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:

1. Weekly fasting and prayer sessions
2. Divine guidance for weekly action items
3. International travel for confirmation
4. 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:

1. He paused all billing while continuing to deliver
2. Worked intensively for 6 weeks to fulfill all obligations
3. Created a new, sustainable service offering
4. Maintained client relationships despite challenges
5. Built systems to prevent similar issues

Action Plan: Implementing the Zero-Paycheck Growth Method

7-Step Implementation Framework:

1. Define Your Mission
   • Create clear personal mission statement
   • Filter all business decisions through mission lens
   • Ensure business model supports long-term vision
2. Leverage AI Strategically
   • Use ChatGPT to document business planning
   • Create initial systems and processes
   • Test marketing messages before spending
3. Market Validation First
   • Talk to 20+ potential customers
   • Get commitment before building products
   • Secure initial clients within 60 days
4. Global Talent Acquisition
   • Identify undervalued talent pools
   • Create clear 90-day success plans for each role
   • Maintain company culture across time zones
5. Rapid Iteration Cycle
   • Recognize and admit mistakes quickly
   • Pivot when initial models aren't working
   • Maintain integrity even when costly
6. Prayer-Powered Decision Making
   • Regular reflection time for clarity
   • Gut-check major decisions through prayer
   • Follow intuitive guidance for strategic moves
7. 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:

1. Write your personal mission statement
2. Identify what you're willing to sacrifice for growth
3. Talk to 20 potential customers this week
4. Create 90-day success plans for your next three hires
5. 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:

• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Instagram

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.