How to Successfully Vacation From Your Business, Part 2

 Yesterday, I asked a simple yet powerful question: “What would you do differently if you could step away from your business for one month?”

A month is a long time to be absent. Could you do it? Would your business still function smoothly without you there?

The heart of yesterday’s conversation was all about Automation—the kind that gives you the freedom to step away from the daily grind. And if you missed it, the key takeaway was this: Automation is essential for creating the freedom to scale your business.

So today, let’s dig into the word that’s central to the growth of any business: Scaling.

What Does Scaling Really Mean?

Scaling is more than just growth—it’s about setting the foundation for growth that can be sustained, planned, and leveraged over time. According to Anita Campbell, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends, “Scaling a business means setting the stage to enable and support growth in your company.”

In other words, scaling is about your capacity to grow without breaking the system that’s already in place. It’s about preparation, not just execution.

But how do you prepare? How do you ensure that when the time comes to expand—whether it’s opening a second office or scaling up your operations—you’ve got the structure to handle it?

Scaling can happen in different dimensions, and the first step is understanding these three areas of growth:

  • Scaling Up and Down – height, or the traditional growth we think about when we hear "scaling"
  • Scaling In and Out – depth, where the ability of your assets is measured
  • Scaling Wide and Narrow – width, or how broadly can your company focus

How Automation Plays a Role in Scaling

Now, let’s go back to the concept of Automation. Yesterday, we talked about using automation to step away from your business. The same idea applies when it comes to scaling. You can’t scale your business if you’re stuck in the weeds, working in your business every day. To scale, you need to step back and see the bigger picture.

This is where outside perspective comes in.

When I think about scaling my business, I know I need to surround myself with people who can give me the expert advice and external insights I need to grow. This is why Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are so crucial—they can provide that outside perspective and help keep things on track.

A Little Backstory on Why External Perspectives Matter

Let me give you a bit of background on why this is so important.

In my early career, I worked in network security. I was the “Who” that handled the “How”—I was in the trenches. But as I grew my business, I realized that some of the most valuable insights I got came from the outsiders—the consultants and advisors who weren’t in the day-to-day operations.

At one point, I was training others for an extremely difficult certification test. During the training, there was a section about the traditional corporate hierarchy. It looked like this:

  1. CEO / President
  2. Consultants and Advisors
  3. VPs / Directors
  4. Etc.

I remember asking myself, “Why are consultants and advisors placed second in the hierarchy?” It took me a while to figure it out, but eventually, I realized it was because of three key reasons:

  1. Experience – These outsiders have advised other companies and have seen what works and what doesn’t.
  2. Decision Filter – They can act as a filter, helping to prevent bad decisions from reaching the top.
  3. Perspective – They bring an external view that enables leaders to focus on the Capital-B Business rather than getting bogged down in the day-to-day tasks.

This is where the Who Not How principle really clicks. You delegate the decision-making and expertise you need to others, and it frees you up to focus on leading your business at a higher level.

Scaling Your Capital-B Business

When we talk about scaling your business, the preparation is far more important than the actual execution. It’s about building the foundation that will support growth in the long term, without breaking the systems that you’ve already put in place.

So, take a moment and think about how you can start scaling your business today. Are you surrounding yourself with the right people? Are you using automation to free up your time?

We’ll pick this up tomorrow, where I’ll walk you through how to begin the process of automating and scaling the management side of your business. And, trust me, once you have this in place, you’ll be well on your way to taking that month off—without the business missing a beat.

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