What Would It Take for Your Business to Run Without You?

A business that cannot run without its owner has fewer options, a lower ceiling and a harder exit. This article sets out the business case for building one that can, and a practical order for doing it: systems first, then people, then coaching. It draws on John Warrillow's Built to Sell and his tests for a business that can run without its founder (teachable, valuable, repeatable); on Brad Power's Harvard Business Review case for standard work as the base that makes improvement possible; and on Gallup research on 143 Inc. 500 chief executives, in which those with high delegating talent generated 33% more revenue than those without it. It also shares how Dr. MaryJane Hanlon built a business that could run without her, and connects the work to the Ready question of The Succession Filter™.