Why Business Owners Get Stuck (And How to Break Through to the Next Level)

If you’re a business owner and feel like you’ve hit a wall, you’re not alone. Most entrepreneurs get stuck at some point—whether it’s in scaling their operations, managing their team, or achieving financial freedom.

But why does this happen?

At a recent mastermind event, I learned a game-changing framework from my mentor James Sinclair, who has built 17 businesses generating £40 million+ per year.

This framework completely changed how I see business growth, and I want to share it with you today.

By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly where you are in your business journey and what steps you need to take to level up.

Let’s dive in.

The Business Owner Triangle: Where Do You Fit?

Every business owner falls into one of three categories:

1️⃣ Solopreneur (80% of Business Owners)

📌 Doing everything yourself – operations, admin, marketing, sales, finances.
📌 Wearing all the hats – feeling overwhelmed and stuck in the day-to-day.
📌 Hard to scale because the business relies 100% on you.

This is where most business owners get trapped. You’re working hard, but you can’t seem to break through to the next level because you are the business.

2️⃣ Entrepreneur (15% of Business Owners)

📌 Hired a team & built systems to manage operations.
📌 Delegating tasks and focusing on growth.
📌 Business is running without you doing everything.

At this stage, you’ve started removing yourself from daily tasks and focusing on higher-level strategy.

3️⃣ Investorpreneur (5% of Business Owners)

📌 The business runs completely without you.
📌 You're focused on investing & scaling.
📌 Thinking like an investor instead of an operator.

This is where true financial freedom happens. At this level, you’re no longer the day-to-day operator—you’re a shareholder overseeing leadership teams.

The #1 Reason Business Owners Get Stuck

Most people never move from Solopreneur → Entrepreneur → Investorpreneur because they don’t know how to structure their business correctly.

Here’s the key:

👉 The structure of your business determines how high you can go.

Let me break it down.

The Business Structure That Determines Growth

Every successful company follows a hierarchical business structure:

🔝 1. Shareholders (Ownership Level)

✅ The owners of the company (could be you or investors).
✅ Not involved in daily operations—focused on long-term growth & investments.

📊 2. Executive Team (Strategic Leadership Level)

✅ CEO – Drives the vision & makes high-level decisions.
✅ COO (Operations) – Ensures the business runs efficiently.
✅ CFO (Finance) – Manages financial strategy & profitability.
✅ CMO (Marketing) – Oversees branding & customer acquisition.

📌 3. Department Heads (Tactical Management Level)

✅ Head of Sales – Focuses on revenue growth.
✅ Head of Operations – Ensures smooth daily execution.
✅ Head of HR – Manages team growth & company culture.
✅ Head of Finance – Handles cash flow, budgeting, & reporting.
✅ Head of Marketing – Drives brand awareness & customer retention.

🛠 4. Team Members (Execution Level)

✅ Staff who perform the work—customer service, fulfilment, sales reps, etc.

How to Move from Solopreneur to Entrepreneur

📌 If you’re a solopreneur, you are doing ALL of these roles yourself.

This is why you feel stuck—you have no leverage.

The solution? Start filling the roles BELOW you.

✅ Hire a Head of Operations to manage day-to-day tasks.
✅ Bring in an In-House Accountant to track your financials.
✅ Hire a Sales & Marketing Manager to generate leads.

The more you remove yourself from execution, the more you move from solopreneur to entrepreneur.

How to Move from Entrepreneur to Investorpreneur

📌 Once you have a leadership team in place, you can focus on:
✅ Expanding the business through partnerships & acquisitions.
✅ Investing in new ventures or buying other businesses.
✅ Building an exit strategy if you choose to sell.

At this stage, you become a true business owner, not just a worker in your own company.

The Difference in Thinking: Solopreneur vs. Investorpreneur

James Sinclair shared this powerful concept called MAS:

Solopreneurs Think Like This:

1️⃣ Security – "Is my income stable?"
2️⃣ Affordability – "Can I afford to hire someone?"
3️⃣ Management – "Who will run things for me?"

📌 This keeps them stuck—they wait for security before they invest in growth.

Investorpreneurs Think Like This:

1️⃣ Management – "Who is leading this?"
2️⃣ Affordability – "What is the potential return on investment?"
3️⃣ Security – "How do I mitigate risk?"

📌 Investors focus on leadership first, security last. This allows them to scale businesses faster.

💡 Lesson: If you want to move up, you must start thinking like an investor, not just an employee of your own business.

Where Are You Stuck? Here’s Your Action Plan

💡 If you're in the Solopreneur phase:
✅ Identify what tasks you can delegate first.
✅ Hire an operations assistant or virtual assistant to free up time.
✅ Build basic systems so you’re not doing everything manually.

💡 If you're in the Entrepreneur phase:
✅ Develop a leadership team (COO, CFO, CMO).
✅ Focus on scaling & improving profitability.
✅ Plan for long-term business sustainability.

💡 If you're moving toward the Investorpreneur phase:
✅ Look for investment opportunities (other businesses, real estate, etc.).
✅ Build a company that can run without you.
✅ Focus on high-level strategic decisions.

Final Thoughts: Breaking Through to the Next Level

Most business owners stay stuck because they don’t structure their company for growth.

📌 If you’re doing everything yourself, you’re trapped.
📌 If you start hiring & delegating, you gain leverage.
📌 If you build a leadership team, you create true wealth & freedom.

🔥 Your challenge today: Identify ONE role you can delegate and start working toward your next level.

💬 Where are you in the Business Owner Triangle?