Are You Stuck in the
Owner-Operator Trap?
➡️ The solution? It's time to stop reacting and start designing from the owner's seat.
There is a Better Way:
Independence by Design™
➡️ See how the iBD Framework guides you—download our free tools today..
The Two Hats Every Business Owner-Operator Wears
Every entrepreneur starts as an Operator—managing operations, solving problems, and making day-to-day decisions. But if you want real freedom, you must transition into an Owner—someone who designs a business that scales, grows equity, and thrives without their constant involvement.
Which hat are you wearing today?
Operator: Caught in the grind, solving daily problems, working for income.
Owner: Focused on value creation, building systems, and growing long-term wealth.
➡️ The iBD Framework helps you shift from Operator to Owner—so your business works for you, not the other way around.
Operator
- Time for Money (Salary)
- Operational Execution
- Daily challenges: Managing team dynamics, handling immediate problems, and making decisions on the fly.
Owner
- Reinvesting vs. Distributions
- Equity (Valuation) Growth
- Big picture focus: Building wealth, achieving financial freedom, and creating a business that aligns with your personal goals.
Unlock the Power of Being a Business Owner
Every entrepreneur starts as an Operator—managing operations, solving problems, and making it scale. But if you stay there forever, you'll never achieve true freedom. The iBD Framework helps you shift from Operator to Owner—so your business works for you, not the other way around.
Most business systems focus on optimizing operations—but they don't help owners build scalable wealth. The Independence by Design™ Framework is built to align your business decisions with your long-term vision for time, cash flow, and wealth—helping you Escape Velocity faster.
At the heart of every business owner's journey is a constant push and pull between time, cash flow, and wealth. These three forces determine whether you're trapped in operations or building true independence.Right now, you might feel like:
- Time Constraint: Your business depends on you, leaving no time for strategy, growth, or personal freedom.
- Cash Flow Constraint: The lifeblood of your business. Predictable cash flow gives you the freedom to reinvest, take distributions, and fund your goals.
- Wealth Constraint: You’ve built a great business, but without a clear roadmap, you don’t know if it’s truly building equity—or just keeping you stuck.
The goal isn’t just to grow revenue—it’s to create Independence: a business that funds your ideal life, whether you’re working in it or not.
The Solution: Aligning Your Time, Cash Flow, and Wealth
The Independence by Design™ Framework gives you a structured process to transition from being trapped in constraints to having a business that gives you freedom, financial clarity, and long-term wealth.
This isn’t just a theory—it’s a proven path. Here’s what happens when you implement the right strategy:
- Step out of day-to-day operations while the business runs without you
- Turn cash flow into an asset that funds your freedom
- Build wealth through ownership—whether you keep, scale, or sell
Indepencence Flywheel™
Working with Ryan has been revolutionary. I have more clarity and less anxiety regarding the financial health of my business. I’m so grateful that I can now use my new mindset, tools and knowledge to grow my company’s equity value.
Steve Schaffer
Owner, Schaffer Manufacturing
The most concrete business practice I learned and adopted in Ryan's workshop was starting to think about our company as a financial asset and realizing we can forecast the business’s value into the future. We now understand that the future cash flow and equity value are the real metrics behind the health of the company.
Anne Dougherty
Owner, ILLUME Advising
As a business owner, I sometimes get into a rhythm or maybe a rut and do things in a certain way, almost methodically. Ryan's workshop allowed me to intentionally disrupt the rhythm and look at things through a different lens.”
Jamie Gmach
Owner, Evolving Solutions
An incredible resource for M&A pros
Ryan's podcast is a weekly ritual for my team. The insights and conversation topics. Ryan and his guests touch on issues that are highly relevant and actionable. We even find ourselves simply forwarding episodes to our clients to help them navigate the exit process. Thanks for the thought leadership!
Steve Gerten
Partner & Advisor, Paradise Capital LLC
Purposeful and Authentic
Ryan never fails to deliver excellent content that is useful and helpful. He asks questions that draw the best out of his guests. Ryan is motivated to help people achieve their purpose and his enthusiasm is tangible. He brings experience and authenticity to every episode.
Jenna Fromm
CEO, Palmer Bus Service
“Ryan Tansom walks the talk. He is incredibly dedicated to helping business owners and leaders ‘grow the value of their business with an end in mind’. My Vistage Members, EOS Clients and Coaching Clients leverage Ryan’s tools, education, workshops, and podcasts. My only regret about Ryan, is that I did not meet him earlier in my professional career.”
Katina Koller
Vistage Chair and EOS© Implementor
Working with Ryan has been revolutionary. I have more clarity and less anxiety regarding the financial health of my business. I’m so grateful that I can now use my new mindset, tools and knowledge to grow my company’s equity value.
