Michael Gerber named it decades ago in The E-Myth, and it still catches almost everyone: most people don't start a business, they buy themselves a job — usually the worst-paid, longest-hours job they've ever had.
The tell is simple. If you stepped away for a fortnight, would the business keep serving customers to your standard? For most owners, the honest answer is no. Not because the team isn't capable, but because everything important lives in the founder's head — the how, the why, the "just ask me."
Working in the business (doing the work) feels productive. Working on the business (building the systems so the work happens without you) feels like a luxury you'll get to "once things calm down." They never calm down. That's the trap.
The way out isn't working harder. It's writing down how things are done — one process at a time — so the business stops depending on your memory and starts running on your design.
That move, from operator to owner, is the whole arc of the Grow course.
Or find your starting line with the free Business Stage Assessment.
Annie
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