The 30-Day Test Every Business Should Take

When I sold my stake in Rock The House in 2019, the buyer asked me one question during due diligence that stopped me cold:

“What happens if you’re not here for 30 days?”

I remember smiling and saying, “Nothing changes.”

Not because I wasn’t important to the business. But because I’d spent years building it so the business didn’t need me to babysit it every single day.

And honestly? That wasn’t the plan when I started.  I didn’t wake up one day thinking, “I’m going to build something I can sell.” I woke up one day thinking, “I’m exhausted, and this business is running my life instead of me running it.”

The Real Reason I Built a Business That Could Run Without Me

Let me be clear about something.  I sold Rock The House because I could, not because I had to.

The systems ran without me. Teams could lead, processes were documented, and the financials were clean.

Here’s what most people don’t understand about why that mattered: those things didn’t just make the business sellable. They made it livable.

Before I built those systems, I was trapped. My phone would blow up every time I tried to take a weekend off. I couldn’t get sick without everything falling apart. Every decision bottlenecked through me. I was working 60+ hour weeks just to keep the thing moving.

It didn’t feel like business at all. It felt like a job I created for myself. A really demanding, exhausting, never-ending job.

The Shift That Changed Everything

So I started building differently. Not because I wanted to sell, but I wanted my life back.  I realized that a business that can run without you isn’t just more valuable to a buyer. It’s more valuable to YOU while you own it.

Think about what that actually means.  YOU can:

• Take a real vacation without checking email every hour
• Work ON strategy instead of IN daily operations
• Scale without working more hours
• Have a life outside of work
• Explore new opportunities because you’re not chained to the day-to-day

The 30-Day Test

Here are the questions that changed how I thought about everything:

Could your business survive 30 days without you? Not thrive. Not hit record months. Just… survive.  Would it still run and serve clients?  Keep paying people without imploding?

If the answer is no, then you don’t have a business. You have a job you created for yourself.

And look, I get it. Getting to “yes” isn’t easy.  But every step toward “yes” gives you more freedom today. Not when you sell. Not someday. Today.

What Buyers Actually Want (And Why It Matters Even If You Never Sell)

Here are what they’re really looking for:

Systems that run without the owner.

Every role clear. Every process documented. Can the business operate if the founder takes a month off?

A team that can lead.

Are decisions bottlenecked through one person? Or can the team solve problems and move forward without constant approval?

Recurring relationships.

Do clients come back? Do they know the business or just the owner? Is there a brand beyond one person’s name?

Clean, honest financials.

No “creative” accounting. No shoebox full of receipts. Just clarity and trust.

They wanted to see those things because they de-risk their investment. And those same things de-risk YOUR life while you own the business.

The Business Health Checklist

Whether you want to sell someday or just want to build something that doesn’t consume your entire existence, you need the same things.

Click here to see the checklist we use in Mentor Pods with every member.  Use  the checklist to audit your business. Be honest and pick one area to improve this month.

If you’re under 8? You’ve got work to do. But at least now you know where to focus.

If you’re at 8-11? You’ve got a good foundation. Time to tighten the gaps.

If you’re at 12-15? Your business is healthy and valuable.

The Part Nobody Talks About

Building a business that can run without you is hard.

It requires documentation when you’d rather just do it yourself because it’s faster. Training people and watching them do things slower than you would. It also means letting go of control and trusting your team to make decisions. And building systems when you’re already busy just keeping up with the work.

But here’s what I learned. Every hour you invest in building those systems gives you dozens of hours back later. The processes you document means one less decision you have to make every day. And the people you train means one less thing bottlenecked through you.

It compounds.

And eventually, you wake up one day and realize: the business doesn’t need you every second. You can take a vacation. Think about what’s next or explore new opportunities. You can finally live.

Build It Like You’ll Sell It (Even If You Never Do)

So here’s my advice.  Build your business like you’re going to sell it someday.  Even if you never plan to.  Because a business built to sell is a business that’s better to own.

It’s more profitable, enjoyable, and valuable to you today.

And if you ever decide to sell? That’s just a bonus. The real win is the freedom you get while you’re still running it.

Your Next Step

Take the 30-day test this week. Ask yourself honestly: Could my business run for 30 days without me?

If not, pick ONE thing from the checklist above.  Document one process. Train one person. Build one system. Then do it again next week and the week after.  Just small steps, but you’ll see consistent progress.

Eventually, you’ll build something that gives you your life back and sets you free.