Time Freedom for Leaders: How to Reclaim Your Schedule and Scale Without Burnout

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

Time Freedom for Leaders: How to Reclaim Your Schedule and Scale Without Burnout

Entrepreneurs and executives are no strangers to the hustle—but too often, that hustle leads to exhaustion, not freedom. In a recent episode of Executive Edge Live, hosted by Harley Green of Workergenix, four elite leadership experts shared how to achieve real time freedom through smart systems, strategic delegation, and a serious mindset shift.

If you’re constantly stuck in the weeds of your business, here’s how to break free.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The “Time Rich” Framework: A Business That Runs Without You

Mike Abramowitz, co-founder of Better Than Rich, knows firsthand what it takes to build a self-sustaining company. While his son spent 254 days in the NICU, his business not only survived—it thrived with over 7 figures in sales.

His secret? The Time Rich Six:

  1. Boundaries – Protect your priorities
  2. Communication Guidelines – Define when and how your team should reach you
  3. Systems – Build repeatable, scalable workflows
  4. Playbooks – Document SOPs to remove dependency on your input
  5. Team – Hire doers who can execute with confidence
  6. Technology – Automate and support execution

If your business needs you for every decision, it’s time to rethink your structure.

Implementing EOS: More Than Just Meetings

Michelle Rourke, an EOS Integrator, busts the myth that EOS is just “scorecards and long meetings.” Instead, EOS is a complete operating system that frees the founder to operate in their zone of genius.

Key EOS tools she highlights include:

  • The Accountability Chart
  • Clarity Breaks
  • Delegate and Elevate™
  • The GWC Tool (Get it, Want it, Capacity)

The goal? To shift founders from being the busiest person in the room to the most strategic.

Delegation is a Mindset, Not Just a Task

According to Cathy Christen, a Leadership & Lifestyle Strategist, many founders wear busyness like a badge of honor. But real leadership means shifting from being the best doer to being the best developer of people.

She encourages:

  • Running a time audit
  • Visualizing your business 10 years in the future
  • Building the org structure to support your ideal lifestyle

Your value isn’t in how much you do—it’s in how strategically you lead.

Small Changes, Big Impact: What’s Scalable vs. What’s Not

Robert Liedtka, creator of the People First Methodology, advises founders to start by evaluating what parts of their business are scalable—and what isn’t.

He recommends:

  • Breaking projects into scalable vs. non-scalable
  • Prioritizing what creates the most leverage
  • Aligning your actions with your vision and communication to build trust

Small, aligned shifts today build momentum for exponential growth tomorrow.

Stop Trying to Do It All Yourself

A recurring theme throughout the panel? Delegation is essential for scale.

Whether you’re a solo founder or leading a team, you can’t grow if you’re the only one moving the ball. The panel discussed how to:

  • Use time audits to identify what to offload
  • Design roles around strengths, not just tasks
  • Install systems that remove you from day-to-day decisions

As Mike put it: “Your business doesn’t need a superhero—it needs a leader.”

Resources & Expert Connections

Free Bonus: Masterclass for Founders & Executives

🎁 Ready to reclaim 15–30 hours a week with strategic delegation?
👉 Get instant access to our Delegate to Dominate masterclass:
https://workergenix.com/bonus-masterclass

Final Thought: Time Freedom Starts With Intentional Leadership

If you want a business that doesn’t rely on you, you have to design it that way—on purpose.
That means clarifying your vision, building the right systems, and letting go of control so others can rise.

Schedule a free discovery call to explore how we can help you reclaim your time, systemize your operations, and lead with clarity—not burnout.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript

Harley Green

Welcome everyone to today’s Executive Edge Live panel. Today we’re talking about time freedom for today’s leaders and helping people lead at a higher level with the right people and the right systems in place. We’ve got an amazing panel together here today and I wanna just welcome everyone here and thank you for joining us.

This is hosted by Workergenix. I’m Harley Green. I’m the CEO and founder of Workergenix. We help executives and leadership teams stay focused on high impact activities by delegating the rest to highly skilled AI leveraged ultimate executive assistants. Today’s conversation is going to be all about one of the most valuable assets for any leader, their time. We’re diving into how to create real time freedom with the right people, systems and support so you can lead at a higher level without the burnout. I’m honored to be joined by four powerhouse leaders who live and teach this every single day.

First off, we have Mike, who is the co-founder of Better Than Rich. He’s built a seven figure business that runs without him. He’s a creator of Time Rich and leader of GSD Intensives, helping owners systemize sales, referrals and hiring so the business doesn’t depend on them. Next, we’ve got Robert who has over 15 years of leading global and national teams. He’s developer of People First methodology that unlocks workforce potential and turns small changes into bottom line breakthroughs. And Michelle helps businesses fully integrate EOS and entrepreneur operating system across all layers, driving accountability, harmonizing operations and installing permanent integrators for long-term success. And last but not least is Cathy, who specializes in building systems and cultures that help leaders thrive without the sacrifice, empowering them to reclaim their time and lead with purpose. Thank you all for being here. How’s everyone on the panel doing today?

