How To Exit the Daily Grind and Make Your Business Run Without You

Working 60 plus hours a week, feeling burned out, and missing out on time with your family that you will never get back.

Sound familiar?

So many entrepreneurs end up in that exact situation. I know I did when I ran a global translation company.

I found myself struggling to live the life I wanted while still scaling my business. After one too many 80-hour weeks and missed appointments, I made it my mission to create a system that allowed me to make money in my sleep, focus on business growth, and free up my time so I could stop waiting to live life later. 

So, I offboarded myself from my business. 

Here’s how I did it.

Offboarding Instead of Delegating

Delegation is just a placebo effect. You feel good in the moment because you shuffled something off your desk, so you do it again and again, feeling proud that you are delegating.

"Delegating does not absolve you of responsibility; it simply shifts the kind of work you do." — Michèle Hecken, EO Canada Bridge

Delegating does not absolve you of responsibility; it simply shifts the kind of work you do. You still own the responsibility, and your people do not. Eventually, you become more stressed and overwhelmed, and it often feel like your head is spinning. This can lead to micromanaging and burnout. Growth and scalability potential are hobbled.

Offboarding is a game-changer because it transfers ownership of the entire responsibility instead of just individual tasks that alone do not fully achieve the desired outcome. Speaking from experience, it is an excellent way to train and build trust in employees, increase their value to the business, and ensure they feel valued, and relax your grip. It also means more time and flexibility in your schedule, allowing you to pursue other goals.

Letting Go of Control

In order to offboard myself, I had to get clear on what I absolutely needed to control and what I didn’t. 

When I ran my global business and went through this process, my team stepped up. While they often did things a bit differently than I would’ve, they were good at what they did. Ultimately, letting go of control allowed me to focus solely on high-value activities and significantly reduce the amount of time I was working in the business. 

My takeaway: You are the only one holding yourself back from building the businesses and living the life you want. Trust is the true currency of success.

There are dozens of benefits associated with offboarding, but some of the main ones include:

1. A Newfound Sense of Clarity

When I offboarded myself, I gained a newfound sense of clarity by granting myself permission to do things differently, work in my zone of genius, and only take on responsibilities that made me happy. That clarity and permission led me to true freedom.

2. Time Freedom Plus Financial Freedom 

I’ve been able to clear a minimum of 10 hours a week off the schedules of most entrepreneurs I’ve worked with. I have even helped some clients take 30 hours of work a week off their plates. 

"Are you ready to make this upcoming year you finally stop waiting to live your life later?" — Michèle Hecken, EO Canada Bridge

I also created more time freedom within my company, as part of the offboarding process entails everyone gaining an awareness of the value of their responsibilities and their associated key performance indicators. When people have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, they can work more efficiently. 

3. The Ability to be Present with Family

Lastly, offboarding allowed me to be more physically and mentally present with my family. Because I was no longer coming home stressed, tired, and drained, I finally had the mental capacity to show up for my family in the way I had always wanted to.

There you have it. This is how I got my business to run without me. This system is for anyone who wants to get their business to run without them so they can live life on their own terms. 

Are you ready to make this upcoming year you finally stop waiting to live your life later?

Contributed by Michèle Hecken, an EO Canada Bridge member, is an ex-CEO, a keynote speaker, and the founder of a private Executive Advisory practice for high-performing leaders. She is also the founder of The Art of Offboarding, a proprietary leadership and operational methodology.