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I read a post by Ramit Sethi a couple of months ago, and the question he posed to his audience was: What are some subtle signs of wealth? The comments that flooded in were hilarious and so on point. My favorite one was: Using an iPhone without a screen protector or protective casing.

It made me laugh because it's such a small thing, but it says so much. It speaks to an ease or confidence that comes with a certain level of financial security. The idea that you don’t have to worry about something breaking, or even care if it does. It’s a form of freedom we all want.

That post inspired today’s episode that is titled: The Subtle Signs of Owning a Business That Can Run Without You. These aren’t flashy, obvious signs that scream, "Look how well I’ve set up my business!" but rather, they’re those subtle shifts that speak volumes about your role in the business and the systems you’ve set up to support you. And like someone wise once told me…it isn’t sexy until it is.

How dependent is your business on YOU?

Most business owners are operators inside their own businesses. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with being the operator. In fact, in many cases, you’ll always play some operational role, especially if you’re passionate about the work. But what is important is knowing how your presence—or absence—affects the business. Can the business still thrive without you physically being there, making decisions and moving things forward?

Life happens.

We often think the biggest downfall to being an owner/operator is that we can’t take unplugged vacations or that work seems to follow us wherever we go. And yes, those are real issues— But in my years of coaching and working with business owners, the thing that often really stops them in their tracks are those life events no one can plan for.

Things like: a death in the family, a sudden illness, a sick child, or needing to care for an aging parent. These are the things that really turn our lives upside down. And they often come at us out of the blue. You know they’re possible, but you never think they’ll happen to you. And when they do, if your business is so intertwined with you running the day-to-day operations, the business can come to a complete standstill.

One of my clients approached me after she had a wake up call with her dad that got really sick. She owns a consulting firm. She loved her work and was in the thick of every client project. Her father got ill and she had to spend months out of the office, caring for him. She hadn’t realized just how much of the business relied on her, and in her absence, things slowly started falling apart. Projects were delayed, clients were upset, and she was overwhelmed. So much so that she struggled to be present with her dad during that time. Her dad did get better but she decided to get help because she never wanted to be in that situation again.

I believe that any business owner—whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the game for years—needs to design your business so that it can operate without you. So that you have the option to be the operator, but also the freedom not to be. And most importantly, if you’re forced to step away for an extended period of time, your business won’t collapse.

Now, of course, the road to getting there isn’t easy. It takes work. But here’s the thing—you’re already working. You’re already pouring your energy into the business, every single day. You might as well direct some of that energy toward designing a business that can run independently of you.

The Subtle Signs Of A Business That Can Run Without You

I’ve made a list of a few of the subtle signs my clients can see now that they have done or started doing the work to set up their business to run more and more independently of them. As I go through these. Imagine for yourself what it would be like for you if this was a reality in your business:

1. You’re not the only one who knows all the passwords.
   It seems so simple, but this is a big one. If you’re the only one with access to critical information, you’ve essentially made yourself indispensable in a way that limits your freedom. Can someone else log in to systems and take care of things if you’re unavailable? If not, you want to consider what you’ll do when you aren’t able to log in or give someone access. 

2. You’re not the first person someone calls when there’s a problem.
   If something goes wrong—whether it’s a client issue, a team challenge, or a technical glitch—who is the first person people think of? If it’s always you, that’s a sign you’re still the central point of the business. The one that makes all the decisions.. A well-designed business has a system or team in place to handle issues as they arise without needing to drag you in.

3. You have white space in your calendar. Your days aren’t filled with back to back meetings or tasks. You actually have space to breathe and not rush from one thing to the next.

4. You don’t think, "I don’t have time to get sick."
   This is a common mindset for so many business owners. The thought of getting sick, or needing time off, seems impossible because you can’t afford to step away. When your business is designed to run without you, you no longer have to live in fear of what might happen if you’re not there every day.

5. You’re not making all the decisions anymore.
   Decision fatigue is real. If you find that you’re still making every single decision—big or small—that’s a sign that your business relies too heavily on you. A business that runs without you has a structure where decision-making is delegated. Trust is built within the team, and processes are in place to guide decisions.

6. Not every task is assigned to your name.
   Take a look at your project management system, if you have one. Are the majority of tasks still assigned to you?  A healthy, self-sustaining business has tasks distributed across the team, with clear ownership that doesn’t always fall on your shoulders alone.

7. Processes improve without your input.
   If your team can find better, more efficient ways to do things without you being involved in every single step, that’s a great sign that you’ve built a business with systems that run smoothly.

8. You get fewer emails.
   The more automated and systemized your business becomes, the less you need to be looped into everything. Fewer emails means your team and systems are operating independently.

9. Projects move forward even when you’re not in the office.
   A big one. If work can progress without you, it means you’ve successfully delegated responsibility and empowered your team to take ownership.

10. You don’t approve every social media post.
    If someone else is managing your marketing efforts, that’s a great sign that your business is moving beyond you being involved in every detail. Trusting someone else to maintain your brand voice and vision frees you up tremendously.

11. You’re not worrying about whether office supplies like coffee, sugar, or toilet paper are replenished.
    These small but constant concerns shouldn’t be on your radar anymore. If they are, it’s time to delegate those operational tasks.

Here are a few questions you can ponder or journal on:

• What would your business look like if you weren’t the one doing it all? What’s one thing on your schedule that you would love to get off your plate?

Imagine that thing got done better because you’re not the one doing it.

• What are your options for getting this off your plate? Can you stop doing it? Can you outsource it? Can it be automated? Is there someone on your team that can do it?

Your Actionable Takeaway

This week, I want you to identify one task that you’re still holding onto that you know you could let go of. It might feel uncomfortable, but that’s where the magic happens. Letting go of control in small ways allows you to build trust in your team and systems. The more you do,, the more you’ll learn that the growth you want lies on the other side of control. 

And if you would like my help in designing your business to run like clockwork, head over to the show notes, book a consultation, and let’s discuss the roadmap to getting you there.

See you next week!

Do you have a question on designing a business that can run smoothly with or without you?

Send me an email at ilonka@ilonkaras.com and I will answer it in the next episode.

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