When it comes to running a business, there are two choices: do everything yourself and burn out, or build systems and buy back your time.
Over the years, I’ve seen countless entrepreneurs trapped in the first option — working harder and harder, but never really gaining freedom. The truth? Systems are the bridge between the business you have now and the business you want to build.
Let’s break down why systems matter, what holds people back from creating them, and how to start shifting your mindset.
What Exactly Are Systems?
Forget the complicated definitions. At their core, systems are simply how you do things.
They’re your processes.
They’re your methods.
They’re the way you do what you do.
Your systems will look different to mine, or to Andrew’s. Some might overlap, but many will be unique to your business.
The ultimate goal? To document everything you do, so that any task in your business can be completed by someone other than you. That’s the holy grail.
What Freedom Looks Like
I’ve seen members reach the point where their business runs entirely without them. One even took six months off to travel, only checking in once a week, and everything ran smoothly.
Not everyone will get to 100% freedom, but here’s the good news: even 30%, 40%, or 50% leverage makes a massive difference. Every year, aim to add another 10–20%. Slowly, you’ll let go of more and more, until you reach the level of freedom that works for you.
Ask yourself: how much freedom do you really want over the next 12 months? Pick a number and set that as your goal.
Why Bother Building Systems?
The goal of business is not to work yourself into the ground. It’s to create a life you actually want.
As Brad Sugars once said, a business is a commercial, profitable enterprise that works without you.
Robert Kiyosaki puts it similarly: if your business requires you to be there every day, it isn’t truly a business — it’s a job.
The aim is to move from active income (working for every dollar) to a business that generates income without needing you in the trenches every day.
Why Don’t People Build Systems?
There are plenty of reasons entrepreneurs avoid building systems, including:
- Not seeing the importance – if you’re here, you already understand this one.
- Lack of vision – no business vision bigger than themselves. We’ll solve this by working on your bigger vision.
- “No one can do it as well as I can” syndrome – this belief keeps people stuck.
- Fear of time investment – they think it’ll take too long. In reality, you can document systems in real time while doing the work.
- Not having the right tools – phones, cameras, mics, templates… we’ll cover them all.
- Lack of consistency – building systems is a habit, and like any habit, tools can help you stick with it.
The truth? Every obstacle can be overcome.
The Two Goals of Business: Money and Time
Think of business success as a chart with two axes:
- Money – how much income your business generates.
- Time (Leverage) – how much of that business runs without you.
At the bottom left, you’re making no money and doing everything yourself. At the top right, you’re making great money with complete leverage — the business runs without you.
When I first plotted myself on this chart more than a decade ago, I was low on money and had only one staff member. My leverage was minimal. But when I drew where I wanted to be in 12 months — double the revenue and 50–70% leverage — it gave me a clear target.
To move up and to the right, you’ll need to:
- Start doing things you’re not doing yet (hire a VA, implement a CRM, create a marketing plan, host webinars).
- Keep doing the non-negotiables (compliance, taxes, staff reviews).
- Stop doing the things holding you back (micromanaging, repetitive low-value tasks).
Freedom comes from letting go.
Stop Hoarding, Start Letting Go
Here’s the hard truth: many business owners are hoarders. Not of possessions, but of tasks.
They tie their identity to being the person who does everything. But business is what you do, not who you are.
If you’ve ever seen shows about physical hoarders, you’ll know their houses get so cluttered they can’t even move. Business owners can end up the same way mentally, holding onto every job, choking growth.
The key? Get comfortable with letting go.
What’s Your Time Really Worth?
If you’re an entrepreneur, your time is worth at least $200 an hour.
If you’re generating millions in revenue, it could be $500–$1,000 an hour. Anything that doesn’t match that value needs to be systemised and delegated.
Systems aren’t just about efficiency; they’re about protecting the value of your time.
Strategy, Action, Results
One of my mentors, Fiona, once explained that business has three categories:
- Strategy
- Action
- Results
Most entrepreneurs skip straight to action without a clear strategy. The result? Wasted effort and poor outcomes.
But if you spend more time on strategy — and building systems — you’ll need less action to get better results. I believe an hour spent building systems today saves 10 hours tomorrow. Over a year, that compounds into massive time freedom.
You Can’t Do It Alone
John Maxwell put it best: If you can climb a mountain alone, it’s not a very big mountain.
The same goes for business. If you can build it entirely on your own, it’s not a very big business. To scale, you need a team.
And here’s the mistake many make: training people directly instead of building systems. People forget. People leave. The average staff tenure is around 18 months. If you’ve trained someone manually and they walk out, you’re back at square one.
But if you build systems, the systems train the people. Once built, they can train hundreds — even thousands — without you repeating yourself. That’s leverage.
Your Next Step: Define Your Why
Before you start building systems, you need to connect to your reasons.
Why do you need to build systems? Not just nice-to-have reasons — must-have reasons.
Write down at least six. Stretch beyond one or two. The more reasons you have, the more meaningful this becomes, and the more likely you are to follow through.
Then rank them in order of importance. What’s your number one reason? Your number two? Three, four, five, and six?
Once you’re clear on why, you’ll be mentally and emotionally ready for the how.
At the end of the day, your business exists to serve you first, then your staff, and then your clients. If it’s not working for you, it’s working for no one.
Systems give you the leverage to create freedom, wealth, and impact. They allow you to let go of the small things so you can focus on building something big.
The question is: are you ready to stop hoarding, start letting go, and finally build the systems that will free you?
