Ryan here… |
I used to think scaling from $1M to $10M was about learning more, so I could do more. |
That turned out to be completely backwards. |
Because the hardest part of scaling wasn't what I had to learn… |
…it was what I had to unlearn. |
What no one told me was that nearly everything that made me successful at $1M would eventually become a liability on the road to $10M. |
And I didn't realize it until things started to break. |
Projects stalled.
Growth flatlined.
Margins compressed.
Our company culture went to crap. |
…all while I was working harder than ever. |
That's when it finally clicked: |
What works to get you to $1M doesn't just stop working as you scale… |
…it actively works against you. |
And that's what this issue is about… |
...the five "skills" I had to unlearn (and the leadership shifts I had to make) so the business could grow without me becoming the bottleneck. |
If you're between $1M and $10M and it feels like you're doing everything "right," but somehow it's getting harder instead of easier… |
…this one's for you. Let's get into it… |
1. I had to stop saving the day |
I used to think being indispensable was the goal. |
I was the one who built the products, wrote the copy, generated the leads, closed the sales, and put out the fires. |
I also… |
…checked the mail, managed payroll, and put out the fires. |
And that worked…until it didn't. |
At scale, being the hero is the fastest way to cap your growth. |
I had to get comfortable letting other people get the credit. First as a player-coach…then as a coach…and eventually as the owner on the sidelines. |
That transition is brutal. |
You go from doing everything to doing almost nothing that's visible to the outside world. |
But that's the point. |
If the business can't win without you on the field, it's not scalable…and you're not free. |
So here's the shift I had to make… |
The Shift: Hiring for Weaknesses → Hiring for Strengths |
In the early days of my business, I hired helpers to do the menials tasks I didn't want to do. |
Then I hired experts to do the important tasks I didn't know how to do. |
But the hardest hire I ever made (and the hardest hire you'll ever make) is when I replaced myself in the one role I was best at…the one I loved the most. |
For me, it was marketing. |
For you, it might be something else. |
But if growth is hiring for your weaknesses, then scale is hiring for your strengths so you can shift your focus from "doing" to leading. |
2. I had to stop leading by gut |
Early on, my instinct was my superpower. |
I knew our customers
I knew our numbers.
I could feel when something was off. |
But on the road to $10M, my gut started lying to me. |
There were too many people…too many variables…and too much complexity. |
Intuition still matters, but it has to be informed by data. At scale, the cost of a bad decision is just too high to rely on gut alone. |
So here's the shift I had to make… |
The Shift: Gut-Based Leadership → Scorecard-Based Leadership |
When a team member would ask me, |
"What we should do?" | | | | -Them |
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…instead of answering their questions with instinct, I started asking them a follow up question, first: |
"What red metric does this turn green?" | | | | -Me |
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Because at scale, the job of a CEO is simple: Identify the constraints/bottlenecks in the business (a.k.a. the "red" metrics) and surge all available resources to unblocking that constraint. |
Then repeat. |
It isn't always easy, but it is simple. |
And it doesn't require gut…just a scorecard, a great team, and the right questions. |
3. I had to stop hustling |
I used to think hustle = responsibility. |
Fast responses.
Constant availability.
Always "on." |
But at scale, hustle = liability. |
At some point, "move fast and break things" isn't as effective as it once was. A better strategy is actually to do LESS, reacting more SLOWLY, and allow issues to fully surface. |
Patience beats panic when you have a lot of moving pieces. |
So here's the shift I had to make… |
The Shift: 80-Hour Work Weeks → 4-Hour Work Weeks |
That's right, I actually had to force myself to work LESS. |
And not because I'm lazy… |
I had to force myself to work less because it forced intentionality and IMPACT into my calendar. |
Let me ask you a question: |
"If you could only work 1 hour a day, what would you do?" |
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Now let me ask you another question… |
"How many hours a week do you actually get to do that thing?" |
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For me, it was "Almost never," and if you're anything like the entrepreneurs I work with, you can probably say the same. |
So, here's the solution… |
Block out 4 hours of "Focus Blocks" on your calendar to do the high-impact genius work that actually matters. (For me, it was 9 am - 11 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) |
You'll obviously work more than those 4 hours (this isn't some Tim Ferriss "Four-Hour Workweek" kinda thing), but make a deal with yourself that if you only get those 4 hours in, that's a productive, meaningful week. |
Because at scale, the goal isn't to do more… |
…the goal is to do LESS…better. |
4. I had to stop keeping a "To Do" list |
I used to measure productivity by what I got done. |
Marketing emails sent.
