There’s an Owner I once knew — let’s call him Mark.
Mark had built a thriving business over fifteen years. A loyal team, great clients, strong profits.
But he hadn’t taken a real holiday in over a decade.
When he finally did, his wife planned a surprise trip to Italy. One week. No laptop. No phone.
He nearly had a panic attack at the idea — but she insisted.
He gave in.
By day three, the calls began.
First, a small issue with a supplier.
Then, a missed deadline.
By Friday, one of their biggest clients had sent a furious email because no one could make a simple decision without him.
He came back to chaos.
Projects behind. Staff paralysed. Customers unsettled.
It wasn’t that his people were incompetent — they were scared.
Scared of getting it wrong. Scared of the “Why didn’t you ask me first?” conversation.
That week off cost him three months of recovery time.
And the realisation hit hard — he hadn’t built a business.
He’d built a babysitting service where he was the head nanny.
That’s the trap many owners fall into.
They think delegation means offloading tasks.
But true delegation means both accountability and trust. It means giving ownership — not just instructions.
And Accountability – power to make decisions but being responsible for the outcomes.
Because until your team can act without you, you’ll never truly be free.
And if you can’t take a week away without everything collapsing — the business doesn’t need a better team.
It needs a better leader.
Inside the Q4 Business Lab, we fix that.
We help you turn a business like Mark’s into one that thrives when the owner steps away.
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P.S. I’m not the “systems,” “finance,” or “fix your processes” guy.
I help you fall in love with your business again—Because it finally gives you the life you want today
While setting you up to exit on your terms tomorrow.
Join my list for blunt insights and practical strategies to build a business that gives you your life back – and the power to walk away, when you’re ready, on your terms.