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Most founders think they’re building systems, but what they’re really doing is building a trap. They document processes, map out org charts, maybe even wear a suit in their home office. Then they wonder why their team still comes to them for every decision.
The real issue isn’t a lack of documentation. It’s a lack of thinking.
Specifically, the kind of thinking that turns knowledge into leverage.
Table of contents:
1. What James learned managing a $50M dealership
2. James’s online business was the opposite
3. The breakthrough came from applying dealership thinking to his own work
4. Why most systems fail
5. Frameworks beat instructions
6. Real systems grow with your business
7. The three types of recurring income that scale
8. Build systems that think
What James learned managing a $50M dealership
In a past life, James managed a Mercedes-Benz dealership with 67 staff. It was the last job he ever had. They sold high-ticket products, handled complex situations, and dealt with every kind of customer objection imaginable.
But the thing that made the business work wasn’t the products or the people. It was the frameworks they built. These weren’t just checklists. They captured how their best performers thought through problems. And because they trained everyone using those frameworks, the business could run without James.
James’s online business was the opposite
At night, James ran his own business. He had info products, affiliate offers, SEO clients, and software deals. But it was all him. Every email. Every sales page. Every support reply. And it nearly broke him.
One family member told James he was going to work himself to death. She wasn’t wrong. James was doing twelve-hour days at the dealership and five to six hours at night working on his own business. He was burning the candle at both ends.
The breakthrough came from applying dealership thinking to his own work
One night, half-asleep at his desk, James had a thought: what if he applied the same systems he used at the dealership to his own tiny business?
What if he stopped trying to do everything himself and started building leverage?
That’s when things changed.
James started documenting how he made decisions, not just what the tasks were. He created simple frameworks his team could use. He trained them to think, not just follow steps. And slowly, his business became something different. It became scalable.
Why most systems fail
Most founders go too far in the wrong direction. They build massive wikis full of step-by-step SOPs that nobody uses. Or they create systems so rigid that the moment something unexpected happens, everything breaks.
The problem isn’t complexity. The problem is trying to remove thinking from the process.
Instead, you need to capture it.
Frameworks beat instructions
In James’s dealership, they trained people how to handle objections based on principles. In James’s online business, they now do the same.
When something goes wrong, the team doesn’t call James. They use the framework. They apply logic. They know how to think through the situation because they’ve trained for it.
Every week, they meet for 15 to 30 minutes. They don’t just hand out to-dos. They talk through what’s happening, why it matters, and how to improve it.
Real systems grow with your business
One of James’s clients, Lloyd, started out working with him after they met in the surf. He hated his corporate job. James showed him how he could help his clients as an operations integrator. Today, Lloyd runs a team of his own. They think strategically. They use frameworks. And they give him leverage.
That’s what a real system does. It scales with you. It removes you from the day-to-day, not by removing decisions, but by training others how to make them.
The three types of recurring income that scale
If you want to move away from selling time, these are the three models James recommends:
1. Revenue share or royalties – including affiliate deals
2. Retainers – for service providers
3. Memberships and communities – perfect for information experts
James uses all three. Together, they allow him to run a 7-figure business in about 10 to 15 hours a week.
Build systems that think
You don’t need more checklists. You need thinking tools. Start with the part of your business that causes the most friction. Build one simple framework. Train your team to use it.
Then do it again. And again.
Soon, your business will be making decisions without you. Clients will be getting results without your daily involvement. And your time will be freed up to think, reflect, and tune the machine.
Because in the end, your business should work harder than you do.
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