The best operators I work with have the same problem.
They’re not disorganized. They’re not lazy. They’re not bad at systems.
They’re too good.
They’ve built a business that runs on them.
I worked with a marketing agency owner last year. 15 people, just under a million in revenue.
On paper, everything looked fine.
In reality, he was spending 80% of his time firefighting. His team would hit a roadblock and come straight to him for the answer.
Not because they were incompetent. Because that’s how the business was built.
He was the answering machine.
I asked him a simple question: If you disappeared for 6 weeks, what would happen?
He laughed. Not because it was funny.
He knew the answer. It would fall apart.
Here’s the thing most founders get wrong: They think it’s a team issue. Hire better people, train them more, problem solved.
It won’t work.
The bottleneck isn’t your team. It’s how the business is wired.
When I come into a business like this, I fix three things:
1. Accountability lanes – Every function gets one owner. Not a committee. One person who owns the outcome.
2. Decision authority – If it’s reversible and low-cost, your team decides without asking you. You only touch strategic or expensive-to-reverse decisions.
3. Weekly rhythm – One meeting, 60-90 minutes, same format. Not for updates. For surfacing and solving problems before they become fires.
These three changes free up 10-20 hours a week. Minimum.
Not because you’re working less. Because you’re finally working on the right things.
If you know you’re the bottleneck but don’t know where to start, I built something for you.
It’s called the Operations Readiness Assessment. Takes 5 minutes. You’ll get a clear picture of where you’re strong, where you’re leaking time and money, and what to fix first.
No pitch. No sales call. Just clarity.
Take the assessment here: Operational Readiness Assessment
Lloyd
