The Bottleneck Is You - How Founders Accidentally Break Their Own Businesses
Most businesses don’t stall because of bad strategy, they stall because the founder becomes the bottleneck. In this episode of 10 Minute Masterclass, Trey Sheneman uncovers the four common ways founders accidentally slow down their own growth and shares simple frameworks to help you delegate, prioritize, and free your team to scale beyond you.
Key Takeaways
Founders often become the lid on their own business – the good news? You can fix it.
The 4 founder bottlenecks:
Decision Bottleneck – Nothing moves without your approval. Solve with decision rights and a RACI chart (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed).
Communication Bottleneck – You’re the go between for every conversation. Solve with meeting rhythms, scorecards, and project management tools like Asana or ClickUp.
Task Bottleneck – You say, “They won’t do it like I will.” Solve with buyback rate thinking (focus on $1,000/hr tasks only) and strategic delegation.
Priority Bottleneck – You’re the only one who knows what’s important. Solve by teaching your team to prioritize using OKRs, Rocks, and non-fatal decision making opportunities.
Growth past $2–3M requires shifting from founder-led to systems-led leadership.
The founder’s real job? Vision, strategy, and building leaders – not doing all the work.
Timestamped Highlights
[00:00] – Most businesses stall because of founder bottlenecks, not bad strategy.
[01:30] – The silent killer of scale: being a founder-led business past $3M.
[03:00] – Bottleneck #1: Decision overload. Install decision rights.
[04:00] – Bottleneck #2: Communication traffic jams. Fix your rhythms and tools.
[06:00] – Bottleneck #3: Founder as task martyr. Calculate your buyback rate.
[08:00] – Bottleneck #4: Priority hoarding. Teach your team to decide and own goals.
[10:00] – Weekly challenge: Audit yourself – where are you the bottleneck?
Sponsor: Live Well Vacation Club LiveWellMembership.com
Want to work with Trey and his Team? Then go to Herald: 🔗 Herald – https://www.weareherald.co/ Want to connect with Trey for a follow up question?Find him on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/treyshen/ Are you ready for predictable growth in your business? Check out the COMPASS: 🔗https://www.weareherald.co/compass Want to to learn Trey’s system for being a Fractional Growth Advisor and CMO? Grab the Training: 🔗https://www.thecompassmethod.co/crashcourse Connect with 10-Minute Masterclass Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10minmc/ Trey’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trey_sheneman Herald’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herald_co
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10:53
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10:53
Fix Your Sales Assembly - The 3 Places Line Revenue Gets Stuck
Sales is not an art it’s a machine. And like any machine, if one part breaks, the whole system suffers. In this episode of 10 Minute Masterclass, Trey Sheneman walks you through how to diagnose breakdowns in your sales process by looking for three common failure points. If your revenue feels stuck, this is how to find the leaks, fix the friction, and restart the flow.
Key Takeaways
Sales is an assembly line: lead → conversation → proposal → pitch → close.
Revenue often stalls because something breaks at one of three points:
Input Problem – You're not generating enough qualified leads. Bad traffic creates unqualified leads. Fix by:
Identifying your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
Choosing the right channels based on where your customer spends time
Repositioning your offer if needed
2. Process Problem – Leads go cold, proposals stall, or demos drag on. Fix by:
Auditing your follow-up cadence
Training your team on objections and urgency
Building time-sensitive offers or capacity limits
3. Output Problem – Verbal yes, but no signature. Fix by:
Adding risk-reversal (e.g., 30-day guarantee)
Improving close technique with next steps and deadlines
Clarifying objections early and often
Sales doesn’t have to feel mysterious—it can be mapped, measured, and optimized.
Timestamped Highlights
[00:00] – Sales is an assembly line; traffic jams cost revenue
[01:30] – Is sales an art or a science? (Trey votes science.)
