How a Six-Figure Business Dies (Part 1): The Bottleneck You’re Ignoring
Because a business that breaks when you take a break… isn’t really a business.
In 2014, I finally agreed to take a 3-week vacation. Part of the trip was to Paris with my (now) husband, Duane. It was meant to be a long weekend of rest, romance, and reward for the business I had hustled so hard to build.
By then, I had left corporate. I was running a successful digital agency with multiple clients, a small team, and consistent income. On paper, I had arrived.
I booked the trip feeling proud.
I set the out of office reply.
I prepped the team.
I trusted the machine would keep running.
But the moment we were on the train back?
I checked my phone…
Emails. Missed deadlines. Confused team messages. A client asking if I could hop on a “quick call.” That “quick call” turned into a crisis meeting. From the Eurotrain.
Instead of clinking glasses and enjoying croissants, I sent Loom videos, rewrote timelines, and did damage control. But still lost revenue in the end.
That’s when it hit me:
This isn’t a business. This is a job with a prettier logo.
It looked successful from the outside. But behind the scenes?
I was still the system.
Everything depended on me.
The Bottleneck You Don’t See (Until YOU Break)
This is the first killer of a six-figure business: you.
The Visionary,
The Founder,
The heart of it all… You are also the bottleneck.
Not because you’re doing it wrong.
But because no one taught you the difference between building a business that earns money… and one that can operate without you.
Most of us start with hustle and talent. We build the business around our brilliance. But eventually, we try to grow on top of a shaky foundation.
So what happens?
Your team keeps asking you what’s next.
You keep saying, “just let me do it, it’s faster.”
Your calendar is packed.
And vacations turn into triage zones.
And yet… you still think the problem is that you’re just not working hard enough.
It’s not you.
It’s the structure.
The Real Reason You’re Stuck
You’re likely running a freelance business model that’s been scaled too big.
Here’s what I mean:
You hire a VA. Maybe a project manager. You add a new offer or two. But you haven’t built real systems. So all your team does is mirror your chaos.
They’re skilled people, but they’re still waiting on you.
Because you’re still the one holding the vision, the process, the standards, and the energy.
And without you? The whole thing starts to crack.
What I Did Differently (After Paris)
That trip wasn’t a failure, it was a wake-up call.
When I got home, I stopped trying to “delegate harder.”
I restructured everything from the ground up.
One business model.
One streamlined offer.
One delivery system with clear SOPs and automation.
A team that could execute without me in the room.
And you know what?
Years later, I moved my entire family to the Middle East with two kids and didn’t miss a beat.
Client work kept going.
Revenue stayed steady.
No panic. No stress. No last-minute “quick calls.”
Because the systems ran the business. Not me.
Ask Yourself This:
If you had to take a week off next month with no warning, would your business survive?
Would your team know what to do?
Would your client's work still be delivered?
Would money still come in?
If not, scaling won’t save you.
Structure will.
Before you chase the next revenue goal or hire another team member, ask yourself:
Am I building a business that works without me or just a job with more bells and whistles?
What’s Next in How a Six-Figure Business Dies Series
In Part 2, we’ll look at the second silent killer of growth:
Too many offers, too little profit.
You’ll meet an incredible founder with a 12-person team, 4 offers, and zero margin. I’ll walk you through the exact shifts we made that helped her increase profit by 50%, simplify her structure, and finally feel the benefit of her success.
Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.
📌 If this hit home, comment and tell me: What part of your business still depends entirely on you?
Let’s get it out of your head—and into a system.