IMO taking on staff is the way to go. You can only do so much yourself. I took staff on very early on so that I could concentrate on growing sales rather than manufacturing product. I got to 12 people, now I am reducing staff a little as I move into production equipment that produces virtually a finished product. I have more office people now that I do production staff.
You have to kiss a few frogs before you get the right ones, but its been worth it for me.