Cathy Christen
 Great, excited to be here.

Mike Abramowitz
 Thanks for having us.

Harley Green
 All right.

Robert Liedtka
 Very excited.

Harley Green
 Awesome. Well, the first question I have for the panel, anyone can feel free to jump in after I ask the question here is, what does time freedom mean to you personally? And why is it so critical for today’s leaders?

Cathy Christen
 I’ll jump in. I think time freedom, my whole world for 20 years has been around creating time and money freedom, right? And being able to do what you want when you want with whom you want. I think about in a business sense, it’s having the freedom to work on what you want to work on, right? To be able to focus on the needle movers, to not get stuck in the weeds. I think that too many leaders, a lot of leaders think about delegation as like giving away tasks. And it’s not about transferring ownership or it’s not about just delegating, but transferring ownership with clarity. And so I think that time freedom, there’s so much that we’re going to talk about, but it really creates space for you to be able to major in the majors and not get stuck in the weeds as a business owner and have more time to work on the business versus in the business.

Michelle Rourke
 Yep. You know, I’ll add through EOS, we teach visionaries how to live their best life. So for me personally though, it’s I’m right now at my in-laws in Phoenix. So the freedom to me is being able to enjoy the other parts of your life besides just working in the business. So I think that’s the biggest challenge, taking a vacation, enjoying life.

Robert Liedtka
 I’m very happy you brought that up. I think in terms of how you spend that time is what’s going to be most impactful for both yourself as a leader or your team in order to prevent things like burnout. The more time that you’re just putting into things like operational blow, just going through the motions in your day-to-day work, that’s going to consume you and eventually burn you out. And if you can leverage that free time that you have to work smarter throughout your day-to-day, you’ll be able to even gain more and more of that freedom to be able to have that restoration so that you’re not running in the red at all times.

Mike Abramowitz
 Yeah, I’ll just echo everything that’s been said. Plus it’s just for me, it’s been a choice. So time freedom just gives me choices. I could choose to work in parts of the business that I enjoy. I could choose to not work in the parts of the business that I don’t enjoy. I could choose to delegate. I could choose to choose to do. I could choose the vacation or I could choose to work hard. So just having choices is what time freedom means to me.

Harley Green
 Awesome. Now, Mike, you have a personal story that really drove home the importance of time freedom when your son was in the NICU. What are some of the first steps leaders must take if they want a business that runs without them, so they have that time freedom you just described?

Mike Abramowitz
 The cliff notes: James is doing great now. He’s four and a half, almost five. He was born at one pound, four ounces. He was in the NICU for eight and a half months. So for those 254 days, my business was able to run without me, and it still did seven figures in sales without me there.

It took a little bit of dissecting to figure out what caused that, but it really came from six principles. We now call them the “Time Rich Six.” These are:

  1. Boundaries – Protecting priorities.
  2. Communication Guidelines – What deems an email versus a text versus a call.
  3. Systems – If-then processes.
  4. Playbooks – Documentation of those processes.
  5. Team – Who’s executing the playbooks.
  6. Technology – Tools the team uses to execute those plays.

Boundaries, communication guidelines, systems, playbooks, team, and tech — that’s what we now call the Time Rich Six. That’s what I installed in the business to “McDonald-ify” it. Documentation with SOPs, lower-wage workers executing the plays because they were simplified, and supportive tech. That’s the Time Rich Six.

Harley Green
 Love it. Does anybody else have experience implementing similar pillars in their business?

Cathy Christen
 Yes, absolutely. I think first, in terms of the transition from going from that “I’m hitting a wall, overwhelmed, how can I work any more hours?” — I remember there being a moment where it started with something as simple as a time audit. That was the big transition. Looking at what are all the things I’m actually doing right now? Should I be doing them? Really evaluating.

Sometimes business owners have this pride or ego — “I’ve got it,” or “I can do it better,” or they fear letting go. I sat down and really looked at my calendar. What am I doing? Could this be automated? Could this be delegated to someone just as good or better than me? Is this something a $15–$25/hr person should be doing instead of me?

I put tasks into buckets: things only I can do, things someone like me could do if trained, things a loyal, coachable mentee could do, tasks for overseas support, and things that can be automated. And it was magic when that came together.

One big part of that was creating duplicatable systems. Many leaders say, “It’s just faster to do it myself,” because they haven’t taken the time to get it out of their head and onto paper. It may feel faster in the moment, but that doesn’t create time freedom, or scale, or allow you to duplicate yourself.

Someone challenged me to take pride in being the best teacher of the things in my business, not the best doer. That mindset shift changed my world.

Robert Liedtka
 That’s a great way to look at it. I’d also add in prioritization — for yourself and your team. Too often, teams have growing to-do lists and never get to the bottom. Effective teams implement prioritization where it’s painful to let something go. You might want to do it, but you know you need to focus elsewhere.

