Why founders often build businesses they can’t escape.As founders build more, many feel more trapped. In this episode of Unscriptd, Will Abel and Michael Grier sit down with Nicholas Kirchner - Founder of Hydra and Co-Founder of Howl Campfires, to unpack the truth behind burnout, scale traps, and the subtle ways entrepreneurs accidentally create jobs they can’t walk away from.Nicholas opens up about the pain points of growing an agency, the ceilings many founders hit at 15K per month or 250K per year, and why hiring the wrong way is often worse than not hiring at all. The conversation cuts deep into the systems myth, the early reality of AI adoption, and how to build businesses that don’t just scale but actually last.From navigating high-trust partnerships to building his DTC brand from scratch, Nicholas drops insights that challenge surface-level success. Whether you’re at zero or scaling past seven figures, this episode pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to lead well.Key Topics Covered:The hidden traps of scaling too fastWhy systems alone won’t save your businessBuilding a sustainable agency modelHiring strategies that actually workEarly lessons from AI and automationPartnership trust, burnout, and balanceThe difference between growing and enduringFollow and share if this episode resonates — it helps more founders and creators discover authentic conversations like this.Connect with Nicholas Kirchner & Hydra:Hydra: https://workwithhydra.comHowl Campfires: https://howlcampfires.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirchner1/Connect with the hosts:Will Abel: https://linkedin.com/in/will-abel-396a21152Michael Grier: https://linkedin.com/in/michaelgrier

Ver todos los episodios