I once confused myself for the crucial lead performer in the theater of business, only to discover I intended to be the director but didn’t understand how to be one. Worse, I didn’t understand the difference. “If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business—you have a job,” says Michael Gerber. “And it’s the most miserable job in the world.” Those words now give me goosebumps, as I found myself caught in the very fabric of my work, unable to move away without fear of unraveling it.
A business, like a magnificent symphony, cannot rely on the presence of a single talented musician. To make a masterpiece, it takes an ensemble—a harmonic interplay of systems and processes that function in tandem. Our responsibility as entrepreneurs is to write the tune and then command the orchestra. We must create a system—a business that functions independently of us, a system that does not stop working when we step away.
The Methodical Exit from Entrepreneurial Quicksand
Through a path defined by hardship, I discovered that the most significant work I can do is to establish a business that doesn’t/can’t necessitate my hand at every potter’s wheel. This requires creating an organization based on systems—strong, repeatable, dependable operations that can withstand time and change. It’s about progressing from head cook and bottle washer to architect of a self-sustaining enterprise.
The vision of the entrepreneur serves as the foundation upon which the business is built. It’s not so much about sculpting each brick as it is about creating the kiln that burns them. It’s about taking a step back and viewing the company as a product in and of itself, one that has been methodically constructed to operate, develop, and thrive even as we look to new frontiers.
From Exhaustion to Balance
This realization did not come easily. It occurred after years (an embarrassing number of years) of burning the candle at both ends until there was no candle left—just the sharp reality that I was the bottleneck, the dam preventing my business from reaching its full potential. Critically, transitioning to a more typical function in “big business” provided me with a really important perspective: the wrench turner does not have a complete view of the machine. I now understand why bringing someone on board to do a function without direction and orchestration is a recipe for disaster. Only when I took a step back did I begin to actually realize I must drive a business from my vision rather than my work. Hilariously, it seems so obvious now.
Understand the value of the conductor—the one who enables each musician to do their part perfectly, who guarantees that the symphony continues to play whether or not you’re in the concert hall. It’s about creating a legacy that lasts beyond the daily grind, a company that stands as a tribute to a vision accomplished via the power of systems.
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