Coaching 360
By Kevin Riley, Business Growth Specialist, Coaching 360
I work with business owners across the West Midlands who have already built something that works — profitable businesses with growing teams — but who find that growth suddenly feels harder than it used to.
There is a common stage I see repeatedly where effort delivers less impact, complexity increases, and the business begins to feel heavier, even though it may be performing well. This stage is often referred to as crossing the chasm.
It typically shows up when a business has:
- Grown beyond a small, close-knit team
- Introduced managers or supervisors for the first time
- Increased turnover without gaining any real headroom
At this point, owners often experience:
- Feeling busier but less effective
- Becoming the bottleneck for decisions
- Teams hesitating or waiting for clarity
- More effort producing less progress
These aren’t signs something is wrong.
They’re signals the business has outgrown the way it has always worked.
Below are five practical tips I regularly share with business owners navigating this stage.
Recognise You’re in a Transition — Not a Crisis
If your business feels harder despite being more successful, you’re likely at a transition point where old ways of working no longer scale. Naming the stage removes self-blame and allows you to focus on what needs to change now, rather than assuming the problem is you or your team.
Stop Scaling Effort and Start Designing How the Business Works
Hustle filled the gaps early on, but at this stage it often creates friction rather than progress. The focus needs to shift from doing more to designing clearer roles, decision-making, and priorities so growth doesn’t rely on constant intervention.
Create Clarity Before Expecting Accountability
When businesses grow, performance issues are often blamed on people when the real issue is ambiguity. Before asking for more ownership or initiative, ensure it’s clear who owns what, who decides what, and what “good” looks like. Clarity restores confidence far faster than pressure.
Introduce Rhythm Instead of Constant Urgency
As complexity increases, businesses need consistency more than speed. Simple rhythms for reviewing priorities, performance, and progress reduce firefighting and decision fatigue, allowing teams to execute calmly and predictably.
Let Go of Being Central to Everything
One of the hardest shifts for business owners is moving from being the problem-solver to designing the system. Sustainable growth happens when decisions and ownership sit clearly across the business — not when everything flows back to one person.
Final thought
If your business feels heavier than it used to, that’s not failure. It’s often a sign you’re crossing a natural growth threshold. Understanding the stage you’re in is often the first step to making growth feel manageable again.
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About Kevin Riley
I’m a Business Growth Specialist and Founder of Coaching 360. I work with growth-stage business owners to help them scale sustainably, improve leadership clarity, and ensure that being in business gives them more life, not less.