[03:00] – Leads → Conversations → Proposals → Pitches → Close
[04:30] – Breakdown 1: Not enough qualified leads
[06:30] – Bad traffic? You're probably on the wrong channel
[07:00] – Breakdown 2: Leads not converting smoothly
[08:00] – Audit your follow-up, add urgency, train objection handling
[09:00] – Breakdown 3: Output problems—verbal yes, no action
[10:00] – Add risk reversal, tighten next steps, map your machine
Want to work with Trey and his Team? Then go to Herald: 🔗 Herald – https://www.weareherald.co/ Want to connect with Trey for a follow up question?Find him on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/treyshen/ Are you ready for predictable growth in your business? Check out the COMPASS: 🔗https://www.weareherald.co/compass Want to to learn Trey’s system for being a Fractional Growth Advisor and CMO? Grab the Training: 🔗https://www.thecompassmethod.co/crashcourse Connect with 10-Minute Masterclass Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10minmc/ Trey’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trey_sheneman Herald’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herald_co
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10:58
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10:58
SWOT for Synthesis – The Step Where The COMPASS Comes Together
Most teams treat SWOTs as box checking exercises or forget them entirely. In this episode of 10 Minute Masterclass, Trey Sheneman walks through a smarter, strategic SWOT one that helps you synthesize everything you’ve learned from your brand, your avatar, your messaging, and your funnel. If you're running a growth audit or using the COMPASS Method, this is the step you can’t afford to skip.
Key Takeaways
Research without reflection is just noise. SWOT is where reflection creates insight.
The Compass Method’s “S” stands for SWOT for synthesis, not a generic SWOT.
Focus your SWOT specifically on:
Competitive position
Offer and funnel
Messaging
Team and tech stack
Customer profile
The four SWOT zones:
Strengths – What’s your unfair advantage? What can competitors not easily replicate?
Weaknesses – What’s holding you back or creating drag? Where do leads get stuck?
Opportunities – What gaps can you exploit? Where is there growth headroom?
Threats – What could derail your progress? Think market shifts, key person risk, or tech disruptors.
Translate your SWOT into three priorities using the Keep, Kill, Create filter.
Use this analysis to build your next 90-day growth plan.
Timestamped Highlights
[00:00] – Research without reflection is noise. SWOT helps clarify.
[02:00] – Recap of COMPASS framework and why SWOT comes last.
[04:00] – Strengths: Where are you winning consistently and why?
[05:00] – Weaknesses: What’s clunky, outdated, or losing momentum?
[06:00] – Opportunities: Avatar expansion, market gaps, product evolution.
[07:00] – Threats: What could derail your current growth?
[08:00] – Turn SWOT into a 90-day plan using Keep, Kill, Create.
[09:00] – Real example: SaaS company with low awareness and high retention.
[10:00] – Final encouragement: Don’t skip the synthesis.
Want to work with Trey and his Team? Then go to Herald: 🔗 Herald – https://www.weareherald.co/ Want to connect with Trey for a follow up question?Find him on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/treyshen/ Are you ready for predictable growth in your business? Check out the COMPASS: 🔗https://www.weareherald.co/compass Want to to learn Trey’s system for being a Fractional Growth Advisor and CMO? Grab the Training: 🔗https://www.thecompassmethod.co/crashcourse Connect with 10-Minute Masterclass Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10minmc/ Trey’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trey_sheneman Herald’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herald_co
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10:06
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10:06
The Greatest Leadership Lesson Randy Gravitt Ever Taught me
Most leaders obsess over the scoreboard in the boardroom. But the one that really matters is at your dinner table. In this episode of 10 Minute Masterclass, Trey Sheneman shares one of the most personal and important leadership lessons he's learned: if you win at work but lose at home, you still lose. This episode is a call to redefine success beyond business growth and invest in the people who matter most.
Key Takeaways
If you win at work but lose at home, you still lose.
Inspired by Randy Gravitt's book Winning Begins at Home.
Don't trade significance for success.
