[patio11]

You're probably overestimating peoples' reactions to you leaving. Business owners manage to simultaneously believe the business is beyond their control and yet hanging on their every word. They can't both be true, right? If you left tomorrow, odds are a successful business continues, and it will be one which wouldn't have existed but for you.

That said: what stops you from having an all-hands meeting and saying "Is this REALLY what we want?" If it isn't, it is your business. Change it. Client needs to be able to text you at 8 PM? Client will be assisted in finding a more appropriate service provider. Employee feels that nobody can go home at 6? Employee gets told by his boss "Go home. It will be here tomorrow. There are companies that pull all-nighters every day. This is not one of them."

Also: raise your rates.

[ixmatus]

"Raise your rates" is excellent advice and, OP, you may or may not understand that it's actually more about psychology.

Higher rates help filter out demanding clients and also make it "worth it" when you do get a demanding one. Higher rates helps focus you, with 20 cheap clients you'll feel like going bonkers. With one or two high-paying clients you'll feel focused.

With higher rates and therefore more focus you also provide better customer service during the day. That will help reduce the amount of off-hour communications (this is also a boundary thing that Patrick already mentioned, be firm). Clients that understand that they get what they pay for and are comfortable paying a higher rate usually let you do what they are paying you to do and only communicate on the set meetings over minutiae.

[canileaveplease]

My rate for each of my team members is 200+ per hour depending on what package they purchase (more hours = slightly lower rate, less hours, higher rate). We target corporate clients. Just it's been going so fast and been so stressful, it's not about the money. We've gone from 2 founders to 10+ employees very quickly.

[zacharycohn]

Then it could be $250 or $300/h, and you could drop a client.

[pedalpete]

And keep in mind, you'll want to be giving your employees a pay raise as well. They'll know what the clients are paying. Not a 1-to-1 increase, but maybe 30%. Make sure they realize you value their work.

[gus_massa]

Another option is to reduce the workhours from 80hr/week to 40hr/week.

[theossuary]

$300 isn't unreasonable, there is a small dev shop in town with a proprietary CMS that charges $315 for creative/development work; and they're one of the most successful around town.

[webwright]

"You're probably overestimating peoples reactions to you leaving."

This! I ran my first company for 6 years. When I left, I felt guilty as hell. I didn't know if the company could survive without me. Turns out it did GREAT without me-- arguably better than when I was running it. No one tells entrepreneurs that changing paths is a LOT harder than if you have an honest job... It's not as easy as 2 weeks notice, but it's a helluva lot easier than you think it is.

Several companies later (and about a year ago), my wife and I took off and traveled for about a year. I highly recommend it.

[ChuckMcM]

So spot on, so concise. Put these two laws up on your wall and follow them.

1) If you have too much work, raise your rates until you don't.

2) If you don't like the environment you are working in, change it or leave.

[hunvreus]

Definitely: higher rates and better management of expectations.

Receiving a text every 5 seconds doesn't sound right.

You're probably running around putting out fires right now, but I recommend you make the time to sit down for a couple days and draft some basic guidelines for working with client and managing projects and teammates.

Without this you'll probably keep on getting down the "let's just get that one more project out the door" rabbit hole.

I've probably been through very similar things myself, feel free to drop me an email (in my profile) if you want to chat about it.

[X4]

Sounds like you urgently need a "Corporate Mission Statement" or help from an experienced project manager. There are surely some very experienced people on HN. Hopefully things work out for you, keep us updated sir.

I cannot give you any first hand advice, because I've not been in any situation like that, so please take anything I write with a grain of salt. Just good intentions here, because I really feel you man.. it's very though to stand your man, when you feel or know that everything depends on you.

Instead of making you the single point of failure in the structure, the vision you have should not hinder you from ever reaching that vision. I think you need to focus on what is exactly the thing your clients really want and that requires talking with clients 1 on 1, making a few a/b test and communicating the core values to your team. Why spend 4hours on design, when your client really just wants a login-system that works (for example).

You have really great employees, but talking about an exit would subconsciously demotivate everyone, even those with the best intents. I don't know and cannot give you any first hand experience, but whatever you do, take at least 1-2days off-work to think about the goals you want to reach with your team. They should finish whatever is left and stop hand-holding each other in order to push everyone else to work as hard as they do. A successful company is not only about hard work, but good organization and execution of ideas. This could feel like either an iron-man like marathon or cool vacation, depending on how you manage and motivate people.

You've pointed it out correctly, you're at a crossing, which could result in success for the company or burning out yourself and your employees, depending on how things are managed. Your gut feeling was right and asking others for help is surely the right way.

Update: You should check one of the many good articles written by Paul Graham: http://paulgraham.com/love.html (How to do what you love)

[redtexture]

More important than a "mission statement" is a "strategy statement". A mission statement usually says what a groups intends to or aspires to do. A strategy informs everyone what you collectively are NOT going to do, and what you will FOCUS on, and that has become crucial. What will you NOT do to have a sensible work life and company culture?

[redtexture]

You have a happy problem, though it is hard to believe in your current state of mind. You also have created something that you didn't know you didn't want.

For the organization, the time for sprinting is over, and time setting up the organization for the routine of the marathon has arrived.

For you, take a vacation of a day today. And another day. Rest. And think about your life.

For the organization: Time to reject some clients, in order to:

1) reduce the queue of work

2) give the whole team a sensible work life

3) have a sensible company culture that allows everyone to have a life, health, relationships and leisure.

4) the leader is the example of health and culture. Lead and do, and promote better health for everyone

5) be able to properly delegate (and have people to delegate to), to your second-, third-, and fourth-in-command, who each have enough slack to take on managing the way you have been until now.

patio11 helpfully describes one classic consultant method to reduce your queue of work, while sustaining the company: raising client prices / rates. Another is to select your jobs and clients. What do you really want to do and work on? Manage your collective work life.

Raise the rates right now 50% for the next new client, and warn old clients the rates are going up in three to six months.

Result:

1) sufficient income to support what actually is required to be done to serve the clients and to serve you, the workers

2) reduced work-queue

3) better quality clients that understand the value of you and the company's work

4) enough income to fully staff and support all of the work, and to support your staff too

5) enough slack on the part of the staff to think ahead, and not work only in crisis & panic mode

6) plus work-environment improvements that include vacations and similar recognition of work-life balance that acknowledges demands of your labor on each of your lives.

[Chronic28]

"But if we're not working hard and all night, our competitors who are will end up taking our clients"