I'm a tradesman running a company of one. I took a short sabbatical from entrepreneurship for a middle management role at a company near me. One of the ways the owner described employees to me was rental equipment. I'm back working for myself now but this thought put me in this weird limbo. I don't want to hire because I believe people are more than that. And I refuse to be hired because I know I am more than. On the same note it is literally impossible to scale a service business without employees.