Welcome back to The Growth Ring.
Every Tuesday, one idea, one framework, one action. No fluff, no filler. Read it in three minutes, use it before lunch. That's the deal.
Let's get into it.
One Idea
Most owner-operators say they want to work “on” the business not “in” the business, but the calendar usually tells a different story. They spend prime hours on $25 - $100 tasks while telling themselves they “don’t have time” for the strategy work that actually increases revenue and margins.
One Framework
Look at everything you do through 3 lenses:
$25 dollar work - Admin, coordination, simple follow ups, basic data entry. Necessary to run a business, but not the best use of the owner’s time.
$100 work - Managing people, reviewing estimates, solving mid-level problems, handling customer issues. Important, but still replaceable.
$1,000 work - Designing offers, tuning pricing, fixing core processes, building key hires, strategic partnerships, and reviewing trends in the numbers to make better decisions.
Healthy businesses push the owner steadily towards the $1,000 work. Stuck businesses keep the owner trapped doing $25 work at a $1,000 cost.
One Action
This week:
Open your calendar and find a 60-minute block in the next 7 days that is currently filled with $25 or $100 work.
Cancel or delegate everything in that block. Move it, hand it off, delete it.
Rename the block “$1,000 Hour - [Specific Focus].” Make the focus concrete, like:
Tune up pricing on top 3 services.
Map customer intake, handoff process for new jobs.
Review last quarters P&L for hidden leaks.
Then, during that hour, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, email closed. One hour. One problem. One improvement that will still matter in six months. Do that once a week until you build a trend of where the true buildup for the company lies and your time becomes more valuable.
See you next Tuesday.
Scott