It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud. But I hear it from technical founders every week.
A founder was struggling to make our coaching sessions. Brilliant engineer. Solid MSP. But drowning. Driving to networking events that weren’t generating leads. Chasing low-value invoices manually. Writing technical proposals for prospects who had no intention of buying.
When I asked why he hadn’t implemented the new sales process yet, he gave the classic answer: “I’ve just been too busy.”
This is the most dangerous trap in business. You’re so busy digging the hole with a spoon that you feel you don’t have time to stop and buy a shovel.
Being 100% utilised delivering work means you’re 0% utilised growing your business. That isn’t a business. That’s a job with more stress and less holiday.
We had to be ruthless. We stripped out the comfort work, the coffee chats with unqualified prospects, the admin that should be automated, the proposals that should never be written before qualification.
He didn’t need more hours in the day. He needed a process that stopped wasting the hours he already had.
If you’re working 12-hour days and your pipeline is still flat, working harder isn’t the answer. You need to stop digging.
What to do next: look at your diary for the last two weeks and circle the “comfort work” that feels productive but doesn’t move revenue. Then identify one system you’ll install to remove it (qualification gates, automation, a proposal rule, or a weekly pipeline routine).
If you’re ready to swap “busy” for “profitable”, you’re ready for the 16-week coaching programme.