Four core principles for leading at home:
You can't outwork a broken home life – Business wins won't mask the guilt of neglect.
Be a leader, not just a provider – Provision is more than financial; it's emotional and spiritual.
Have rhythms and plans at home – Just like work has one-on-ones, budgets, and planning meetings.
Redefine your success story – Make sure your legacy is about your family, not just your business.
Prioritize connection time: even 30-minute blocks can change how your family feels.
Your work team is important, but your home team is the first team.
Timestamped Highlights
[00:00] – The real scoreboard isn't in the boardroom; it's at home.
[01:30] – Trey's personal challenge: balancing a startup with family life.
[03:00] – Randy Gravitt’s advice: “If you win at work and lose at home, you lose.”
[04:00] – You can’t outwork a broken home life.
[05:00] – Being a leader, not just a provider.
[06:00] – Building rhythms and plans for family life.
[08:00] – Redefining success: legacy over accolades.
[09:00] – Personal stories of making family the first team.
[10:00] – Final encouragement: lead yourself well.
Grab Randy Gravitt’s Book Winning Begins at Home here: Winning Begins at Home by Randy Gravitt
Want to work with Trey and his Team? Then go to Herald: 🔗 Herald – https://www.weareherald.co/ Want to connect with Trey for a follow up question?Find him on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/treyshen/ Are you ready for predictable growth in your business? Check out the COMPASS: 🔗https://www.weareherald.co/compass Want to to learn Trey’s system for being a Fractional Growth Advisor and CMO? Grab the Training: 🔗https://www.thecompassmethod.co/crashcourse Connect with 10-Minute Masterclass Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10minmc/ Trey’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trey_sheneman Herald’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herald_co
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10:49
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10:49
How To Make Your Strategic Meetings Not Suck
Too many "strategy meetings" are just status updates with snacks. In this episode of 10 Minute Masterclass, Trey Sheneman teaches you how to run high converting strategy meetings that actually produce decisions, clarity, and momentum. Learn the four traits of a real strategic planning session, plus a facilitation framework you can start using with your team immediately.
Key Takeaways
Strategy meetings should work on the business, not just in it.
Bad strategy meetings are expensive procrastination: updates, no decisions, no follow-through.
The 4 traits of effective strategic planning meetings:
Anchored to objectives – Use OKRs or rocks to set goals and measure red, yellow, green status.
Facilitated with a clear agenda – Use the 4 Rs framework: Review, Reframe, Refocus, Realign.
Ends with ownership – Assign clear single owners for each task with deadlines and why it matters.
Follows a consistent rhythm – Weekly, monthly, or quarterly—publish the cadence in advance.
Push for dissent to get true buy-in and avoid groupthink.
Visualization is key: whiteboards, scorecards, real data—not guesses.
Timestamped Highlights
[00:00] – Why most strategy meetings suck: updates with no action.
[01:30] – The cost of expensive procrastination.
[03:00] – Trait 1: Anchor to objectives, not opinions.
[05:00] – Using OKRs or rocks to set and review goals.
[06:00] – Trait 2: A clear facilitation agenda using the 4 Rs.
[07:00] – Trait 3: End with single-owner commitments.
[08:00] – Trait 4: Strategic meetings should follow a set rhythm.
[09:00] – Connect strategy meetings to operational meetings for full alignment.
[10:00] – Final tips: visualize, use real data, and push for dissent.
Want to work with Trey and his Team? Then go to Herald: 🔗 Herald – https://www.weareherald.co/ Want to connect with Trey for a follow up question?Find him on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/treyshen/ Are you ready for predictable growth in your business? Check out the COMPASS: 🔗https://www.weareherald.co/compass Want to to learn Trey’s system for being a Fractional Growth Advisor and CMO? Grab the Training: 🔗https://www.thecompassmethod.co/crashcourse Connect with 10-Minute Masterclass Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10minmc/ Trey’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trey_sheneman Herald’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herald_co
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