An owner of 18 who wants to step back
- Your customers call you
- Problems climb to you
- The rhythm needs you in the room
2 of 7 scenes have a second person.
Take 30 days off. What breaks first?
Twelve questions, three minutes. See which of seven situations still need you when you are gone, before any email.
I ran a services company from $2M to $20M as its operator. Now I coach owners of businesses like yours.
Sample results
A partner in a 40-person shop who wants to grow
- Sales is you
- Money waits for you
- People decisions stop
4 of 7 scenes have a second person.
An owner under 10
You don't have the team this measures yet. You're about to hire the layer above it. Here's what to do first.
The twelve questions
-
What's your seat?
- Owner
- Co-owner or partner
- GM or manager
- Something else
-
How many people work in the business?
- Under 10
- 10-24
- 25-50
- 50+
-
What do you want out of the next 12 months?
- Grow faster
- Make more money at this size
- Step back from the day-to-day
- Get ready to sell
-
A customer says they're leaving. Who saves it?
- Me
- Someone else has done it without me this quarter
- Nobody, it waits
- Doesn't apply
-
A quote needs a discount or a price exception. Who approves it?
- Me
- Someone else has done it without me this quarter
- Nobody, it waits
- Doesn't apply
-
Your biggest customer calls with a problem. Whose phone rings?
- Me
- Someone else has done it without me this quarter
- Nobody, it waits
- Doesn't apply
-
A key person quits on a Friday. Who runs the hire?
- Me
- Someone else has done it without me this quarter
- Nobody, it waits
- Doesn't apply
-
A job or order goes wrong past the first line. Who fixes it?
- Me
- Someone else has done it without me this quarter
- Nobody, it waits
- Doesn't apply
-
You're out for the weekly numbers meeting. Does it happen?
- It happens without me
- Only if I run it
- We don't have one
- Doesn't apply
-
Last month's gross margin ("job margin, food cost, utilization, whatever your trade calls it"). Could you say it right now?
- Cold
- Roughly
- Don't know
-
If sales stopped today, how many weeks of cash?
- Under 4
- 4-12
- 12+
- Don't know
-
Where do next quarter's new customers come from?
- A system that produces them
- Referrals and luck
- Me, personally selling
Questions
- Is this a business health check?
- This shows what depends on you when you are gone for a month. It uses your answers, with no comparison to other businesses.
- Do I need to give you my email?
- No. Your result shows before any email: who handles each of the seven situations today, and how many run without you. If you want the three that break first, with a first move for each, and the one-page hand-off map, I ask where to send them after the result.