You need to remove not just the time but also the mental space things take up. When your attention is fully on what’s been prioritized, you’re far more effective than trying to juggle 100 things at once.

Harley Green
 Awesome. Well, Robert, right back at you. You believe small changes can make a big impact. What’s one change a leader can make this quarter to start reclaiming their time?

Robert Liedtka
 Yeah, everything starts small. It might sound obvious, but many leaders get stuck in theory without taking the first step. The key is to break things down into their smallest components. Then, prioritize.

What I do with teams is help them lay everything out — then sort into two buckets: what’s scalable and what’s not. Focus first on the scalable items. Then ask: What can we implement in the next day, week, or month?

Get that first small win, and then scale that across the team. Also, instill the habit of identifying what’s working well and what’s not — consistently. That reflection builds value across the team. It’s either the same input with better output, or less input with the same output. If you can align both, you dramatically reduce how long it takes to get results in the organization.

So — identify what you’re doing, then what’s scalable, then what’s valuable, and then what’s realistic to implement now. That’s how you start to reclaim time.

Harley Green
 Well, going over to you, Michelle. Many leaders think EOS is just meetings and scorecards. How do you reframe EOS as a system for freeing up the visionary to lead at a higher level?

Michelle Rourke
 EOS is a framework. The most important thing is to pick a framework — and actually stick with it.

Too many people treat EOS like a buffet. They pick an L10 meeting here, a scorecard there. But EOS is a complete system. The first thing we teach is: What do you want from your company?

I’m an integrator, so I work hand in hand with visionaries. We start with vision, goals, values — but then break that into execution. That starts with getting people into their unique ability, so others can handle running the business.

One of the first steps I insist visionaries take is a Clarity Break. Step back, write out everything you do in a day, what’s actually important, and then we work through that list.

EOS gives us tools like IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) sessions, weekly meeting rhythms, and more. Whether you use EOS or something else, the point is: implement a system that reaches every layer of the business — not just the top level.

Harley Green
 I’m definitely hearing some themes here — making sure people have a good understanding of their values and how they’re spending their time in order to implement change effectively.

Cathy Christen
 Yes — and systems create predictability, which creates freedom.

Something like EOS — we’ve used our own version of it for nearly two decades — helps stop you from running your business on hope, memory, or chaos. It ensures you have the right people in the right seats, and clear processes to match.

It reduces the 2 a.m. anxiety of “Is this getting done?” Systems aren’t about control — they’re about peace of mind. When your team knows what’s expected every week and how to be held accountable, you get better performance.

Good systems also allow people to co-create, take ownership, and contribute to decisions. That increases buy-in and drives high performance.

Mike Abramowitz
 I’ve got several thoughts — let me pull in a few things from what everyone just said.

Cathy said something powerful: “Doing things to get them done” vs. “Doing things to get them delegated.” That’s a big nugget.

Robert mentioned when you say yes to the wrong priorities, you’re saying no to the right ones — I loved that.

Michelle brought up unique ability — what only you can do in your business. I call it the Zone of Genius — Gay Hendricks talks about it in The Big Leap. Everything else outside that zone? Delegate.

And what you’re doing with Workergenix, Harley — I love that. You’re plugging in a team of doers, powered by AI, to tackle everything outside a leader’s zone of genius.

Lastly, Cathy mentioned meeting cadence — I recommend pairing that with the One Minute Manager philosophy. Goal setting, brief check-ins, praise or redirect, repeat. That keeps accountability sharp and simple.

Robert Liedtka
 Mike, I love that you brought up One Minute Manager. I’d add one more thing — leaders sometimes fall into the trap of thinking only they can do a certain task. Ego gets in the way. They end up holding onto too much, thinking, “I’m the best at this,” and suddenly, they’re empire-building and headed straight toward burnout.

You’ve got to be real with yourself about your actual skills and value. What can only you do? Once you identify that, it’s way easier to delegate and focus your energy.

Michelle Rourke
 Yes! And I’ll add: If your goal is to scale, you can’t be stuck doing everything. You have to learn to step out.

Harley Green
 Right. And we’ve seen the opposite too — leaders feel guilty handing off tasks they don’t enjoy. But just because you don’t like doing it doesn’t mean no one does. There’s someone out there who loves that task and may be even better at it than you. Delegating creates opportunities for others too.

Mike Abramowitz
 That reminds me — a friend once asked, “What do all superheroes have in common — except Batman and Iron Man?”

The answer? They’re broke.

Robert Liedtka
 They’re broke?

Michelle Rourke
 They’re broke.

Mike Abramowitz
 They try to be everything to everyone, but they have no money, no life, no relationships. The “superhero syndrome” isn’t a compliment. Being the best at everything in your business is actually a problem.

Harley Green
 Powerful point. Cathy, as someone who helps leaders thrive without sacrifice, what mindset shifts are needed to reclaim time while still growing a business?

Cathy Christen
 One of the first mindset shifts I work on is this: You don’t have to do it all.

