"Got a minute?"
Those three little words used to make my eye twitch.
Because "a minute" was never a minute. It was another decision only I could make. Another fire only I could fight. Another reason I couldn't take a day off without the business grinding to a halt.
If you're reading this at 9pm because you finally have time to think, you know exactly what I mean. You're caught smack back in the middle of the founder's trap.
Your business only works when you do.
And it's got you trapped.
I know because I lived it for 12 years. Built an agency that nearly broke me. But then I rebuilt it to work without me.
Here's exactly how.
The Founder's Trap: Why You Can't Break Free
First, let's be honest about why you're stuck.
Over the last decade, I've worked with hundreds of business owners. They all share the same pattern:
Feast Mode: Drowning in delivery, no time for anything else
Famine Mode: Desperate for the next sale, panic setting in
Never in Control: Always reacting, never directing
Sound familiar?
You've probably tried to fix it:
Working harder (hello, 70-hour weeks)
Hiring help (adds to your plate instead of subtracting)
Better tools (that you don't have time to implement)
Sales managers (mine cost £60k and delivered nothing)
But nothing sticks. Because these are all band-aids on a broken system.
Here's what nobody tells you: The business works only when you do because you designed it that way.
Not consciously. But through a thousand small decisions:
"I'll just handle this myself"
"It's faster if I do it"
"Nobody else understands the client like I do"
"We can't afford to get this wrong"
Each decision made sense at the time. Together, they've built your trap.
You're not a business owner. You're a highly stressed employee in a company you happen to own.
I’ve already talked in depth about the myths that helped perpetuate this founder’s trap, now let’s talk about the path to actual freedom.
The FREE Framework
After nearly destroying my health trying to do everything myself, I discovered four strategic shifts that actually create freedom.
Not the "laptop on a beach" BS. Real freedom. The kind where you can disappear for two weeks and return to a business that's grown without you.
Here's the framework that can and will help you escape the Founder's Trap
F: Fix the Foundations
The Problem: You're building on quicksand. No wonder everything feels unstable.
Most founders are using what I call "bank balance accounting" - frantically refreshing online banking to see if money came in. That was my only KPI for years.
The Fix: Build your business on bedrock:
1. Clarify Your Business Model
2. Create Your KPI Dashboard
3. Clean Up Delivery
When your foundations are solid, growth no longer feels like chaos. It feels like building.
R: Replace Yourself (In Sales & Delivery First)
The Problem: You're the product, the salesperson, the quality control, and the complaints department.
The Fix: Start with the activities that drain you most:
1. Document Your Genius
2. Test With Someone Else
3. Gradually Release Control
Remember my £60k sales manager disaster? She failed because I tried to replace myself before building the system. Build the machine first, then hire someone to run it.
Your role: Architect the machine. Don't BE the machine.
E: Elevate Through Systems & Structure
The Problem: Everything is artisanal. Custom. One-off. Exhausting.
The Fix: Focus on three core systems first:
1. Marketing System
2. Sales System
3. Delivery System
Paul, one of my clients, added a simple personalised video to his sales process. Result: 12% conversion increase. 20 new clients the following month.
That's the power of systems. Small changes, massive results.
E: Empower a Self-Managing Team
The Problem: You've built a team of task-doers, not decision-makers.
The Fix: Stop being the answer machine:
1. Create Decision Boundaries
2. Build Problem Solvers
3. Institute Rhythm
When you empower decision-makers instead of task-doers, "got a minute?" disappears.
The Mantra That Changes Everything
Write this on a Post-it note. Put it where you'll see it every day:
"Systems run the business. People run the systems. You lead the vision."
That's it. That's the entire transformation. Of course this is a summary, I've done 3 hour long talks on the free framework and I work with clients for months to install the new operating system. I hope it gives you an idea of where to start looking because winning happens an inch at a time.
When you truly understand this, everything changes:
You stop being the hero (systems are)
You stop being needed (people handle it)
You start being valuable (vision matters)
The Board Meeting That Will Transform Your Business
Schedule a weekly 60-90 minute meeting with yourself. Call it your Board Meeting. Make it sacred.
Every week:
Review one system
Fix one bottleneck
Document one process
Delegate one task
In a year? You'll have invested 72 hours working ON your business instead of being trapped IN it.
But here's the flywheel effect: The more systems you build, the more time you free up. The more time you have, the more strategic you become. The more strategic you become, the more valuable your business grows.
The Unexpected Side Effect
When I finally escaped the owner's trap, something unexpected happened.
I fell back in love with my business.
When you're not exhausted, you can be creative again.
When you're not firefighting, you can be strategic.
When you're not everything, you can be something meaningful.
The business that nearly broke me became the business that set me free.
Your Choice
You have two options:
1. Keep doing what you're doing. Hope things magically improve. Burn out in 2-3 years but maybe sooner.
2. Accept that the problem is the model, not the market. Build systems. Empower people. Lead vision.
I know which one I chose. After stress that nearly changed me for good, there wasn't really a choice.
But you don't have to wait for a health crisis to make the change.
Start Today
Your first step isn't complicated:
Block out 90 minutes this week. Call it your first Board Meeting. Pick one thing you do repeatedly that someone else could do 80% as well.
Document it. Delegate it. Celebrate it.
Then do it again next week.
In six months, you won't recognise your business. Or your life.
Because when systems run the business and people run the systems, you finally get to be what you always wanted:
An actual business owner. Not a glorified employee.
Ready to implement the FREE framework with structure and accountability? Why not book a call and have a chat? Let’s see where you’re stuck exactly and map your path to freedom.
