Three things give a founder capacity back: processes, the right people, and productised services.

‍

Just before the first Covid wave I told my wife I was exhausted.

‍

The business was hard. Too hard. I was travelling far too much, in Australia and overseas, and I was away from the family more than I could justify. The business was growing and I could not handle it. I was close to burnt out.

‍

My wife is wise. She told me, ordered me, to take some time off and think about my own business the way I think about my clients' businesses.

‍

That is when I saw it. I had to strategically replace myself.‍

‍

What does strategically replacing yourself mean?‍

‍

Not stepping away. Deliberately taking each thing that only you can do and making it something a process, a person or a product can do instead, so the business runs whether you are in the room or not.

‍

Three Ps.‍

‍

Processes

The backbone. When the steps are written down, the business does not need you there for it to run. Document each step of the operations that repeat. Use plain language anyone can follow. Train the team on them and check they are followed. Review them, because a process nobody has looked at in a year is usually wrong.

‍

With good processes the business becomes a machine that runs, and you get your time back for growth instead of the daily grind.‍

‍

Right people

Not just skills. People who fit the culture and share the vision. Know what you actually need in the seat before you hire. Look for character, because skills can be taught and attitude cannot. Invest in them. Then trust them with real responsibility and let them make decisions.

‍

When the right people are in place, you stop having to do everything. Your team has it.‍

‍

Productised services

Turn what you offer into a standard package, like a menu. Customers know what they are getting. You know exactly what to deliver. And you can sell the same thing many times without rebuilding it each time.

‍

That is what makes a business scalable rather than just busy.‍

‍

The one thing to do this week

If you are doing everything, tired, and losing hope that the business will ever grow without you, start here. Pick one task in your diary this week and ask: could this be a process, and who could I give it to?

‍

If you cannot answer the second question, that is the more useful finding, and it is the conversation to have on a Strategy Session.

‍

‍