You didn’t start your business to create another job for yourself…
You started it because you had a vision—whether that was financial freedom, impact, legacy, or just the ability to build something better than what you saw around you.
Yet, here you are. Running at full speed, making good money, even hitting milestones that should make you feel accomplished. But deep down, something isn’t sitting right. Growth has stalled. The effort-to-reward ratio feels off.
You’ve worked with coaches. You’ve tried new strategies. You’ve read the books and listened to the podcasts.
So why aren’t you where you thought you’d be?
And more importantly—why aren’t you thinking bigger?
Maybe it’s the market. Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’s just one more system, team hire, or breakthrough away.
Or maybe, just maybe… it’s you.
The Invisible Barrier You Don’t Even See
Pride isn’t what you think it is. It’s not just arrogance. It’s not walking around telling people you’re the smartest person in the room.
It’s more subtle than that.
It’s convincing yourself that no one understands your business like you do.
It’s sitting through another coaching session, nodding your head, but deep down thinking, Yeah, I already know this.
It’s believing that if you don’t oversee every major decision, things will fall apart.
That’s not leadership. That’s self-deception.
Pride convinces you that you’re already doing the right things—it just hasn’t worked out yet.
But here’s the truth:
- The business that scales beyond you is not built on how much you know—it’s built on how well you let go.
- The team that can take your company to the next level will never emerge if they don’t have the space to step up.
- The financial freedom you think you want is just a fraction of the wealth you could create—if you were willing to think bigger and stop making yourself the ceiling.
As Napoleon Hill said in Think and Grow Rich:
“Truly, ‘thoughts are things,’ and powerful things at that, when they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into riches, or other material objects.”
The problem isn’t just execution. It’s the limitations you’ve put on yourself—often without even realizing it.
Real-World Lessons from Those Who Got in Their Own Way
Let’s talk about two business owners who should have been wildly successful but nearly lost everything—not because of market conditions or bad strategy, but because of their own unwillingness to get out of their own way.
The Auto Repair Shop That Couldn’t Scale Until the Owner Got Out of the Way
This guy was smart. Built a profitable business. Brought in high revenue. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to scale.
So he hired coaches—lots of them.
He’d sit in meetings, listen intently, and then… do nothing differently.
Why? Because deep down, he didn’t believe anyone understood his business like he did.
He wasn’t looking for guidance. He was looking for validation.
It took over $100,000 spent on coaching before someone finally hit him with the truth:
“You are the bottleneck.”
Not the team. Not the market. Not the systems. Him.
The only way forward was for him to step aside and hire a president to run the company.
The result?
- The business tripled in value within three years.
- Employee satisfaction skyrocketed.
- Revenue exploded.
What changed? He did. Or rather, he stopped being the thing that had to control everything.
It wasn’t a new strategy. It was removing himself as the limiting factor.
The Dental Partnership That Crashed and Burned Because of Ego
Two brilliant dentists. Thriving business. High revenue.
And yet… it all fell apart.
Why? Because they couldn’t stop fighting for control.
Both of them thought they had the better approach. Both of them thought they were the stronger leader. Both of them listened to coaching but never truly heard it.
Instead of focusing on the future of the business, they focused on proving they were right.
The result? The partnership dissolved.
- Employees lost jobs.
- Clients lost the continuity of care they relied on.
- The business that could have been a multi-location empire became just another failed partnership.
Pride killed that business—not because they were bad at what they did, but because they refused to serve the vision instead of their egos.
And here’s the real kicker: if they had set aside their need to be right, they could have built a $100M empire instead of two competing $5M practices.
Their thinking was too small.
Yours probably is too.
How to Finally Break Free and Build the Business You Haven’t Even Dreamed of Yet
1. Stop Looking for Coaches to Confirm What You Already Know
The right coach isn’t there to validate you. They’re there to challenge you.
Ask yourself:
- Have I actually implemented what I’ve learned from past coaches?
- Have I dismissed advice because I “know my business better”?
- Have I ever rejected a strategy simply because it felt uncomfortable?
Growth doesn’t come from staying in your comfort zone. It comes from getting uncomfortable and actually changing.
Proverbs 15:22 – “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.”
2. Measure Success Differently
Instead of asking, How much am I making? start asking:
- How independent is my team from me?
- How often do I implement what I learn?
- How close am I to a business that runs without me?
Because here’s the thing—if your business can’t run without you, it’s not a business. It’s just an expensive job.
Luke 14:11 – “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
3. Make Humility a Monthly Habit
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Delegate a key decision you’d normally control.
- Admit a mistake to your team.
- Ask someone ahead of you, “What do I need to change?”—and then shut up and listen.
Humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself. It’s about creating room for something bigger than yourself to grow.
Final Thought: Are You Willing to Think Bigger?
Right now, you are likely limiting yourself.
- You’re seeing a seven-figure business when you could be building a nine-figure exit.
- You’re focused on controlling when you should be creating.
- You’re thinking about running the business when you should be owning it.
As Napoleon Hill said:
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
You’ve already proven you can build something great.
Are you willing to get out of your own way to build something bigger?
If so, here’s the next step:
Click the link below and schedule your free strategy call with one of our strategists. We work with business owners daily to help them break through the resistance they’re facing and finally reach their full potential.
Your pride will tell you to keep thinking about it.
Click anyway.