How Do I Go From Working In the Business to Working On the Business?

Oct 5

The Owner’s Guide to Scaling Beyond the Day-to-Day

Introduction

Many entrepreneurs start their companies wearing every hat—sales, operations, finance, HR, even IT support. But as the business grows, what made you successful at the start can hold you back later. The difference between working in the business and working on the business is the difference between being an employee of your company and being its leader.

Working In the Business

Managing daily operations and putting out fires.
Handling customer calls, vendor issues, and employee questions.
Doing the technical work (invoicing, bookkeeping, order fulfillment, etc.).
Reacting more than planning.

Problem: Staying here too long means the business can’t grow beyond the owner’s capacity.

Working On the Business

Setting strategy and long-term direction.
Building systems that others can run.
Developing leaders and empowering teams.
Reviewing financials, margins, and KPIs at a high level.
Seeking new opportunities—partnerships, acquisitions, or expansion.

Result: The business runs efficiently without constant owner involvement, and growth becomes scalable.

Steps to Make the Shift

1. Document and Delegate:

Create SOPs for recurring tasks, train team members, and trust them to own responsibilities.

2. Build a Leadership Layer

Promote or hire managers who can run departments and establish clear accountability.

3. Focus on Financial Clarity

Move beyond basic bookkeeping to executive reporting; monitor profitability, cash flow, and performance drivers.

4. Protect Your Time

Schedule strategy sessions and step away from tasks that don’t require your skillset.

5. Adopt the CEO Mindset

Ask: “Am I the only person who can do this?” If not, delegate.

Common Barriers

Fear of letting go or loss of control.
Lack of trust in staff.
Weak systems that make delegation risky.
Comfort in daily operations instead of discomfort in growth.

The Black Dog Financial Perspective

We help owners step out of the weeds and into leadership by providing:

Reliable financial infrastructure (bookkeeping, reporting, dashboards).
Accountability frameworks for tracking progress.
Strategic advisory so you focus on growth, not data entry.

When your numbers are clean, your team is aligned, and your time is freed, you can finally move from operator to strategist.

Conclusion

Working in the business creates income. Working on the business creates wealth. The transition is hard, but it’s the only way to scale sustainably and build a company that can thrive without you.

We welcome you to reach out with additional questions or to discuss strategies around the topic. You can reach us by clicking: Contact Us

zsultan@blackdogadvisor.com

Zak Sultan