The Hidden Bottlenecks Keeping You Stuck at Six Figures—and Why You Can’t Spot Them 🥷

If you’re anything like I was, you might be feeling stuck right now.

Your business is doing okay. You’ve hit six figures, which felt great at first. But no matter how hard you push, growth has stalled. You’re working long hours, grinding away at every part of the business, but you’re not getting closer to that next level.

I’ve been there. For a long time, I thought that if I just kept working harder, I’d eventually break through to seven figures. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The truth? I was the bottleneck in my own business.

It wasn’t the market. It wasn’t my pricing. It wasn’t my product. It was me—my habits, my systems, and my mindset. The way I was running my business was the very thing keeping it from growing.

And here’s what I’ve learned: Most founders can’t see their own bottlenecks.

The Bottlenecks You’re Blind To

When you’re in the trenches every day, it’s almost impossible to spot the bottlenecks that are keeping your business stuck. You’re too close to the work, handling all the little details, and thinking that’s how it’s supposed to be. You feel like things are moving, but in reality, you’re running in place.

Let me walk you through the most common bottlenecks that business owners can’t see—and why they’re so dangerous.

1. You’re Doing Too Much

Early on, wearing all the hats is a necessity. You’re the marketer, the product creator, the customer service rep, the CEO—all rolled into one. But here’s the problem: when you’re doing everything, you’re the limit on your growth.

You’ve only got 24 hours in a day, and when you’re spending most of that time on low-value tasks—like answering emails, managing day-to-day operations, and putting out fires—you’re not focusing on the things that really drive growth. The reality is that working harder isn’t the answer. You need to work smarter.

2. Your Business Runs Through You

I fell into this trap hard. I had systems, sure. But every system depended on me. Every task needed my approval. Every decision had to pass through my hands. If I wasn’t involved, nothing moved forward.

The result? My business was capped by my capacity. If you’re at the center of every system, your business will always be limited by how much you can personally manage. You can’t scale if everything needs your touch.

3. You’re Afraid to Delegate

Let’s be real—no one can do it as well as you, right?

That’s what I told myself for a long time. I thought that hiring help would slow me down, that training someone would take too long, and that letting go of control meant quality would suffer. But here’s the truth: holding on too tightly is costing you growth.

Delegation isn’t just about saving time—it’s about freeing up your energy to focus on the activities that move the needle. The moment I started delegating, I unlocked the ability to focus on the high-impact tasks that actually grew my business.

Why You Can’t Spot These Bottlenecks

The hardest part about these bottlenecks is that you’re blind to them. When you’re deep in the day-to-day operations, it’s almost impossible to step back and see what’s really holding you back. You’re so focused on keeping things moving that you don’t have time to question whether those things should even be on your plate.

I didn’t see it at first either. I thought the grind was just part of the journey. I believed that if I worked harder, if I hustled more, I’d eventually break through. But that mindset? It kept me stuck.

Here’s what I had to realize: Growth doesn’t come from working harder. It comes from working on the right things.

The Shift: How I Broke Through the Six-Figure Ceiling

The moment I realized I was the bottleneck in my own business, everything changed.

I stopped doing everything myself. I stopped micromanaging. I built scalable systems that didn’t rely on me being involved in every step. And I delegated tasks that were keeping me stuck in the weeds.

Here’s what that looked like:

1. I Prioritized High-Leverage Activities

   Instead of trying to do everything, I focused on the activities that actually moved the needle—things like refining my offer, building high-ticket services, and scaling my marketing efforts. Everything else? Delegated or automated.
2. I Built Scalable Systems

   I created systems that didn’t require me to be involved in every decision. Automation became my best friend. I streamlined my lead generation, client onboarding, and follow-up processes so I could focus on strategy, not operations.
3. I Let Go of Control

   The hardest part was trusting others with tasks that I had always handled myself. But once I let go of the fear that no one could do it as well as I could, I freed up my time—and my business started to grow faster than ever.

The Fractional CEO Game Plan: Your Blueprint to Breaking Free

If you’re stuck at six figures and can’t figure out why you’re not growing, chances are you’re the bottleneck. But the good news? It’s fixable.

That’s why I created the Fractional CEO Game Plan. It’s designed to help founders like you uncover the hidden bottlenecks that are holding you back and build scalable systems that remove you as the limiter of your business.

Here’s what we’ll do:

• Step 1: Identify Your Bottlenecks

  We’ll take a deep dive into your business and figure out exactly where your time, energy, and resources are being wasted. Whether it’s micromanaging, doing low-impact tasks, or holding onto control, we’ll pinpoint what’s holding you back.

• Step 2: Build Systems That Scale Without You

  We’ll create automated processes that run without you being involved in every step. This way, you can step back and focus on high-leverage activities while the systems handle the rest.

• Step 3: Delegate Like a CEO

  You’ll learn how to delegate effectively so you can focus on the big picture—growing your business, refining your offer, and scaling your revenue. It’s time to let go of the fear and trust that your business can grow without you handling everything.

Ready to Get Out of Your Own Way?

If you’re stuck in the hustle and can’t seem to break through, the bottleneck is likely right in front of you. And once you spot it, you can fix it.

The Fractional CEO Game Plan is designed to help you do just that—remove yourself as the bottleneck, build scalable systems, and step into the role of CEO so you can focus on growing your business.

Ready to bust the bottleneck and unblock the growth you’ve been chasing?

Get The Break Free & Build Big Blueprint