Trying to scale but still stuck in the day-to-day? That is the messy middle. Revenue may be growing, but unclear roles, weak systems, and decision bottlenecks turn the owner into the bottleneck. Without defined structure and stronger team accountability, the business cannot move from messy middle to scale and profit stays constrained.

In this episode of Self-Made Is a Myth, Coach Tim Campsall sits down with Richard Worsham, owner of Janus Motorcycles, to unpack what happens when delegation breaks down and role clarity disappears. As the company grew from a small passionate team into a larger manufacturing operation, undefined roles and decision escalation created friction, confusion, and hidden bottlenecks.

Richard shares how over-delegation without structure and management decision hoarding at the same time trained the team to escalate problems instead of solving them. When the only person making decisions is the owner, the team waits, systems stall, and the business stays stuck in the day-to-day.

This is the messy middle. What worked in the hustle and grind stage does not work at scale. Goodwill and enthusiasm are not systems. Titles matter. Defined authority matters. Clear org charts matter. Moving from messy middle to scale requires repeatable systems, empowered leaders, and a team that can solve problems without routing everything back to the owner. Without that shift, the bottleneck remains and profit potential is delayed.

Richard also shares the lesson he wishes he had learned sooner: you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Generations of leadership, lean manufacturing, and operational systems already exist. Bringing in outside perspective accelerated clarity, strengthened habits, improved structure, and created a foundation to move beyond the messy middle and toward scale.

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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why unclear roles quietly create an owner bottleneck
• How escalation culture keeps teams stuck in the day-to-day
• The difference between delegation and structured authority
• Why defined systems are required before scale
• How reinventing the wheel costs time and profit
• The leadership shift required to move beyond the messy middle

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Looking To Scale Your Business:

Did you know that only 9% of businesses make it to $1,000,000 in revenue and less than 1% reach $10,000,000. The hustle and grind that got you to $1,000,000 will not get you beyond it. To scale past the Messy Middle, you need stronger systems, clearer structure, and disciplined execution. Book a Discovery Call to see how our ActionCOACH Business Operating System (ABoS) and coaching help you get unstuck and move toward sustainable scaling so you can achieve your personal dreams and business goals.

https://tbcactioncoach.com/discovery-zoom-call/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) The real growth killer: unclear roles
(03:00) Hustle and grind vs the messy middle
(06:00) Over-delegation and decision hoarding
(09:00) How escalation creates a bottleneck
(12:00) The power of defined roles and org charts
(16:00) Changing habits and building structure
(21:00) Stop reinventing the wheel
(24:00) Bringing in outside leadership and experience

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Janus Motorcycles creates a new category of iconic, hand-built production motorcycles that do more than take the rider from point A to point B. Manufactured in downtown Goshen, Indiana since 2011, each highly personalized Janus strives to capture the reason motorcyclists choose to ride in the first place, ignoring the distractions of horsepower, noise, weight, and tech gadgetry to distill the best of motorcycling: extraordinary aesthetics, a rich brand story, a thrilling riding experience, and easy reliable performance and maintenance.

Scaling in the messy middle feels heavier than it should. You are trying to scale, but you are still stuck in the day-to-day. Revenue may be growing, but weak culture, overcomplicated systems, and emotional decision-making quietly turn the owner into the bottleneck.

In this episode of Self-Made Is a Myth, Coach Tim Campsall sits down with Debbie Lovett, owner of Plan B Cleaning, to unpack what really stalled growth in her business. It was not marketing. It was not effort. It was culture without boundaries, systems that became too complex, and decisions made from emotion instead of numbers. Like many owner-led businesses in the messy middle, the company worked, but it still depended too much on the owner.

Debbie shares how trying to “love employees well” without structure created chaos. Weak boundaries allowed the wrong people to stay too long. Processes multiplied but clarity decreased. As revenue grew, churn quietly increased. Only when KPIs exposed client loss did the real issue become clear. The problem was not cleaning quality. It was professionalism, communication, and cultural consistency. Tracking numbers removed emotion and revealed the constraint.

This is the messy middle. Growth increases complexity. Without stronger systems, clearer guardrails, and a team that can own outcomes, scaling slows and stress rises. Breaking the owner bottleneck required documented training, simplified systems, stronger boundaries, and leadership maturity.

