Founders pay a high price for overworking. We glorify the grind and even brag about it.

But here’s the truth: If you’re still working 50-hour weeks after 5 years in business, you’re in danger.

It means your business:

• Depends on you
• Isn’t systematized
• Isn’t ready to scale

Working harder means going faster in the wrong direction. The destination? Burnout.

It looks like this:

• Snapping at people
• Making bad decisions
• Trying to escape the stress

Working harder just creates a bigger trap. Exhaustion, stress, and frustration are signals that your business can’t run without you.

Overworking won’t get you where you want to go. It just makes you tired.

Remember: The more hours you work, the less valuable your business becomes. No one wants to buy a business that is killing the founder—and you don’t want to own one either.

Instead, start thinking of yourself as an investor. Turn your business into an asset. Systematize it so it can run without you.

Then you have options: Keep it and scale, hire someone else to run it, or exit when you’re ready.

That’s the ultimate freedom.