Every business owner goes through three phases.
Most get stuck in the second one forever.
Phase 1: I do it.
You do everything yourself.
Sales, operations, customer service, bookkeeping, marketing, cleaning the bathroom.
You have to. There’s no one else, no budget, and you need to learn every part of the business anyway.
This phase is survival. It’s necessary. You can’t skip it.
Phase 2: We do it.
You hire people. You train them. You work alongside them, transferring knowledge.
“Let me show you how I handle this customer.”
“Watch me do this, then you try.”
“Here’s how I close this sale.”
This is the transition phase.
And this is where most people get stuck.
They stay in “we do it” forever — always training, always supervising, always available for questions.
The business runs, but only with their constant
involvement.
Phase 3: They do it.
The team handles it without you. Not perfectly but good enough.
Progress > Perfection
They make decisions you would have made differently. They solve problems without asking. They hire, fire, and train the new teams.
You become optional.
The jump from Phase 2 to Phase 3 is the hardest.
It’s hard to give up control of your baby
I spent four years stuck in Phase 2.
The unlock was eventually realizing that my involvement was holding us back
We would never be able to scale if we didn’t break through to Phase 3.
What does the jump actually require?
First, it's deciding that 80% done by someone else is better than done by you.
Second, it's surrounding yourself with people who are 100% aligned with your core values
For me, they must be driven to win, be highly accountable, and team players.
That's it.
Accelerating owners from “I → We → They” is one of the pillars of 8-Figure Franchisee
Apply here if you’re tired of being stuck in phase 1 or 2.
We’ll hop on a call to see if we can help you break through.
Cheers!
Brian
