The League Two Striker: Why Letting Good People Go Is Sometimes the Best Move | Episode Thirty Two
A team member of two and a half years has just left Paragon — on good terms, with a handshake and a thank you. Rob uses it as a chance to talk about one of the harder, quieter parts of running a business: what it actually means to let good people go, and why it doesn't have to be a bad thing.
People Are Everything
Sales is the most important thing in a business. Rob's said it before and he'll say it again. But right behind it are the people. Get hiring wrong and you'll feel it in morale, momentum, and money. Get it right and the business compounds. Recruitment is hard — and so is knowing when it's time to part ways.
The League Two Striker
Rob's go-to analogy: you're a League Two club, you sign a striker who bangs in 20 or 30 goals a season and drags you up to League One. Brilliant. But in League One they drop off a bit — maybe 10 or 15 goals. You get promoted again, this time to the Championship. Now they're caught out completely. Defenders know how to play against them. They haven't adapted. They're still playing like it's League Two.
That's not a failure. That striker did something incredible. They just helped you get somewhere they couldn't follow.
The Jamie Vardy Counter-Argument
The antidote to the League Two striker problem is Jamie Vardy under Brendan Rodgers. Vardy arrived raw, rapid, running in behind. Rodgers changed him — added technical intelligence, adjusted his movement, made him smarter. That evolution kept Vardy playing at the highest level for years beyond what his natural style alone would have managed. The lesson for team members: adapt, be coached, keep developing. Those who do stay relevant far longer.
The Open Door Policy
Rob has never stood in the way of anyone wanting to leave. Life changes. People evolve. What someone needs from a job at 24 is not what they need at 28. He's always been honest with people about opportunities — pointing out red flags if he sees them, giving genuine guidance — but if someone wants to go, the door is open.
One exception: he won't negotiate against a salary offer. If someone's leaving purely because another company has offered them slightly more money, his answer is effectively: good luck, off you go. The reason? Lifestyle inflation. Earn more, spend more, the gap stays the same, and six months later they want more again. He's seen it happen, been that person himself. It's a cycle he won't be party to.
Two and a Half Years
For a business of Paragon's size, that's a good run. The team learned from the individual. The individual learned from the team. There's nothing left to give each other. They part ways on good terms — handshake, hug, gratitude — and both move forward.
A client asked if they should be worried. Rob's answer: not even slightly.
Good people leave. Sometimes it's your fault, sometimes it's their growth, sometimes it's just time. What matters is how you handle it — and whether you've built something strong enough that one departure isn't the end of the world.
Massive thank you to my partners - make sure you give them some love:
Paragon Creative Studios - www.paragoncreativestudios.co.uk
monday.com - https://try.monday.com/9fu602qtcgca
Xero - https://referrals.xero.com/i5kqkglg3n3w-nx0cim
Apollo.io - https://get.apollo.io/b3kjbubqrsvl
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