Sales calls completed.
Customer support questions answered. |
But at scale, my personal "To Dos" became less important, because I was still just one person limited by the same 24 hours. |
If we were going to go from $1M to $10M, I had to change my definition of "productivity" from what I could personally get done to what my TEAM could get done. |
That meant my highest-value work was no longer in the doing of the work… |
…it was in the building of the systems that made the work happen without me. |
So here's the shift I had to make… |
The Shift: To Do List → To Build List |
Instead of keeping a "To Do" list, I started keeping a "To Build" list… |
"Write the email" |
…became "Write a template" so someone else could reply to that email next time. |
"Fix the error" |
…became "Document the fix" so someone else could fit that error the next time it happened. |
"Call the angry client" |
…became "Create a talk track," so I wasn't the only one who could put out ever fire that flared up. |
In other words, I had to stop DOING and start creating things like: |
→ SOPs
→ Automations
→ Hiring systems
→ Sales scripts |
These are all ASSETS you build, not tasks you do. |
Assets work when you don't, so the more you can replace yourself with repeatable assets, the more time you buy back for strategy…for creativity…for leverage… |
…for life. |
5. I had to stop the martyr mindset |
This habit was easily the hardest one for me break… |
I used to believe sacrifice was part of the deal. |
"I'll just take less this month…"
"We should reinvest those profits back into the business…"
"We can take that vacation next summer…" |
That mindset nearly broke the business…and almost cost me everything that mattered. |
At scale, the ultimate sign of a healthy business isn't revenue, growth, or customer satisfaction. |
The ultimate sign of a healthy business is its ability to distribute large chunks of cash to its owners. |
So here's the shift I had to make… |
The Shift: Growth at All Costs → Profit-First Growth |
I had to shift from "I'm willing to starve for this company" to "This company must generate real profit." |
First, I mandated that all my companies had to operate at a minimum 20% profit margin. |
It wasn't easy. |
In some cases, it was downright painful. |
But profit created clarity, and clarity forced better business decisions that made the company healthier (and more successful) in the long run. |
Then, instead of letting cash sit in my company's operating account, I started sweeping everything dollar over a set amount (usually one month's operating expenses) into a "Distribution Account." |
Then, at the end of every quarter, I distributed 80% of the funds in that account to my partners and me. |
And again, not because I'm greedy or selfish, but because when profit becomes non-negotiable… |
…decision-making gets clearer…
…margins start expanding…
…and companies start scaling again. |
Here's the truth most founders don't want to hear: |
The person who got you to $1M isn't the person who gets you to $10M. |
And that doesn't mean you're failing… |
…it means you're maturing. |
And if you're willing to unlearn what worked before, I'm here to tell you that it's so much better on the other side. |
⚡️ Action Step: Read through the five shifts above and make a list titled: "Habits I Need to Unlearn." Circle the one habit you're still clinging to, and commit to letting it go this quarter and so you can make room for a new, more scalable habit. |
Because scaling isn't about doing more… |
…it's about becoming the leader your business now needs. |
Ryan Deiss
Co-Founder and CEO, The Scalable Company |
P.S. I'm looking for 5 business owners who want to work 1-on-1 with my team and me to install a custom "operating system" in 2026, so your business can scale and so you can exit the day-to-day. Click here for the details. |
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