Steve Schaffer
Owner, Schaffer Manufacturing
The most concrete business practice I learned and adopted in Ryan's workshop was starting to think about our company as a financial asset and realizing we can forecast the business’s value into the future. We now understand that the future cash flow and equity value are the real metrics behind the health of the company.
Anne Dougherty
Owner, ILLUME Advising
As a business owner, I sometimes get into a rhythm or maybe a rut and do things in a certain way, almost methodically. Ryan's workshop allowed me to intentionally disrupt the rhythm and look at things through a different lens.”
Jamie Gmach
Owner, Evolving Solutions
An incredible resource for M&A pros
Ryan's podcast is a weekly ritual for my team. The insights and conversation topics. Ryan and his guests touch on issues that are highly relevant and actionable. We even find ourselves simply forwarding episodes to our clients to help them navigate the exit process. Thanks for the thought leadership!
Steve Gerten
Partner & Advisor, Paradise Capital LLC
Purposeful and Authentic
Ryan never fails to deliver excellent content that is useful and helpful. He asks questions that draw the best out of his guests. Ryan is motivated to help people achieve their purpose and his enthusiasm is tangible. He brings experience and authenticity to every episode.
Jenna Fromm
CEO, Palmer Bus Service
“Ryan Tansom walks the talk. He is incredibly dedicated to helping business owners and leaders ‘grow the value of their business with an end in mind’. My Vistage Members, EOS Clients and Coaching Clients leverage Ryan’s tools, education, workshops, and podcasts. My only regret about Ryan, is that I did not meet him earlier in my professional career.”
Katina Koller
Vistage Chair and EOS© Implementor
Three Phases to Independence:
Build a Business That Runs Without You
The Independence by Design™ Framework provides a structured path to achieving true ownership freedom. Instead of being trapped in the daily grind, this framework helps business owners create a financially independent, owner-optional company by focusing on three key phases: Each step moves you closer to Independence Escape Velocity™ The freedom to do what you want, when you want—whether you own the business or not..
1
Phase 1: Plan → For the Future
Stop making gut‒based decisions. Start thinking like an investor.
This is where clarity starts. You define your ownership goals, understand the math of value and exit, and install a decision rhythm that keeps you aligned.
Modules inside Plan:
- Expand Knowledge → Understand the game of ownership.
- Clarify Goals → Stop guessing. Start designing.
- Drive Strategy → Build a feedback loop that keeps you on track.
Outcome:
Plan fuels your Time lever—helping you reclaim control, direction, and focus.
2
Phase 2: Build → a Valuable Business.
Create a machine that throws off cash flow—predictably and profitably.
This is where clarity turns into structure. You optimize your financial model, build a revenue engine aligned to your valuation goals, and scale operations without chaos.
Modules inside Build:
- Optimize Financials → Build a model that matches the mission.
- Maximize Growth → Build a predictable revenue engine.
- Scale Operations → Deliver what you sell — at margin.
Outcome
The Build Phase powers your Cash Flow lever—helping you generate, track, and direct money with purpose.
3
Phase 3: Elevate → From Operator to Owner
Make the business work without you in the middle.
This is where freedom becomes real. You install leadership, incentives, and succession systems that make your role optional—not critical.
Key Components of the Elevate Phase:
- Strengthen Leadership → Build a team that thinks like owners.
- Incentivize Growth → Share the win without losing control.
- Replace Yourself → Step fully into ownership.
Outcome:
Elevate strengthens your Wealth lever—building transferability, legacy, and long‒term optionality.
🎯 Start with the
Owner's Scorecard™
Most business owners are grinding toward a future they haven’t clearly defined.
The Owner's Scorecard™ helps you connect your long-term personal and business goals so you can finally create a plan that makes sense—on your terms.
By using this tool, you’ll:
- Define what success really looks like across time, cash flow, and wealth
- Identify the gap between where you are and where you want to go
- Clarify the role you want to play in the business—and how to buy back your time
- Create a foundation for smarter, more confident decisions
This is your first step to achieving Ownership Independence™.
Ryan Tansom
Founder of Independence by Design™
“What Makes Independence by Design™ Unique?”
Most business owners build a company to create freedom—but end up trapped in the daily grind. Independence by Design™ is a structured framework to help you transition from being stuck in operations to building a business that works for you. It aligns your time, cash flow, and equity goals so that you can make strategic decisions with clarity and confidence.
The goal isn’t just to grow revenue—it’s to create Escape Velocity: a business that generates sustainable cash flow, financial clarity, and long-term wealth, giving you the freedom to scale, sell, or step back on your terms.
This framework is built from my experience as an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor to business owners navigating ownership transitions. Whether you want to grow, exit, or build a self-sustaining company, Independence by Design™ helps you take control of your business instead of letting it control you.