[3 Prompt Friday] Still doing 12 jobs at your agency?
Corey Quinn
Founder, Deep Specialization™
Most founders don’t have a productivity problem—they have a priorities problem.
There’s a myth in agency land that you can “work your way out of the weeds.”
You can’t.
Not sustainably.
Because if you're still the strategist, closer, marketer, ops lead, and occasional copy editor… you're not running a business—you’re running yourself into the ground.
Here are 3 uncomfortable questions to help you break the cycle:
What are the 3 highest-leverage activities only you can do—and how many hours did you actually spend on them last week?
Which role are you clinging to out of habit, ego, or fear—and what’s the cost of keeping it on your plate another 90 days?
If you had to take a two-week vacation starting tomorrow, which parts of the business would fall apart—and what does that tell you about where to systematize next?
If these hit a little too close to home, it means you're ready to change.
And if you want a roadmap for shedding founder overload and building a team that scales without burning you out—Anyone, Not Everyone has the blueprint.
(Chapters 8 and 9 are your next move.)
CQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't just working harder get a founder out of the weeds?
Because doing more isn't sustainable when you're already the strategist, closer, marketer, ops lead, and occasional copy editor. At that point you're not running a business, you're running yourself into the ground.
How do I figure out where my time is actually going?
Look at the 3 highest-leverage activities only you can do, then check how many hours you actually spent on them last week. If the number is low, your time is likely going somewhere it shouldn't be.
How do I know if I'm holding onto a role for the wrong reasons?
Ask which role you're clinging to out of habit, ego, or fear, and what it would cost to keep it on your plate another 90 days. That cost is usually bigger than it feels day to day.
What's a quick way to see what still depends on me?
Imagine taking a two-week vacation starting tomorrow. Whatever would fall apart tells you exactly where to systematize next, since that's the part of the business still running through you alone.
Where can I find a roadmap for fixing founder overload?
Chapters 8 and 9 of Anyone, Not Everyone lay out the blueprint for shedding founder overload and building a team that scales without burning you out.
About Corey Quinn
Founder, Deep Specialization™
Corey helps founder-led agencies scale through Deep Specialization™ and programmatic M&A. Former CMO of Scorpion ($20M to $200M). Author of "Anyone, Not Everyone."
