How about instead of reactively letting your business happen to you...

And ending up trapped like most owners, feeling stuck in your business...

You followed a map—guiding you through clear stages to the destination of a business you can sell, run by a motivated team, and not dependent on you?

I’m going to give you the outline of that map and its stages right now.

Commit these stages to memory, and you’ll avoid the common pitfalls the majority of business owners fall into:

Stage 1 - Startup
Typical Time Period: 6-18 months

This is the exciting phase where you’re creating your own thing.

You don’t care how little you’re paid or how hard you have to work, as long as you gain traction—pushing you into Stage 2.

Stage 2 - Success to Slog
Typical Time Period: 3-5 years

You’ve found product-market fit and built a steady customer base.

You’ve grown a team.

You’re the leader of this ship, shaping your business and team. It’s fulfilling.

But eventually, the novelty of everything relying on you wears off.

This is when success becomes slog.

Now, you face two choices:

- Choice 1 (the common default): Stay here. Your business starts feeling like a job, and you get more miserable over time.

- Choice 2: Short-term pain for long-term gain. Push yourself to get uncomfortable and move into the Systems phase.

Stage 3 - Systems
Typical Time Period: 1-2 years

At this stage, you recognise that you are the biggest bottleneck in your business.

Instead of staying stuck, you commit to replacing yourself with people and systems.

This isn’t complicated, but it’s not easy.

- You’ll have to let go.
- You’ll need to get comfortable with things not being perfect.
- You’ll have to get everything out of your head and onto paper.

But when you do, your business becomes a win-win:

- For you: You’re freed from the tasks you dislike, like operations and management.
- For your team: They’re empowered, motivated, and find more meaning in their work.
- For your customers: They get a more streamlined service.
- For the business: It becomes more efficient—less waste, more profit—paving the way for Stage 4.

Stage 4 - Sale or Scale
Typical Time Period: 1-2 years

Once you’ve worked through the Systems phase, selling or scaling becomes the natural next step.

If selling: It typically takes 1-2 years to market the business, find the right buyer, and complete the deal.


Why do 80% of UK businesses listed for sale never sell?

Because their owners skipped Stage 3.

They stayed stuck in Stage 2 until they couldn’t bear it anymore—then tried to jump straight to Stage 4. It rarely works.

I hope having this map gives you more clarity about where you are in your owner journey and what you need to do next.

If you want help moving into and through the Systems phase, here’s what I recommend:

Grab a copy of my book, The Happy Business Revolution, for just £4.99.

It’s packed with insights and actionable steps to help you.

Book a call with me to explore how we can help.

Let’s discuss the solutions we can provide to support your journey.