5 Mistakes Operators Make Running the Company
Issues stop climbing to you. You turn off when you get home.
90 minutes live with Jason Smylie. The five patterns that keep every issue climbing to the top, and what to change this week so they stop.
I made all five mistakes. Here is what each one costs.
You can’t let go
I signed off on every real estate deal for years. I was not the expert. The stakes just felt too big. The result: wrong calls, and people waiting on me.
Your meetings suck
Same people, same complaints, no decisions. A meeting that solves nothing sends every issue straight back to your desk.
Nobody knows what they own
If two people think they own it, nobody does. If nobody owns the number, you do. Clear ownership is what lets an issue die on the team that has it.
You can’t turn off work
You walk in the door still solving problems in your head. Your family gets the tired version of you. That cost never shows up on the P&L, and it is the biggest one.
You tried to fix it alone (and got burned)
I read the books and tried to install it myself. It did not stick, and it cost me credibility with my team. Borrow a map from someone who has walked it.
Plus the map I use every week
The weekly rhythm, who owns what including the numbers, and how to hold excellence when it will not be done exactly your way.
Save my seatThis is for you if
You are the COO, president, integrator, or founder who runs the business day to day.
You're an experienced operator who is overworked and burnt out.
It is your first time in the seat. School gave you pieces, not a system.
You lead multiple units, locations, or teams and the issues keep landing on your desk.
You want to be present at home and you are tired of bringing work through the door.
Probably not for you if
You are pre-revenue or solo. There is no team yet for issues to land on.
You want a growth hack or a marketing play. This is about how the company runs.
You like being the one every decision runs through and you are not ready to give that up.
Jason Smylie
I am President of Capriotti's. Ten years in that seat, 22 years in franchising, and I helped grow the company to over +$130M in revenue across 200+ locations globally. I know what it feels like when every issue climbs to you.
I am an EOS Integrator, trained and mentored by the co-founder of EOS Worldwide. I coach operators from my own lived experience, not from a binder I never ran.
I tried to fix it on my own first. It did not stick. What finally worked was simpler than I expected: the right people in the right seats, one weekly rhythm, and the discipline to hand off the work I loved. Family comes first in my house. When I protect that, I show up sharper at work.
More about Jason