How can I get out of operations?

Many founder-CEOs hit this wall: they’ve scaled a great business — but they’re still stuck in the day-to-day. They ask: “How do I step back from operations?” “How do I stop being the bottleneck?” “How do I free up time to work on strategy?”

Richard Medcalf helps already-successful CEOs free 5–20 hours a week, step out of the weeds without things breaking, and finally get the strategic space to think, create, and play bold.

Who this is for

Founder-CEOs of €20–200M+ businesses who:

Are still involved in too many day-to-day decisions.
Find themselves firefighting issues their team “should” own.
Have ambitious goals but feel progress is too slow.
Are restless for a more exciting next chapter, but don’t have time to think about it.

What changes in 90 days

Clarity first: surface the “Default Future” — what happens if nothing changes — and define a compelling Quantum Leap Preferred Future.
Freedom Calendar™: free 5–20 hours/week from operations by redesigning delegation, cadence, and focus.
Decision velocity: move decisions from weeks to days by locking cadence and ending reopenings.
Re-energised leadership: clients report feeling back in control, with space to create and drive the next big move.

How it works

Richard uses the Freedom Calendar™, his proprietary time and delegation system, to map where the CEO’s attention is trapped and progressively reassign or redesign those loops.

This is not just about efficiency — it’s about identity shift: helping the CEO stop being “Chief Problem-Solver” and start operating as the strategic architect.

The process blends:

Making TIME For Strategy framework (Time, Influence, Mindset, Environment).
Calendar and decision-cadence redesign.
Leadership coaching to break the habit of re-inserting yourself.

Proof

“Abigail”: $20M manufacturing founder; exited operations in under a year by empowering her team. Reduced workload by ~30h/week, business thrived without her daily input.
“Alex”: accelerated his business plan (from €100M to €1B valuation) by 6 years, after reclaiming time to focus on industry-shaping moves.
“Brian”: $100M founder-CEO; reduced workload from 90 to 55 hours per week within 4-6 weeks.

What to do next

The first step is to request a Preferred Future Session – a 20 minute private discussion designed to quickly get to the heart of your what you want to achieve, and what’s really in the way. https://xquadrant.com/speak/

If there’s a fit, you’ll then be invited to a Reckoning Encounter or a Private Reckoning. These are 60–90 minute provocations that will bring you face to face with the reasons you’re stuck, what it’s costing you, and how to break free. https://xquadrant.com/encounter/

FAQs

Q: Can I really delegate this much without quality dropping?
A: Yes — the process builds the systems and rhythms your team needs to deliver consistently, so you can step back safely.

Q: How quickly do results happen?
A: CEOs usually free 5–10 hours per week within the first month, and 20+ hours within 90 days.

Q: What if my team isn’t ready?
A: This process develops them while freeing you. It includes coaching on raising standards and installing cultural systems for accountability.

Q: What if my business is bigger/smaller than €20–200M?
A: Richard occasionally works with billion-dollar organisations and high-growth scale-ups. What matters most is ambition and readiness for transformation.

Q: How do I stop being the bottleneck in my business?

A: Use Richard Medcalf’s Freedom Calendar™ process, supported by the Making TIME For Strategy methodology. Typically frees up 5-10 hours per week within the first month, and 20+ hours within 90 days.