Too many leaders wear busyness like a badge of honor. But the shift comes when you realize your value isn’t in how much you do — but in how strategically you lead.

Let go of being the hero. Your business doesn’t need a hero — it needs a leader.

The best business owners are developers of leaders. Even if you’re a solopreneur doing half a million dollars, act like your business is in the “adult” stage. That’s a mindset shift.

Stop thinking, “I’ll deal with that later.” Instead, ask: “What does my business look like 10 years from now?” Then reverse-engineer that. Who reports to you? What’s your org structure? What type of marketing team, support team, operators will you need?

Don’t limit your thinking based on where you are right now. Start with vision — then see what it takes to get there. Because the truth is, with tools like Workergenix, there are very practical, affordable ways to offload tasks and scale faster.

I ask every founder: What does the life you love look like? Let’s build the business that aligns with that.

Mike Abramowitz
 That was fire. I’ll add this — we’ve been working with a lot of blue-collar businesses. Our new thing is “White Collar Systems for Blue Collar Workers.”

It starts at the top of the funnel. For example, if a contractor is taking every phone call — how do we stop that? Maybe we create a form on the website, offer a lead magnet like “$500 off,” and get their info so we control the follow-up.

Now we’re not reacting — we’re guiding the sales journey.

Then we add a discovery call with qualifying questions before ever sending a crew out. That saves time, gas, and labor — because we’re not servicing unqualified leads.

Plugging in a virtual assistant for admin is great, but don’t stop there. You need to build systems and predictability around the whole user journey — for your customers and your business.

Harley Green
 Michelle, did you want to jump in?

Michelle Rourke
 Go ahead, go to your next one.

Harley Green
 Alright, so the next question I have for everybody is: What are some of the most common traps that keep leaders stuck in the weeds? I think we’ve touched on some already — but how do you help them avoid those traps? Feel free to jump in.

Robert Liedtka
 Great question. Every leader, no matter where they are in their journey, needs to be aware of this if they want to grow.

Where I see leaders get stuck is when they have enthusiasm, but lack the tools or communication skills to bring their teams along. Or maybe they haven’t built trust, which is critical.

I teach leaders to align the three major aspects of trust:

  1. What you think
  2. What you say
  3. What you do

If any of these are out of sync, your team will sense the misalignment, and trust will erode. As humans, we pick up on that very quickly.

You need to be introspective. Ask: What do I really think? Am I saying that clearly? And does my behavior match? Without that alignment, your leadership becomes transactional instead of transformational.

Michelle Rourke
 I’ll dive in. One of the biggest traps I see is misalignment with the right people in the right seats.

In small-to-medium businesses, it’s common to build the team around people — family, friends, or long-time staff — instead of building based on structure.

You end up creating a job for Uncle Ted instead of identifying the functions the business actually needs.

Later, when it’s time to scale, you’re stuck with the wrong person doing the wrong job. That’s hard to unwind.

So I always say: Start by thinking 6 months ahead. Build your accountability chart based on what the business needs, not who you already have.

Cathy Christen
 Dead on. When defining a role, you also need to think about the attributes you want.

Do you need someone outgoing and energetic? Or someone quiet and detail-oriented? I once hired someone amazing for an operational role that needed a lot of inventory analysis. But she was super chatty — and it didn’t work.

It wasn’t that she was bad — she was just in the wrong seat.

When we moved her to client acquisition and marketing, she thrived. She was happy, we grew, and we found someone else who loved being behind-the-scenes with spreadsheets.

The key is getting crystal clear on the role and the kind of person who will thrive in it. Your brain starts looking for the right match once it knows what to look for.

Mike Abramowitz
 I’ve got two traps. One: leaders see everything as transactional, instead of investing in relationships — with their team, clients, and partners. Relationship-building is not a “nice to have.” It’s the fuel.

Two: There’s a math trap. Let’s say you want to work 30 hours a week for 48 weeks a year. That’s 1,440 hours.

Now let’s say your income goal is $300,000. Divide that by 1,440 — that’s $208 per hour.

If you’re doing $15/hr tasks, you’re out of alignment. You’re undercutting your own value. Just that shift in perspective can change everything.

Michelle Rourke
 EOS has a great tool for this — it’s called Delegate and Elevate. It’s the same idea. You figure out what gives you energy and what drains you. You start handing off the stuff that doesn’t match your unique ability. That’s how you grow.

Harley Green
 And speaking of the right seats, we had a podcast guest recently who talked about doing a responsibility auction.

If you’ve got a team where roles are murky — maybe family, friends, or long-time staff — strip away the names. Just list all the responsibilities on paper. Then let people “bid” on what they want to own.

The blanks that no one picks? That’s where you hire. It’s a simple way to get people aligned without hurting feelings.

Michelle Rourke
 Yes! And often when you remove someone from a role they weren’t thriving in, they’re so much happier. They didn’t want to be there either — they just didn’t know how to say it.

Cathy Christen
 Exactly. And productivity goes up when people are in the right seat. It’s not just about skills — it’s about energy and alignment.

