How I Think About Business
Principles for designing businesses that scale without consuming the owner.
Most owners don't have a motivation problem.
They have a structure problem.
Businesses fail to scale cleanly not because people lack effort, discipline, or ambition — but because the underlying structure cannot support growth. Complexity compounds, decisions slow, and the business quietly becomes more dependent on the owner over time.
Freedom isn't accidental.
It's engineered.
These are not theories or philosophies.
They are design principles used to evaluate businesses, make decisions, and determine whether a company will scale cleanly or collapse under its own weight.
Structure Before Scale
Growth amplifies whatever already exists. If the structure is weak, scaling doesn't fix it — it exposes it.
Businesses should be designed to handle volume, delegation, and absence before growth is pursued. Otherwise, revenue increases while fragility compounds.
When ignored: Growth creates chaos, dependency, and constant intervention.
Leverage Over Effort
Effort does not scale. Systems do.
Businesses built around personal effort eventually stall because time becomes the limiting factor. Leverage comes from distributing responsibility, decision authority, and execution across people and technology.
When ignored: The owner becomes the ceiling, not the engine.
Clarity Drives Execution
Complexity slows everything.
Clear roles, clear decisions, and clear ownership create speed without urgency. When people know what they own and how decisions are made, execution accelerates naturally.
When ignored: Meetings multiply, decisions stall, and momentum dies quietly.
Design for Durability
Fast growth without durability is borrowed time.
Businesses should be designed to withstand absence, mistakes, turnover, and change without degradation. Stability is not the enemy of growth — it is the prerequisite for sustainable growth.
When ignored: The business performs well only under perfect conditions.
How I Use These Principles
They are used to:
- •Evaluate whether a business is ready to scale
- •Identify where dependency is hiding
- •Decide what should be designed out of the owner's role
- •Determine which problems are structural vs operational