The Two Paths: DIY vs. Installed Infrastructure

You have two choices. Both work. But only one is right for you.

You’ve read this far. You understand what needs to be built: the office machine, the financial discipline, the organizational structure, the systems that create enterprise value. You know what separates stuck businesses from scalable ones.

Now comes the question: How do you actually build it?

There are two paths. The first is DIY — you build it yourself. The second is installed infrastructure — someone builds it for you.

Both work. I’ve seen both succeed. But they require different resources, and being honest about which resources you have will determine which path makes sense for you.

Path 1: DIY

Let’s start with building it yourself.

What DIY requires:

1. Time — Real hours dedicated to building, not “I’ll get to it when things slow down.”

2. Skill — Knowledge of process documentation, hiring, training, systems, and management.

3. Consistency — The hardest part. Not starting, but maintaining over months and years.

The Time Reality

Here’s what it actually takes to build what we’ve described in this book:

Total initial investment: 150-250+ hours over 6-12 months

Ongoing commitment: 10-20+ hours per week, indefinitely

That’s the real number. If you have 15-20 hours per week to dedicate to building and then managing operations — in addition to everything else you do — DIY can work.

If you don’t have that time, or if that time would be better spent on sales, customer relationships, or strategic work, then DIY isn’t realistic.

The Skill Reality

Building operations infrastructure requires specific skills:

• Process documentation — Breaking down tasks into repeatable steps
• Hiring and interviewing — Finding the right people
• Training development — Teaching effectively
• Systems selection — Choosing the right tools
• Management — Supervising, coaching, holding accountable
• Quality control — Monitoring and improving

You might have some of these skills. Most trade business owners didn’t get into this business because they love HR and process documentation.

The question isn’t whether you can learn these skills. The question is whether that’s the best use of your time.

The Consistency Reality

This is where most DIY efforts fail.

The hardest part of building systems isn’t starting — it’s maintaining. It’s doing the process reviews every week. Updating the training materials when things change. Holding the team meeting you promised. Following through on the metrics review.

Be honest with yourself:

• Have you started initiatives that didn’t get finished?
• Do projects tend to drift when you get busy with other things?
• Is there a graveyard of “good ideas” that never got fully implemented?

If your track record shows inconsistent follow-through, that’s data. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. It might mean DIY isn’t your path.

Path 2: Installed Infrastructure

The alternative is having someone else build and run it for you.

This is what PE firms do when they acquire a company. They don’t ask the founder to build the operating infrastructure. They install it — people, systems, and processes — so the founder can focus on running the business.

What installed infrastructure looks like:

• Staffing — Someone else hires, trains, and manages your office operations
• Systems — Selected, configured, and maintained for you
• Processes — Documented and implemented
• Quality control — Monitored and improved continuously
• Accountability — Metrics tracked and reported
• Scalability — Grows with your business automatically

The Investment Reality

Installed infrastructure costs money. Let’s be honest about that.

A managed operations service might cost $3,000-$10,000+ per month depending on scope. That’s a real expense.

But compare it to the alternatives:

In-house office staff (US):

• Base salary: $45,000-$65,000/year
• Benefits, taxes, overhead: add 30-40%
• Equipment, software, workspace: $3-10K/year
• Total loaded cost: $70,000-$120,000+ per year per person

Your time:

• If you’re spending 10-15 hours/week on office operations
• And your time is worth $75-$150/hour (based on what you could earn doing something else)
• That’s $39,000-$117,000/year in opportunity cost

When you add it up, installed infrastructure often costs less than DIY — once you account for your time honestly.

The Value of Speed

There’s another factor: speed.

DIY takes 6-12 months to build, and that’s if you’re consistent. Installed infrastructure can be operational in weeks.

If you’re stuck at a revenue plateau, every month matters. Faster implementation means faster results.

The Hybrid Approach

It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. There are hybrid options:

Coaching only — You learn how to do it, then implement yourself

• Lower cost ($500-$2,000/month)
• Still requires your time to implement
• Best if you have time but need knowledge

Consulting + Setup — Someone helps you build, then you maintain

• Project cost ($5,000-$20,000)
• Knowledge transfer to your team
• Best if you have capable people who need direction

Partial outsource — Some functions outsourced, others kept in-house

• Variable cost
• Split responsibility
• Best if you have strong internal people for some roles

Full managed service — Everything outsourced

• Higher ongoing cost ($3,000-$10,000+/month)
• Turnkey solution
• Best if you want to focus on other things entirely

At Office OS, we offer full managed service — we provide the people, systems, and processes to run your office operations so you can focus on running your business. But that’s not the right fit for everyone.

How to Decide

Here’s a framework for choosing.

Choose DIY If:

• You have 15-20+ hours per week to dedicate (realistically)
• You have skills in process documentation, hiring, and management — or genuinely want to develop them
• You have a track record of consistent follow-through on initiatives
• Your team is capable and motivated to take on new responsibilities
• Cost is the primary constraint, and you’re willing to trade time for savings

Choose Installed Infrastructure If:

• Your time is more valuable spent elsewhere (sales, customers, strategy)
• You’ve tried DIY and struggled with consistency
• You want faster implementation and results
• You don’t have the management bandwidth for another responsibility
• You value certainty and proven systems over cost savings

The Honest Questions

Before you decide, answer these honestly:

1. When is the last time you completed a major initiative from start to finish? Not started — completed. With ongoing maintenance.

2. How many hours per week do you realistically have available? Not “could make available if things slow down.” Actually have.

3. What would you do with 10-15 extra hours per week? If the answer is “more of what I’m doing now” — that might not justify the investment. If the answer is “grow sales by 20%” or “finally take a vacation” — that changes the math.

4. What’s your track record with delegation? Have past attempts to delegate office work succeeded or failed?

5. What’s the cost of staying stuck? If you don’t build this infrastructure, what does the next year look like? The next five years?

The Real Question

The choice between DIY and installed infrastructure isn’t really about money. It’s about this:

What’s the highest and best use of your time?

If you genuinely enjoy building operations and have the time to do it well, DIY makes sense. You’ll learn a lot, and you’ll own it completely.

If your time creates more value doing other things — closing sales, building customer relationships, developing your team, or even just not working 70 hours a week — then installed infrastructure makes sense. You’ll pay for someone else’s expertise and get back to what you do best.

There’s no shame in either choice. The only mistake is choosing the wrong one for your situation.

If You Want to Explore Installed Infrastructure

That’s what Office OS does.

We provide the office operations infrastructure for trade businesses: phone answering, scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, collections, customer service. We hire the people, build the systems, and manage the operations.

Our clients get the operational infrastructure of a PE-backed company without the acquisition — or the overhead.

If that sounds like it might be the right path for you, the next chapter will help you evaluate your options and decide on next steps.