Mike Abramowitz
 Let me click on that. Jeff Woods once told me: “Every seat should have three key jobs. And if you can’t do those three, you’re fired.”

It’s not about overwhelming people with 15 tasks. Keep it simple. Define the three most critical things each role must deliver — and build accountability around that.

You can connect that with the book The ONE Thing. Focus on what drives 80% of the results — and get clarity on what matters most.

Robert Liedtka
 Yes. And if someone consistently picks responsibilities that don’t align with the company’s vision — that’s a red flag. You might need to reevaluate the role or the person.

Prioritization gives you the lens to run those exercises more effectively.

Michelle Rourke
 Another EOS tool I love is GWC — Get it, Want it, Capacity to do it.

You ask: Does this person “get” the role? Do they “want” it? And do they have the “capacity” — meaning the skills and bandwidth?

It’s a simple filter that brings so much clarity.

Harley Green
 I’ve got more questions, and this group could talk for hours, but let’s jump to a final lightning round.

In just one or two sentences — what’s your best tip for a leader who wants to stop working in the business and start working on it this year?

Mike Abramowitz
 Oh man, how do I get this into one sentence?

Robert Liedtka
 Trying to pare that down too, ha!

Michelle Rourke
 One sentence? Okay — Let go and trust the system.

Robert Liedtka
 It all starts with ego. You’ve got to be honest about what you’re good at, what you’re not, and prioritize based on that. (Sorry, maybe a few commas and dashes in there.)

Cathy Christen
 Super tactical: Run a time audit. Then figure out what you don’t have to be doing.

Mike Abramowitz
 Okay, here’s my one-liner: Know what you want — then go build it.

Harley Green
 Powerful. I want to give everyone a chance to share how people can connect with you. Where can our audience find you online?

Cathy Christen
 Visit CathyChristen.com — all my links and socials are there. That’s Cathy with a C and Christen with a CH.

Michelle Rourke
 The best way is LinkedIn — just search for Michelle Rourke. Also, I recommend the book Traction — if you want a copy, send me a DM and I’ll mail it to you.

Robert Liedtka
 You can find me on LinkedIn as well — Robert Liedtka. My world is great for anyone in corporate who’s looking to scale teams or make a career move.

Mike Abramowitz
 And if you know a blue-collar business owner who wants more freedom, head to betterthanrich.com/GSD. I’ll do a free OBS call and help you design systems that work for your business — whether you do it yourself or hire us.

Harley Green
 Thank you all for your stories, insights, and wisdom today.

To everyone watching — thank you for joining this conversation. As a thank-you, we’re offering free access to our masterclass: “Delegate to Dominate.”

In it, I walk through how top execs are reclaiming 15–30 hours a week using the right strategic support.

Check it out — and unlock your bonus offer — at workergenix.com/bonus-masterclass.

See you next time on Executive Edge Live!

How to Eliminate Chaos and Build a Business That Runs Without You | Featuring Susan Fennema

by faye.eBusiness Growth, Productivity, Scale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

How to Eliminate Chaos and Build a Business That Runs Without You | Featuring Susan Fennema

 Most small business owners hit a wall—not because of market conditions or lack of talent—but because they’re still at the center of every decision.

In the latest episode of Scale Smart Grow Fast, Susan Fennema, Chaos Eradicating Officer, Beyond the Chaos, breaks down exactly how to remove owner dependency and turn chaos into clarity. With 30+ years of operational experience and co-author of Efficiency Amplified, she shares the mindset shifts, systems, and steps that help owners scale smart—without burning out.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

🚩 Warning Signs of Owner Dependency

  • You can’t take a real vacation without your business crumbling.
  • You’re constantly firefighting and exhausted.
  • Every decision runs through you.
  • Your best team members are either unclear or leaving.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and it’s fixable.

🛠️ First Steps to Operational Freedom

  1. Track Your Time: Write down everything you do in a week—daily, monthly, even the tasks you hate.
  2. Identify Low-Value Work: You’re likely doing $20/hour tasks as a $300/hour CEO.
  3. Start Delegating: Begin with part-time help (VA or project manager) and record quick Loom videos to train them.
  4. Build Basic Systems: Start small—like creating an offboarding process. It’s the most overlooked yet crucial one.
  5. Use Project Management Tools Correctly: Trello, Asana, ClickUp all work—if you implement structure.

🧠 Mindset Shifts That Matter

  • Your team can do it better—if they know what success looks like.
  • Letting go isn’t losing control; it’s gaining capacity.
  • Peace and clarity don’t mean your business is failing—it means it’s working.

🔄 From Chaos to a Saleable Business

Most owners who “want out” can’t sell because they are the business. Susan explains how systematizing operations not only gives you your life back—it turns your business into a real, sellable asset.

💡 Time Management That Works

  • Calendar block your strategic time—and honor it.
  • Hold “office hours” to reduce constant interruptions.
  • Shut off email/social notifications and check them intentionally.

