Founder Reality Check

Your self-rating

It starts with ten statements. Rate each honestly — how honest you are is what makes the gap real.

Domain 1

You

1.If I took two weeks off with no contact, the business would run fine without me.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

2.I spend most of my week on growth and strategy, not on daily problems.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

Domain 2

Your Team

3.My team makes day-to-day decisions confidently without checking with me.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

4.If a key person left tomorrow, we'd recover quickly.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

Domain 3

Your Systems

5.The way we do our core work is written down, not just held in people's heads.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

6.A new hire could learn our main processes from documentation, not by shadowing me.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

Domain 4

Your Money

7.Someone other than me could explain our numbers and cash position at any time.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

8.I always know our margins and cash position without having to dig for them.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

Domain 5

Your Customers

9.Our customers are loyal to the business, not to me personally.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

10.If I stepped back from client relationships, our top accounts would stay.

0 — not true at all10 — completely true

Five questions — one per area

One question for each of the five areas. The full check confirms these against the other thirty-five — this is the shape of the gap before the rest is in.

1.In the past month, how often did something stop moving because you weren't available? You

Constantly — most things wait for me. Often. Occasionally. Rarely or never.

2.Think of the last five meaningful decisions made in the business. How many were made without you? Your Team

None — they all came to me. One, maybe. Most of them. All or nearly all.

3.The last time you were away or fully tied up for a few days, what happened to the day-to-day work? Your Systems

It stalled until I was back. It slowed badly. It ran, with some things waiting. It ran as normal.

4.When did someone other than you last produce or explain the business's numbers? Your Money

Never — it's only ever me. Rarely, and only the basics. They do it sometimes. They do it routinely, without me.

5.Over the past year, how many of your top accounts have had someone other than you as their main contact? Your Customers

None — they all deal with me. One or two. Most. Effectively all.

About you

Just two fields at this point. Business name and the rest land at the full check.

Your name

Where the provisional read and the full report go.

The other 35 questions

Seven questions per area — the ones the gate didn't ask. For each, choose the answer that most honestly describes the business today — not where you'd like it to be. A = most dependent on you, D = most independent.

Step 1 of 6

Domain 1

You

1.How clearly is your role defined, separate from daily operations?

No clear role — I react to whatever comes up. A partial role, but I'm often pulled into operations. The role is clear, but I still step in regularly. The role is clear and I hold to it.

2.How often do you personally make the key operational decisions?

Daily, for most things. Often, but not for everything. Only for the more important decisions. Rarely — the business decides without me.

4.How much of your week goes to putting out fires?

More than half my time. A significant share. Occasionally. Rarely or never.

5.How easily could you step away for two weeks with no contact?

I couldn't — it would stall within days. With great difficulty and a lot of prep. With some preparation. Without a problem.

6.How much of your time goes to growth and strategy versus daily operations?

None — it's all operations. Very little. Some, but it gets crowded out. A protected, regular share.

7.When you're unavailable, how well does work keep moving?

It stops until I'm back. It slows badly. It continues, with some delays. It continues normally.

8.How often does work wait specifically for your input or sign-off?

Constantly — I'm the bottleneck. Often. Now and then. Rarely — people are cleared to act.

The other 35 questions

Step 2 of 6

Domain 2

Your Team

10.When a problem comes up, how often is it solved without reaching you?

Almost never — it all escalates. Occasionally. Usually. Almost always.

11.If a key person left tomorrow, how well would the business cope?

It would be a crisis. A hard scramble for weeks. A manageable disruption. Smoothly — there's cover.

12.How many core roles have a trained backup if someone is out?

None. One or two. Most of them. Every critical role.

13.How clearly do people know what they own and are responsible for?

Not defined at all. Partially, and informally. Clearly, but not always respected. Clearly defined and respected.

14.How capable is your team of leading others, not just doing tasks?

Not at all — I lead everyone. One or two could, with support. Several can lead within their area. There's a real layer of leadership under me.

