December 27, 2024
Story [#23]

Robots Do the Work?

Or a minute on the human factor.

At the heart of every business—are people.

Why does business even exist?

To deliver value to clients, solve their problems, and help them achieve their goals. Companies, projects, and innovations exist for one reason: people.

There’s no such thing as B2B.

It’s all Human to Human.

But it’s not that simple.

People are also the biggest business problem.

Starting with the “bus problem”—when a key employee is deeply involved in a critical process, it immediately becomes a high-risk zone.

Ending with cybersecurity concerns and access to sensitive, confidential information.

Employees aren’t just another “resource.”

They are the very foundation of your business. Every success depends on their talent, knowledge, and motivation.

Big challenges?

Groundbreaking projects?

It’s all about the team. No one builds a factory or launches a rocket alone.

A great team can take a company to new heights.

Hearing client praise is always satisfying.

But there’s another side to it.

One person can destroy everything.

Unhappy clients, missed deadlines, critical mistakes—all of it comes down to the human factor.

Entrepreneurs constantly find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

On one side, a team that makes mistakes (it happens), but genuinely tries their best.

On the other side, there’s a client who, understandably, is upset.

What to do about it?

  • Feedback.
  • Mistakes happen, but they’re lessons in disguise. It’s the entrepreneur’s job to investigate, provide clear, constructive feedback, and show support to the team.
  • Take decisive action.
  • Sometimes, the only solution is to part ways with an employee. And sometimes… with a client.
  • Hire people who are passionate.
  • Hiring is always a risk. No one is perfect. But as my first mentor told me: “Look for those with fire in their eyes.” They’ll dig deep, learn, and grow.

I spent 20 years building a business where people were the most valuable asset.

In IT outsourcing, your reliance on the team is especially pronounced.

A single disruption or employee leaving can cost a fortune.

But even if people aren’t as central to your business model, managing your team remains a critical challenge.

You can’t eliminate the problem entirely.

You can only reduce risks and improve control.

This is one reason why, after building a company with 100+ employees and offices across multiple countries, I shifted to solopreneurship.

Today, it’s possible to run a business with a small tiny team.

Where dozens of people were once needed for routine tasks, automation and AI now step in. This frees you up to focus on attracting talented, reliable, and driven individuals.

How to reduce the human factor risk?

  • Automation and Digitalization.
  • Tasks that once needed entire teams can now be managed by AI and no-code tools. This drastically lowers reliance on people for routine processes.
  • Knowledge Base.
  • Document processes, instructions, checklists, and project details. It speeds up onboarding for new employees, preserves critical information, and simplifies knowledge transfer.

No matter the scale of your business, a knowledge base is essential.

Entrepreneurs should implement one as early as possible.

  • Processes and checklists. How should tasks be executed?
  • Roles and responsibilities. Who is responsible for what?
  • Project and client documentation. From onboarding to offboarding.

A knowledge base helps cut the cost and time required to train new team members.

It also makes it easier to work with external partners, contractors, and freelancers—while maintaining full control.

Don’t overlook the importance of these tools.

If I had tools like these 20 years ago when I was just starting out—and someone explained their value to me—it would have been the very first thing I set up.

Disclaimer.

Every business has its nuances, and every founder has their unique context and resources. Whether or not my advice applies depends on your situation, experience, and needs. But one thing is universal—use your brain.

Think about how to apply the advice in your context before acting.

Your way.

Your First Knowledge Base

A knowledge base is an essential business asset. It allows you to:

  • Store vital information,
  • Speed up employee onboarding,
  • Reduce mistakes and inefficiencies.

For years, we’ve relied on Confluence—a solid, proven tool. Back when we started, there were no other serious alternatives. Now, the amount of information we’ve accumulated makes switching tools impractical.

But times have changed.

If I were starting today or working as a solopreneur, I’d choose Notion.

Why?

  • Flexibility: It’s perfect for small teams and solo entrepreneurs.
  • Ease of use: While it may look intimidating at first, its capabilities more than justify the learning curve.

And one more thing.

A quick video I made on the topic. Might be useful.
How little it turns out we need for happiness!
Just a faithful, reliable friend.

And finally, here it is!
My dearest, most trustworthy ally.
60 tons of armor, loyalty, and dependability.
Never let me down.
Never leave me.

Battle robots—they’re a girl’s best friend.
That’s what I think.

From the journal of Nyx Thorne.
That’s all for today. See you next week.
— Eugene

Three ways forward from here:

1.  Keep reading.

Every Friday, new story. New lesson. Free.

2. The Different Tuesday Founder Kit (free)​

My ebook Business Black Box Unpacked, the 5‑Day Ops Setup email course, and mini tools to simplify your operations.
→ Explore The Different Tuesday Kit​​

3. Need deeper 1-on-1 strategy work?

A 60-minute 1:1 Strategy Session for founders ready to fix operational bottlenecks.
→ Book a Strategy Call

Join the founders learning how to build without burning out.

And get free The Different Tuesday Kit. The tools I wish I’d had while scaling my agency.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Hi, I’m Eugene.

My first daughter was six months old when I quit my job to start an agency. Leap of faith.

No clients. No savings.
A laptop in the bedroom and a promise to my wife that this would be worth it.

20 years later — 80 people, 3 continents, 7-figure revenue.
But for many years, I was the bottleneck in my own business.

Now I help founders escape the same trap. Through systems that actually work, not theory.

I write weekly: operational war stories, decision systems, and lessons learned the hard way.

For founders who want to build without burning out.

More Stories

Story [#101]
June 26, 2026

The only way to stand

Story [#100]
June 19, 2026

The AI agent itch

Story [#99]
June 12, 2026

The trap that looks like freedom

Story [#97]
May 29, 2026

I believed control meant caring

Story [#93]
May 1, 2026

Two years to close one deal

Story [#92]
April 24, 2026

Your SOPs are bankrupting you

RECENT ISSUES OF

Founder Stories

June 26, 2026

The only way to stand

Or minute of the only anxiety you can actually control

I was sitting with my coffee in the morning a few days ago… a few browser tabs open in front of me. My own YouTube channel I've been playing with. A queue of videos about how creators grow their audience. The feed itself, where I drift to see what's actually working for other people. Half research, half learning. But the feed felt different that day. AI shifting another industry, new tariffs somewhere, sanctions being added and lifted in the same week, a war I hadn't been following, crypto rules being rewritten, bank policy shifting, another conflict somewhere else. A relentless wall of things I couldn't control.
June 19, 2026

The AI agent itch

Or minute of realizing what I almost re-invented

In the first five months of 2026, nearly 88,000 people in the US lost their jobs because of AI. That's already more than all of 2025. In May alone, AI was behind 40% of all layoffs in the country. Headlines like this are everywhere now. And when you read them — and then scroll past fifteen posts about AI agents that automate everything, replace teams, build empires — it creates this burning itch. This feeling that everyone around you knows something you don't. That you're falling behind. That you need to drop everything and start building agents right now, everywhere you can.
June 12, 2026

The trap that looks like freedom

Or minute of why "pay for results" is only half the answer

A few weeks ago, I scrolled through LinkedIn and saw a post from a founder that hit me hard. He said: I don't care if my employees watch Netflix, shop on Amazon, or work four hours a week. As long as they deliver what we agreed on, on time, at the expected level. If I need more, I ask for it or pay for it. If they consistently don't deliver, they're out. He made it sound clean. Simple. Fair exchange of value.

Join the founders learning how to build without burning out.

And get free The Founder Decision Kit. The tools I wish I’d had while scaling my agency.
Thank you!
Didn’t get the email?
Make sure to check your spam folder.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.