🎁 Want to Know Where You Stand?

Susan offers a free Operations Audit to help you identify your biggest operational gaps.
👉 beyondthechaos.biz/operations-audit

Feeling buried in tasks that pull you away from growth? Our executive support helps you reclaim time, focus, and control.
👉 Book My Discovery Call

Bottom Line:
 If you’re doing everything yourself, you’re not running a business—you’ve built a job. It’s time to scale smart. Start by watching the full episode for practical strategies you can implement this week. 🎥 Watch now on YouTube 🔗 https://youtu.be/wfjBpwiUkdE

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript

Harley Green
Hey everybody, welcome back to the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast. Too many businesses hit a ceiling because the owner is still at the center of every decision. In this episode, Susan Fennema, chaos eradicating officer at Beyond the Chaos and co-author of Efficiency Amplified, shares how to eliminate operational chaos, build scalable systems, and finally break free from day-to-day dependency. With 30 plus years of operational expertise, Susan offers practical strategies to help business owners reclaim their time and lead with clarity. Susan, thank you so much for being on the podcast. How are you doing today?

Susan Fennema
Thank you so much for having me. I’m doing great and excited to get this week going.

Harley Green
Love it. Susan, can you tell us more about your background? What gave you this operational expertise and what made you decide to help businesses with their operations?

Susan Fennema
I’ve always been wired for organizing. As a child, I would sit with a jar of buttons and organize them by color and size. Throughout my career, I worked for small business owners in roles that were always process-oriented. I was focused on taking the load off the owner, simplifying, and streamlining operations.

In 2016, I started looking for what I thought would be my last job, but I realized I could serve multiple owners at once instead of committing to one. That’s when Beyond the Chaos transitioned from a side gig into a business dedicated to helping owners eliminate chaos and build freedom into their operations.

Harley Green
Owner dependency is a major roadblock to growth. What are some of the biggest warning signs that a business is too dependent on its owner?

Susan Fennema
The biggest red flag is if the owner can’t take a vacation without everything falling apart. Other signs include exhaustion, constant firefighting, and being the bottleneck for every decision. Team members feel stuck because they need approval to move forward, which leads to frustration and turnover.

We also see owners frustrated with clients, team members, and even family because they’re burned out. Many say they want to sell their business and walk away. But once they create processes and hand off work, they usually rediscover their love for the business and start growing again.

Harley Green
Some listeners might be realizing they don’t have to live with those stressors. What inspired you to start focusing on eliminating chaos?

Susan Fennema
I started in project management, making projects more efficient. But I quickly saw how much relief that gave owners, so I went deeper. I began looking at the entire flow—how leads come in, how proposals turn into projects, how work is delivered, and how to build repeatable systems that create more clients.

Owners should focus on relationships, strategy, and growth, not daily details. With systems in place, it’s easier to hold teams accountable and identify who’s performing well. Many owners start businesses because they love their craft, but get trapped in details. Fractional operations support—like project managers or integrators—helps free them up without the cost of a full-time COO.

Harley Green
That makes sense. For business owners who want to make their business more enjoyable or even more saleable, what are the first steps they should take?

Susan Fennema
Start by writing down everything you do in a week, then add monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks. Include tasks you hate as well. Next, estimate what you’d pay someone else to do those tasks. Most owners, worth $200–$300 an hour, are spending too much time on $15 tasks.

Those are the first things to delegate or stop doing. Document how you do them with a simple video or outline. Then bring in part-time support like an assistant or project manager. Offloading those tasks frees you to focus on higher-level work.

Harley Green
That’s a great point. Owners often hesitate to delegate because they don’t enjoy those tasks themselves.

Susan Fennema
Exactly. But there are people, like us, who love operations. Processes may feel like bureaucracy, but they’re what actually set you free.

Harley Green
You’ve mentioned several ways to eliminate chaos. Can you walk us through a few that create the foundation for scaling?

Susan Fennema
The first is process development. Clear processes make delegation and accountability easier, and they create a structure for addressing problems without conflict.

The second is project management. Many owners try tools like Trello, Asana, or Monday and give up, but the problem is usually implementation. With the right setup, these tools help deliver projects consistently.

The third is using time intentionally. Owners often get trapped in email or constant interruptions. The key is structuring your day to reduce distractions and focus on high-value work.

Harley Green
What are some tactical tips for managing time more intentionally?

Susan Fennema
Calendar blocking is essential. Schedule time to work on the business and treat it like a client appointment. Office hours are another great tool. Instead of constant interruptions, team members know when they can come to you.

Turn off notifications, step away from email, and use project management tools to track work instead of your inbox. Even small changes here can dramatically improve productivity.

Harley Green
How do you help owners move from reactive to proactive in their operations?

Susan Fennema
It starts with reducing emergencies. Once things calm down, some owners panic because they feel less needed. That’s where reviewing your numbers and focusing on strategic questions comes in. Use that newfound time to think about sales, growth, or improving the business instead of constantly firefighting.

