Hey Unfiltered Folks,

Answer: Because you built a business that requires you, not one that runs without you.

You're the rainmaker. The fixer. The closer. The company is you. If you leave, it dies.
That's not a company. That's self-employment with extra steps.

This is your fault. You built this trap.

Now you're stuck. You can't sell it. You can't step back. You can't take a vacation. You're trapped in a prison you built.

Question to Consider: What happens if you're gone for a month?

Why: You're the business. That makes you indispensable. That makes the business worthless.

Here's what happened: you built a company. But you stayed in everything. You're in sales. In product. In customer success. You're the face of the brand. Customers know you. They trust you. When you step back, they notice. Revenue drops. Why? Because they didn't buy the company. They bought you. Your team is capable, but they're not you.

The cost? You can't sell the business. No one will buy a company that requires the founder. You can't take a vacation. You can't step back. You're trapped. Your best people leave because they'll never run the company, you won't let them. The ones who stay are the ones comfortable being your assistants. You've built a prison. All because you couldn't let go. Every day you stay indispensable, you make the company less valuable.

Action: Start now.

Pick one revenue-generating activity.
Train someone else to do it.
Slowly remove yourself.

It'll hurt.

Revenue may dip short-term. That's okay. Long-term, you're building a sellable, scalable business.

Document everything. Cross-train relentlessly. Make yourself unnecessary or stay trapped forever. Your choice.

Stay Unfiltered,
— Andy

P.S. Make yourself unnecessary or stay trapped forever. Your choice.