Employees will only add more value over time.
Startups are very hard no matter what you do; you may as well go after a big opportunity.
Before product/market fit, your only job that matters is to build a great product.
As the company grows and about this 25 or so employee size, your main job shifts from building a great product to building a great company.
You want to continue to be run by great products, not process for it's own sake.
One thing that founders forget is that after they hire employees, they have to retain them.