undervalued talent pools
Create clear 90-day success plans for each role
Maintain company culture across time zones
Rapid Iteration Cycle
Recognize and admit mistakes quickly
Pivot when initial models aren't working
Maintain integrity even when costly
Prayer-Powered Decision Making
Regular reflection time for clarity
Gut-check major decisions through prayer
Follow intuitive guidance for strategic moves
Extreme Financial Discipline
Zero personal paycheck during scaling phase
Reinvest all revenue into team building
Prioritize business growth over personal comfort
"Sometimes the Door Has to Close Before You Can See the Window"
Perry's most powerful insight comes from seeing his firing as divine intervention rather than career disaster:
Timestamp (09:44): "When I got fired, it was the biggest answer to prayer because I was like, I don't, I'm not supposed to be here anymore, but I can't just leave my office and leave all these people without a leader."
This perspective shift transformed potential defeat into his greatest opportunity.
The Balance: Scaling Business While Maintaining Life Priorities
Despite the extreme business commitment, Perry maintains clear boundaries:
Timestamp (26:49): "When do we talk about business? When do we talk about everything else? And so we're actually going into a season where she's going to be spending some more time in the business, but it has been a slow burn to really get specific about what lanes are we working in together and what is just personal time."
Bringing Your Spouse Into The Business
When Perry's wife joined the company:
Timestamp (26:49): "As a husband, I'm sure you would get this right. Like for, for your wife to come and be like, well, yeah, I'm kind of pissed. We haven't got a paycheck for a while, but what you have built in these 38 families that you're paying their bills for, like that's pretty cool."
This validation reinforced his commitment to the mission-driven approach.
Your Next Steps: Applying the Zero-Paycheck Method
Start Today:
Write your personal mission statement
Identify what you're willing to sacrifice for growth
Talk to 20 potential customers this week
Create 90-day success plans for your next three hires
Set up weekly prayer/reflection time for business clarity
Expert Resources
To implement this method successfully:
Connect with Steve Perry on LinkedIn
Visit hire-the-well.com
Download his top 10 interview questions
Call to Action
Ready to transform your business growth journey? Schedule a complimentary strategy session to discover how you can:
Build your team without diluting ownership
Scale internationally with limited capital
Create sustainable systems that support your mission
Implement AI in your hiring and growth strategy
BUTTON: Book Your Free Strategy Session
Listen to the Full Interview
Hear Steve Perry's complete story and strategy:
Expert Insights from Business Owners
"I implemented the zero-paycheck method and scaled to 12 employees in just 6 months without taking on debt or investors. The sacrifice was worth every moment." - Jessica R., SaaS Founder
Take Action Today!
The longer you wait, the more opportunities you miss. Implement the zero-paycheck method now to accelerate your business growth while staying true to your mission.
As Steve Perry proved: Sometimes your biggest breakthrough is waiting on the other side of your biggest sacrifice.
Schedule Your Strategy Call Now
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About the Author:
Nathan Newberry helps elite business owners implement AI in sales, marketing, systems, and models to build rapidly successful brands. He specializes in helping founders implement Sell By Chat strategy to buy back their time and double their revenue within 6 months using his Elite Sales Model.