Harley Green
In your book Efficiency Amplified, what’s one system or process every growing team should prioritize first?

Susan Fennema
Offboarding. Onboarding is important, but offboarding is usually an emergency. If someone leaves suddenly, you need to know what accounts they had access to, what passwords to revoke, and how to notify the team. Having that process in place prevents chaos and protects the business.

Harley Green
What are some mindset challenges owners face when trying to let go?

Susan Fennema
One is believing they’re the only ones who can do it right. In reality, with the right direction, team members often do it better. Another is the adrenaline rush of firefighting—when that’s gone, owners can feel lost. Adjusting both mentally and physically is part of letting go.

Harley Green
How can leaders maintain their vision while still empowering employees?

Susan Fennema
Every company has a culture, intentional or not. Leaders need to clearly communicate the vision and values, especially in virtual or hybrid teams. At Beyond the Chaos, we send framed value statements to employees as a daily reminder. Celebrating employees who embody the vision reinforces it across the team.

Harley Green
For owners still caught in the weeds, what’s one action they can take this week to start building more freedom?

Susan Fennema
Start that activity spreadsheet. Document what you’re doing every day, then identify what can be delegated. Operations isn’t one-and-done, it’s ongoing—like finance. But starting with that step is the path to freedom.

Harley Green
Susan, thank you so much for sharing these invaluable tips with our audience today. If people want to learn more or get in touch, what’s the best way?

Susan Fennema
I’d like to offer an operations audit to everyone listening. It’s a form that helps you evaluate how you’re operating and where we can help. Go to beyondthechaos.biz/operations-audit.

Harley Green
Fantastic, thank you for that. For those listening, if you got value from this episode, hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future strategies to help you scale smarter. Share this with a colleague who might benefit, and if you’re on a podcast platform, leave us a quick rating. Thanks again for tuning in, and we’ll see you on the next one.

Susan Fennema
Thanks, Harley.

How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Start Scaling Smarter Featuring Eden Lovejoy, Creator of the Virtual GM Matrix

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Start Scaling Smarter
Featuring Eden Lovejoy, Creator of the Virtual GM Matrix

If you’re a founder or business leader feeling buried in the day-to-day, chances are—you are the bottleneck. And that’s not a weakness. It’s a signal that you’ve outgrown your current structure, and it’s time for your next level of leadership.

In a recent episode of the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast, Harley Green sat down with Eden Lovejoy, fractional COO and creator of the Virtual GM Matrix, to talk about how leaders can finally step out of the weeds and lead with clarity.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

🔑 Key Takeaways from the Episode:

1. Leadership Begins with Mindset
 Most operational pain stems from a mindset block. Eden explains that many business owners are hesitant to delegate because they fear losing their value or control. The first step? Trust your team—and accept that leadership is about thinking, not just doing.

2. Delegation ≠ Abandonment
 Letting go doesn’t mean walking away. Delegation should come with structured feedback loops. Whether that’s weekly check-ins, data dashboards, or regular reporting, your systems should empower—not isolate—your team.

3. The Virtual GM Matrix: A Framework for Freedom
 Eden’s framework has helped countless companies streamline operations and build performance cultures. It’s built on three pillars:

  • Cultural Alignment: Mission, vision, and values that guide decisions.
  • Organizational Clarity: Defined roles, accountability, and authority.
  • Feedback Loops: Real-time insights and growth mechanisms.

4. Scaling Isn’t Just “More”
 Scaling isn’t doing more of what got you here—it’s often doing things differently. Eden urges leaders to audit their systems and ask: “Will this still work at 10x the volume?” If not, it’s time to evolve.

5. Work With Your Business
 Forget the outdated “on vs. in” dichotomy. Eden champions a new approach: work with your business by distributing leadership across your team. That’s where freedom and growth really begin.

🎯 Final Thought:

Scaling smart isn’t about hustle—it’s about systems, mindset, and trusting your team to lead. If you’re ready to reclaim your time and unlock sustainable growth, this episode is a must-listen.

🎁 Don’t forget to grab your free copy of Eden’s book at freebusinessbook.com

Schedule a discovery call to stop being the bottleneck and start building a business that runs without you.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript

Harley Green:
 Hey everybody, welcome back to the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast. Scaling a business shouldn’t require you to be the bottleneck. In this episode, Eden Lovejoy, creator of the Virtual GM Matrix and fractional COO to high-growth companies, shares how leaders can transition out of day-to-day operations by empowering their teams, installing scalable systems, and embracing a true visionary mindset. With over 30 years of business leadership and a track record of helping companies generate millions in revenue, Eden’s going to deliver a practical framework for delegation, leadership development, and sustainable growth. Eden, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Thanks Harley, I’m doing great. Thanks for having me. Glad to be here.

Harley Green:
 Eden, for our audience that isn’t familiar with your background, could you share what brought you along in this journey to what you’re doing today?

