3 Bottlenecks That Are Killing Your $1M–$6M Business (and How to Break Them)

If you’re running a business that’s doing between $1 million and $6 million in revenue and you can’t figure out why growth has stalled, you’re not alone.

Most founders blame the wrong things. They point fingers at the economy. They get frustrated with their team. They convince themselves they just need to work 80 more hours a week.

But here’s the truth: it’s bottlenecks. And until you recognize them and rip them out of your business, you’ll never grow.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the three most common bottlenecks I see over and over again in businesses your size—and show you how to break free from them.

Bottleneck #1: You Are the Hub

The biggest growth-killer I see is when the founder (or founding group) insists on being the hub.

• Every decision routes through you.

• Your team waits on you for answers.

• You’re CC’d on everything.

• The business slows down when you step away.

I’ve seen this play out from laundromats to $700 million corporations. If you want your business to scale, you can’t be the center of gravity.

The fix? Build a real leadership team. Empower them, let them make mistakes, and course-correct through processes and agreements—not by inserting yourself into every decision.

Bottleneck #2: Your Systems Don’t Scale

Another classic mistake: cheap systems.

Founders love to pinch pennies, but the wrong software or infrastructure can choke your business. Just like the crawfish guy I worked with who bought one cheap tire at a time—you might save in the short term, but you’ll never scale to a 20-truck or 100-truck business that way.

Sometimes paying 40% more gives you 200% in gains. That’s the 80/20 principle at work.

The fix? Invest in systems that scale before you need them. Ask: Is this choice painting us into a corner? Is it a band-aid, or is it built for where we’re going?

Bottleneck #3: You Lack Leadership Depth

Here’s the hardest truth: if your people can’t grow, neither can your business.

Too many founders hover over every move, refusing to give their team real responsibility. But scaling requires leaders under you who can lead others.

That means focusing on career development, mentoring your managers, and giving them the space to make decisions without you. In my own teams, I regularly talk with managers about career paths—even if it means they’ll leave one day. Ironically, it makes them stay longer and perform better.

The fix? Hire for attitude and aptitude first, specialty skills second. Build processes with scalability in mind. And most importantly—step out of the firefighting. Let some things break. When you stop reacting to every ping, you’ll realize the business can (and should) run without you.

Breaking Through the Plateau

These bottlenecks—founder as the hub, cheap systems, and shallow leadership—are the invisible ceilings holding most $1M–$6M businesses back.

The good news? They’re fixable. Once you address them, you free your company to grow toward $10M+ without sacrificing your sanity, family, or health.

Ready to Fix Your Bottlenecks?

If this hit home, it’s time to take a hard look at your operations. That’s exactly what I do in my Leadership Reset. It’s a proven framework that helps founders like you eliminate bottlenecks, build leadership depth, and scale without burning out.

👉 Click here to learn more about the Leadership Reset and see if it’s the right move for your business.

Why Your $5M Business Is Stuck—And How to Break Through to $12M

If you’re running a $5 million business and think you just need more sales to hit $10–$12 million, you’re dead wrong. That’s one of the most common — and costly — mistakes I see business owners make at this stage.

I’ve worked with dozens of leaders who have hit this exact wall. On paper, they’re successful. But behind the scenes? Growth has stalled, frustration is high, and burnout is lurking. The habits that got them here simply won’t get them to the next level.

Here are the three biggest scaling mistakes — and how to fix them.

1. Believing More Sales Will Solve Everything

When revenue slows, the instinct is to push harder: more marketing, more sales, more clients. But the extra volume only exposes cracks in your current operation — what I call “hidden pain points.”

Fulfillment breaks. Quality slips. And you risk losing the customers who got you here in the first place.

The fix: Shift your focus from top-line revenue to operational scalability. Audit your systems, people, and processes — in that order. Eliminate redundancy, cut waste, and make sure the foundation can handle growth before you add more volume.

2. Staying the Operator Instead of Becoming the Leader

At $5 million, you can’t keep running the show the same way you did at $1 million. If you’re still the choke point for every decision, you’re the bottleneck.

I’ve seen owners burn themselves out trying to recruit every hire, manage every process, and solve every problem personally. You’ll never scale that way.

The fix: Build trust and empower your team. Install managers, directors, and leaders who can operate independently. Your goal is to remove yourself from the day-to-day so you can focus on strategy, vision, and key relationships.

3. Ignoring Leadership Depth and Culture

Fast growth without leadership depth creates a fragile business. If your team depends on you for every decision, you haven’t built real ownership.

And here’s the hard truth: some owners like it that way. They thrive on being the hero, the firefighter, the one everyone depends on. But that’s not leadership — it’s control.

The fix: Invest in leadership development. Give your top performers the space, authority, and guidance to lead. Use controlled situations to let them make decisions, solve problems, and learn from mistakes. Build a bench of leaders who can carry your business forward without you.

The Breakthrough Formula: Systems → Staff → Strategy

Most business advice says “People, Process, Systems.” At this stage, flip it.

1. Systems – The right tools and tech to run efficiently.

2. Staff – People with the right attitude and aptitude to run those systems.

3. Strategy – Processes and direction that align your team and vision.

Bottom line: If you’re at $5M and want to get to $12M without burning out or breaking your business, you can’t just work harder. You need to think differently. Build scalable systems, step out of the operator role, and deepen your leadership bench.

If your business is between $1M and $6M and you’re ready to reset your leadership, align your team, and scale with confidence, my Leadership Reset program is designed for you.

👉 Learn more here: Start Your Leadership Reset.