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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why culture without boundaries creates chaos that stalls growth
• How being stuck in the day-to-day reinforces the owner bottleneck
• Why overbuilt systems increase mistakes, stress, and rework
• How tracking numbers exposes hidden client churn
• The leadership shift from “be a cleaner” to “be a professional”
• How outside perspective helps untangle messy middle complexity

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Looking To Scale Your Business:

Did you know that only 9% of businesses make it to $1,000,000 in revenue and less than 1% reach $10,000,000. The hustle and grind that got you to $1,000,000 will not get you beyond it. To scale past the Messy Middle, you need stronger systems, clearer structure, and disciplined execution. Book a Discovery Call to see how our ActionCOACH Business Operating System (ABoS) and coaching help you get unstuck and move toward sustainable scaling so you can achieve your personal dreams and business goals. https://tbcactioncoach.com/discovery-zoom-call/

Sign up for our weekly business tips https://tbcactioncoach.com/resources/email-signup/

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Timestamps:

(00:01) The real growth constraint: culture
(04:45) Loving employees without boundaries
(06:38) Hiring HR to hold the line
(07:53) The personal cost of messy growth
(10:23) Process gaps pulling the owner back in
(14:02) 80 percent systems and decision guardrails
(17:02) Breaking the “only I can do this” belief
(25:31) You can’t read the label from inside the jar
(29:12) KPIs expose client churn
(31:04) From cleaner to professional culture

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Plan: B Cleaning is a residential cleaning company based in Central Indiana, serving busy people who want more than just a clean home. Founded by Debbie Lovett, the company exists to help clients reclaim time, peace, and mental space through reliable, professional home care. Plan: B is built on the belief that exceptional service starts with intentional culture — where professionalism, clear communication, and consistency are taught, modeled, and expected.

Scaling in the messy middle feels heavier than it should. You are trying to scale, but you are still stuck in the day-to-day. Growth increases revenue, but weak systems, leadership gaps, and cash pressure turn the owner into the bottleneck. Without stronger systems and a stronger team, scaling slows and profit gets squeezed.

In this episode of Self-Made Is a Myth, Coach Tim Campsall sits down with Josh, CEO of Wildman Business Group, to unpack what happens when a company doubles revenue but leadership capacity, systems, and financial discipline have not caught up. Scaling requires more than effort. It requires mature systems, a capable team, and visibility into profit and cash flow. Without those, growth creates stress, pulls the owner back into operations, and reinforces the owner bottleneck.

Josh shares how stepping into ownership during a highly leveraged acquisition forced him to understand cash flow at a deeper level. Sleepless nights wondering if payroll would clear revealed how scaling without financial visibility can threaten profit and long-term stability. As revenue doubled, the business encountered new talent gaps. Senior leadership roles the company had never hired for before became essential to continue scaling without the owner staying stuck in the day-to-day.

This is the messy middle. The hustle and grind that built the company no longer works. Hero leadership and overfunctioning prevent the team from fully owning outcomes. When the owner keeps saving the day, systems do not mature, accountability weakens, and the bottleneck remains. Scaling requires standardized systems, stronger leadership, and a team that can deliver results without constant owner intervention.

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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why scaling without financial discipline threatens profit
• How talent gaps quietly reinforce the owner bottleneck
• Why being stuck in the day-to-day blocks scaling
• How standardized systems unlock sustainable growth
• The leadership shift required to scale beyond hustle
• How coaching helps owners break isolation and build stronger teams

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Looking To Scale Your Business:

Did you know that only 9% of businesses make it to $1,000,000 in revenue and less than 1% reach $10,000,000. The hustle and grind that got you to $1,000,000 will not get you beyond it. To scale past the Messy Middle, you need stronger systems, clearer structure, and disciplined execution. Book a Discovery Call to see how our ActionCOACH Business Operating System (ABoS) and coaching help you get unstuck and move toward sustainable scaling so you can achieve your personal dreams and business goals. https://tbcactioncoach.com/discovery-zoom-call/

Sign up for our weekly business tips https://tbcactioncoach.com/resources/email-signup/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) The biggest growth constraint: people and cash
(02:00) Stepping into ownership during high leverage
(06:00) Cash flow stress and payroll pressure
(09:30) Doubling revenue and emerging talent gaps
(11:00) Hiring senior leaders to continue scaling
(14:30) The messy middle and infrastructure bottlenecks
(16:00) From hero leadership to standardized systems
(20:30) Letting the team grow without rescuing
(26:00) Leading through crisis without becoming the bottleneck

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