Eden Lovejoy:
 My journey really starts from being a child in a very chaotic environment. I was the oldest of four kids, and my family was in a lot of chaos in San Francisco in the 70s. I developed a preference for organization, structure, and consistency. Years later, I realized that’s what drives me.

As a young woman, I started working, took a gap year before school, and realized I wanted to work in small to mid-sized business environments. I liked the diversity, challenge, and entrepreneurial energy. Over the years, I found myself in operational, organizational, and streamlining roles. I’m a general manager by craft and inclination—GM or COO depending on the structure.

I always wanted to impact more companies than just one. I tracked what made the most difference in operational leadership and pulled those insights into the Virtual GM Matrix. My goal is to translate that operational leadership skill set into a strong team, diversify the skill set, lean out overhead, improve operations, and build high-performance cultures.

Harley Green:
 Before we started recording, we talked a bit about mindset. You mentioned how it’s usually a big challenge when people step into new roles. Can you elaborate?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Mindset is everything. I can only coach someone so far until they hit an internal mindset block. Many of my clients have built a team, but even with growth, they don’t get relief. Often it’s because they haven’t delegated authority. Everyone still comes to the owner for answers. They haven’t shifted into trusting their team.

To delegate effectively, you must learn to trust, let people make mistakes, and not fear losing your value as a leader. When owners begin delegating, they often feel awkward—like “what am I supposed to be doing now?” The opportunity is to move into strategic visionary leadership.

Harley Green:
 Right, and sometimes there’s guilt around delegation. How do you help people address that?

Eden Lovejoy:
 We reassure them. That guilt shows up in leaders who care deeply about their people. They don’t want to be on a pedestal. But leadership is a practical skill set. Teams want to be trusted and they want their leaders to be visionary. It’s about shifting the perspective on leadership’s contribution.

Also, it’s easier to do small tasks. I remember one day realizing everything easy had been delegated and all that remained were the thoughtful things. I had to learn how to work differently.

Harley Green:
 What are early signs someone is the bottleneck?

Eden Lovejoy:
 One sign is feeling overwhelmed despite having a team. Another is when people ask questions and your first thought is “you should be able to answer that.” These are signs you haven’t empowered your team’s leadership.

Harley Green:
 Tell us about the Virtual GM Matrix. How does it work?

Eden Lovejoy:
 It has three components. First is the cultural framework—mission, vision, and values that drive decision-making. It’s not just having them, but making them actionable.

Second is organizational structure. We identify overlaps, clarify roles, assign decision-making authority, and create accountability. This shifts pressure from top leadership to the team.

Third is feedback loops and growth patterns. Delegation is not abandonment. We build feedback mechanisms and growth plans so the leader isn’t the only idea generator.

Harley Green:
 How do you make mission, vision, and values stick so the team can make decisions like you would?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Culture is a contact sport. We integrate values into daily conversations, development reviews, and even contests. It may seem awkward at first, but over time it becomes the team’s language. Like knowing what country you’re in by the language—values become the company’s language.

Harley Green:
 Let’s talk about feedback loops. What do they look like in practice?

Eden Lovejoy:
 It depends on the company’s culture. The matrix isn’t a cookie-cutter—it’s tailored. We identify key indicators, then build reporting, meeting cadences, or technology around them. One company may focus on receivables, another on POS trends—it must fit the business.

Harley Green:
 You talk about working with your business, not just in it. What does that mindset shift look like?

Eden Lovejoy:
 The old idea is to work “on” not “in” the business. But now we need to work with the business—building leadership across the team. We move from needing one GM or COO to distributing operational leadership.

Working with the business means giving your team a voice and decision-making power, based on shared values and mission. It’s not managing by consensus—it’s aligning through principles.

Harley Green:
 When leaders are scaling, what process do they often skip or underestimate?

Eden Lovejoy:
 They think scaling means doing more of the same. But real scaling requires different systems. Sometimes the people or processes that got you here won’t get you there. Leaders must leapfrog beyond what worked and build new structures for the next level.

Harley Green:
 What red flags show a system isn’t ready to scale?

Eden Lovejoy:
 If you haven’t reviewed your systems recently, that’s a red flag. Businesses grow by patching things together, but at scale, you need cohesive systems. Take time to evaluate and redesign.

Harley Green:
 Any simple stress tests or questions you use with clients?

Eden Lovejoy:
 I focus more on teaching people how to think. The matrix includes a decision-making framework for growth—helping teams vet ideas thoroughly and ask the right questions, not just chase shiny tools.

Harley Green:
 For leaders feeling stuck, what’s one question they should ask themselves?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Ask: What am I doing that I don’t want to be doing? What isn’t aligned with my heart, strength, passion, or vision? Then ask: Where does that task belong instead?

Harley Green:
 If people want to connect with you or get your book, where should they go?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Visit freebusinessbook.com. You can download a free e-book copy. I want to get this info to as many business owners as possible.

Harley Green:
 Thanks again for the insights and the generous gift. If this episode brought you value, hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future strategies to help you scale smarter. And share it with someone who needs it!