15.How much do you trust the team to act in your absence?

Not at all. For minor things only. For most day-to-day matters. Fully, within clear boundaries.

16.How often do you have to redo or correct the team's work?

Constantly. Frequently. Occasionally. Rarely — the standard holds without me.

The other 35 questions

Step 3 of 6

Domain 3

Your Systems

17.How much of your core work is documented versus held in people's heads?

Almost nothing is written down. A few things, scattered. The main processes are documented. Thorough, maintained documentation.

18.Could a new hire learn your main processes from documentation alone?

No — they'd have to shadow me. Partly, with a lot of hand-holding. Mostly, with some support. Yes, on their own.

19.How consistent is the quality of the work when you're not checking it?

It drops noticeably. It slips in places. Largely consistent. Consistent without my involvement.

21.How repeatable are your key processes from one person to the next?

Every person does it their own way. Loosely similar. Mostly standardised. Fully standardised and followed.

22.When something breaks, how clear is the process to fix it?

There's no process — it comes to me. We improvise each time. There's a rough playbook. A clear, known procedure.

23.How much does delivery depend on one or two specific people?

Entirely. Heavily. Somewhat. It's spread and resilient.

24.How often do you improve or update how the work gets done?

Never — we just keep going. Rarely, and only after problems. Periodically. Continuously, as a habit.

The other 35 questions

Step 4 of 6

Domain 4

Your Money

25.How clear a picture do you have of monthly revenue and costs?

No clear picture. A rough sense. A good picture, with occasional gaps. Full, regular control.

27.How often are the financials reviewed on a set rhythm?

Almost never. Occasionally. Regularly. Weekly or more often.

28.How well do you know your margins by product or service?

Not at all. Approximately. Well. Very precisely.

29.How controlled is collection from customers?

Often late, with no system. Delays happen, but they're tracked. On time for the most part. Almost always on time.

30.How far ahead can you see your cash position?

Not at all. A week or two, informally. A month or so, with a basic plan. A clear, rolling forecast.

31.How quickly would a financial problem get spotted?

Only once it's a crisis. Late. Reasonably early. Almost immediately.

32.How much does financial control depend on you personally?

Entirely — if I stop watching, it slips. Heavily. Partly — others share it. It runs on a system, not on me.

The other 35 questions

Step 5 of 6

Domain 5

Your Customers

33.Are your customer relationships with you personally, or with the business?

Entirely with me. Mostly with me. A mix. With the business.

35.How concentrated is your revenue in a handful of customers?

A couple of accounts are most of it. Heavily concentrated. Reasonably spread. Well spread — no single account is critical.

36.Where do new customers come from?

Almost entirely from me personally. Mostly from me and my network. A mix of me and repeatable channels. A system that runs without me.

37.How much does closing a sale depend on your personal involvement?

Nothing closes without me. Most things need me. Some deals need me. The team closes without me.

38.How well are customer relationships and history recorded outside your head?

Not at all — it's all mine. Patchy notes. Mostly captured in a system. Fully captured and shared.

39.How loyal would customers be if a competitor appeared or prices rose?

They'd leave easily. Many would waver. Most would stay. Very loyal to the business.

40.How predictable is new customer flow without your personal effort?

It dries up if I stop. It drops sharply. It continues at a lower level. It's steady and systematised.

About the business

So the report can be framed to your situation.

Business name

Industry

Number of employees

Commercial context

Two final questions. Not scored — captured to frame the report.

41.How clear and differentiated is your value proposition?

Not clear. Partially clear. Clear. Very clear and distinct.

42.How stable is demand for what you sell?

Very unstable. Unstable. Relatively stable. Very stable.

Most owners rate their business 75% independent of them. Their answers say 33%.

Your self-rating

Five questions — one per area

About you

What you believe — and what your first answers suggest.

The other 35 questions

The other 35 questions

The other 35 questions

The other 35 questions

The other 35 questions

About the business

Commercial context

Submitting…

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