If you run a small business, you know your team is everything. They are the face of your company. They get the work done. They are the engine of your success. But what if that engine is running on low-grade fuel?
Many business owners make a huge mistake when they hire. They look at the price tag first. They think, “I can’t afford a superstar.” So, they hire someone who is just okay. Someone who can do the job, but not much more. They hire a B player.
This feels safe. It feels affordable. But it is the most expensive decision you can make.
Here is the truth: B players drain your momentum. A players multiply it.
Your number one job as a leader is to find and hire A players. Every single time. This one shift in thinking will change your business faster than any marketing strategy or new product ever could.
What Exactly is an “A Player”?
Let’s be clear. An A player isn’t just someone with a fancy resume. It’s not about where they went to school.
An A Player is someone who is amazing at their job and has an amazing attitude. They are proactive. They solve problems without being asked. They take ownership. They are constantly looking for ways to improve. Their ambition is infectious. They are bred to win, and they make everyone around them better. They don’t just do their job; they elevate the entire team.
A B Player is… fine. They are competent. They show up on time and do what’s asked of them. But that’s it. They never go the extra mile. They see problems but wait for someone else to solve them. They need constant direction. They drain your energy and time. They are a maintenance cost.
And a C Player is a bad hire. They are incompetent, have a terrible attitude, or both. They actively harm your business.
Most businesses are full of B players. And that’s why they stay stuck.
The Silent Drain of the B Player
Why are B players so dangerous? Because their cost is hidden.
You see their salary on your budget. It looks low. It looks efficient. But you don’t see the massive opportunity cost.
They Drain Your Time: You have to manage them closely. You have to check their work. You have to give them step-by-step instructions. Your time, as the owner, is the most valuable asset in the company. B players steal it.
They Lower the Bar: A players are ambitious. They want to work with other A players. When they see mediocre work being accepted, they get frustrated. They might even leave. B players make your culture average.
They Kill Innovation: A player brings new ideas. A B player waits for an idea to be handed to them. Your business stalls because no one is pushing it forward.
They Create More Work: Because they do the bare minimum, their work often has to be corrected or redone by others. One B player can create work for two A players.
A B player may cost you $50,000 a year in salary, but they are actually costing you $200,000 in lost opportunities, wasted time, and stalled projects.
The Rocket Fuel of an A Player
Now, let’s look at the other side. What happens when you hire an A player?
They don’t just add their skills; they multiply the skills of everyone around them.
They Multiply Momentum: An A player in customer service doesn’t just answer phones. They create raving fans who tell their friends. They see a flaw in the system and fix it. They make your entire company look better.
They Free You Up: You can give an A player a goal and trust them to figure out the “how.” This gives you, the owner, your time back. You can finally focus on the big-picture work that grows the business.
They Attract Other A Players: Great people want to work with great people. Hiring one A player makes it easier to hire the next one. They become your best recruiters.
They Do the Work of Many: One passionate, driven, smart A player can often produce more than two or three B players. They work smarter, not just harder.
The Biggest Fear: “But I Can’t Afford Them!”
This is the hurdle that stops every business owner. Sticker shock.
An A player might cost 10%, 20%, or even 30% more than a B player. Your brain sees the higher salary and screams, “Too expensive!”
You have to retrain your brain to see the Return on Investment (ROI).
Let’s do the math:
You need a marketing manager.
A B Player might ask for a $70,000 salary.
An A Player might ask for $90,000—a $20,000 difference.
The B player will do the job. They will manage the ads, write the emails, and send you reports. They might help you grow slowly.
The A player will not just “do marketing.” They will develop a strategy that brings in 100 new customers. They will build a system that runs itself. They will create a brand people love. They might add $500,000 in new revenue.
You paid an extra $20,000 to make an extra $500,000.
That’s a 2,400% return on your investment.
The question is not, “Can I afford to pay them more?” The real question is, “Can I afford NOT to?”
When you see that A players are an investment, not an expense, your whole world changes.
How to Become an A Player Recruiting Machine
Okay, you’re convinced. How do you find these amazing people?
1. Always Be Recruiting.
Stop waiting until you have an open job. You should always be looking for talent. When you meet someone impressive at a networking event, get their contact info. When a customer is sharp and friendly, plant a seed. Keep a “talent list” of people you’d love to hire someday.
2. Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill.
You can teach someone how to use your software. You can’t teach them to be ambitious, proactive, and positive. Look for the A player attitude first. The drive to win is innate. The skills can be learned.
3. Ask the Magic Question in Every Interview.
Don’t just ask about their past jobs. Ask them to solve a real problem you’re having. “How would you approach growing our social media presence?” or “Walk me through how you’d handle an unhappy customer.” You’ll instantly see who thinks like an owner (A player) and who just wants to follow a script (B player).
4. The Litmus Test: “Would I Re-Hire Them?”
Look at your current team. For each person, ask yourself this brutally honest question: “If this person quit tomorrow, would I be relieved… or devastated?”
If you wouldn’t enthusiastically re-hire them on the spot, why are they still there? Keeping a B player is a choice. It’s a choice to accept mediocrity. Every day you keep them, you are telling your A players that average is okay.
Some People Deserve Special Treatment
This is a tough pill to swallow, but it’s true: not all employees are created equal.
Your A players are incredibly valuable. They deserve to be treated that way. This doesn’t mean being unfair or disrespectful to others. It means recognizing extraordinary value with extraordinary rewards.
This could mean:
Higher pay and better bonuses.
More flexibility in their schedule.
The first pick of new projects.
Public recognition and praise.
Investing in their professional development.
When you treat your A players like stars, they will act like stars. And the B players on your team will see this and have a choice: step up their game or find a place where average is acceptable.
Your Mission: Build an Army of A Players
You started your business to do epic things. You can’t do epic things with a team of B players. You’ll be stuck doing average things forever.
Your mission is to become obsessed with talent. Your goal is to stack your team with ambitious, driven, positive A players who multiply your momentum.
Yes, it’s scary to pay more. Yes, it’s hard to find great people. But it is the highest-leverage work you will ever do.
Stop looking at the price tag. Start looking at the return.
Hire every A player you meet. Your future self will thank you for it.