Who Is iBD Coaching For?
iBD is for owner-operators who’ve built real businesses—and are starting to realize the business is quietly owning them instead.
On paper, things look good. But your time, cash flow, and wealth are still tightly bound up inside the company. The decisions feel heavier, the stakes are higher, and there’s no clear ownership system to guide them.
This is the ownership red pill moment.
You can keep reacting inside the business—solving the next problem, chasing the next target, staying essential to everything. Or you can step into the owner’s seat, see the whole system clearly, and start designing how the business serves your life.
iBD isn’t for tourists or quick exits. It’s for owners who are ready to do the real work of ownership—clarifying what “enough” looks like, installing an ownership rhythm, and governing the business from the boardroom with intention.
Once you take the ownership red pill, there’s no going back. From here, the work is about clarity, leverage, and deliberately building toward Independence Escape Velocity™—on your terms.
You’re an ideal fit if:
- You love the game of business, but want to play it with more clarity, leverage, and control
- You’re asset-rich but cash-constrained, with too much value trapped in the business
- You own a complex, profitable business (typically $1M–$10M EBITDA) and still feel essential to the day-to-day
- You’re making real ownership decisions—reinvestment, growth, delegation, partners, or exit—without a clear decision system
- You’ve outgrown tactical advice and want to think like an owner, not just a better operator
- You care about long-term equity, optionality, and legacy—not just this year’s profit
Independence doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of running the right ownership system, consistently, over time.
Every iBD client follows the same ownership progression: first, get clear on what you want the business to do for you; then install a simple ownership rhythm; and finally run the business from the boardroom instead of the day-to-day.
The diagram shows that progression. These aren’t separate programs to compare — they’re entry points along the same path, designed to meet you where you are and move you toward Independence Escape Velocity™.
The Path to Independence as a Business Owner
Ownership is a journey—from clarity, to momentum, to escaping day-to-day operations.
90-Day Boardroom Blueprint™
Purpose: Establish ownership clarity and install the foundation.
This is where ownership starts. We step out of the day‒to‒day and get clear on what you’re actually building, what “enough” looks like, and where the business is constrained from an ownership perspective.
You’ll leave with a clear Owner’s North Star™, financial and valuation line of sight, and a focused 90‒day game plan — so you know exactly what to focus on first, from the owner’s seat.
Key Outcomes:
Ownership Accelerator™
Purpose: Install the Ownership Operating System and build momentum.
The Accelerator is about execution with structure, not personalized strategy. This is where we install the Ownership Operating System and build a consistent ownership cadence — monthly, quarterly, and annual.
You’re not getting 1:1 coaching or peer masterminding here. Instead, you’re getting a proven system, training, and support to help you execute your plan, stay aligned, and stop reacting inside the business.
What this includes:
Ownership Boardroom™
Purpose: Govern the business at the owner level over time.
The Boardroom is where ownership decisions get sharper. This is high‒touch, high‒context coaching for owners making consequential decisions about capital, leadership, succession, and long‒term independence.
You get 1:1 access, peer masterminding, and a true boardroom environment to pressure‒test decisions, refine judgment, and govern the business intentionally — whether you scale, step back, or exit.
What this Includes:
Ryan Tansom
Founder of Independence by Design™
I've been in the grind. Building a business for freedom, but getting stuck in gut decisions, unpredictable cash, and ops that own you. No clear path to step back, scale, or sell without regrets.
I sold my family firm after years of misalignment. Trapped in debates, fearing tradeoffs on time, cash, and wealth. But I learned: Clarity aligns levers, turning sacrifice into joy and impact.
Now, through the iBD Ownership OS™, I help owners like you escape the Owner-Operator Trap™ so you can live a life that brings you joy by doing more of what you love.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is this coaching, consulting, or something else?
iBD isn’t consulting and it isn’t generic coaching. I’m not here to run your business or hand you tactics. iBD is an ownership operating system — a way to think, decide, and govern your business from the owner’s seat. The work is about clarity, decision-making, and long-term outcomes, not quick fixes.
2. How is this different from EOS, Scaling Up, or other business systems?
Most business operating systems are designed to help you run the business better as an operator. iBD is designed to help you decide as an owner. We focus on time, cash flow, and wealth — and how today’s decisions affect your long-term optionality. iBD can sit alongside EOS or other systems, but it solves a different problem.
3. Who is this not for?
iBD isn’t for owners looking for a quick exit, a silver bullet, or someone to tell them what to do. It’s not for founders who want to stay deeply embedded in the day-to-day forever. And it’s not for people who aren’t willing to look honestly at tradeoffs. This work requires ownership, discipline, and follow-through.
4. Do I need to want to sell my business for this to make sense?
No. In fact, most owners I work with aren’t sure whether they want to sell — and that’s exactly the point. iBD helps you build options. Whether you scale, step back, hold long-term, or eventually sell, the goal is the same: clarity, leverage, and control.
5. What stage of business is this designed for?
iBD is designed for owners of real, complex businesses — typically $5M–$100M+ in revenue — where decisions about capital, leadership, reinvestment, and role design actually matter. If your business complexity is creating friction in your life, you’re likely at the right stage.
6. How much time does this require from me?
Less time reacting — more time thinking. The goal isn’t to add meetings or homework. It’s to install an ownership rhythm that replaces chaos with clarity. Most owners find they regain time quickly because they stop revisiting the same decisions over and over.
7. What does “Independence Escape Velocity™” actually mean?
It means reaching a point where your business reliably produces time, cash flow, and wealth without requiring you to be the bottleneck. You’re no longer trapped by the business — you have real freedom of role, pace, and outcome. It’s not passive income. It’s designed independence.
8. What happens in the Ownership Strategy Call?
This isn’t a sales call. We’ll map your current reality across time, cash flow, and wealth, identify where you’re constrained, and talk through what path actually makes sense for you. If there’s a fit, we’ll talk about next steps. If not, you’ll still leave clearer than you arrived.
9. Do I need to start with the 90-Day Boardroom Blueprint™?
Yes. Regardless of whether you want to execute on your own, join the Ownership Accelerator, or a Private Boardroom Mastermind, this is the starting point. Without it, execution just creates more momentum in the wrong direction. The Blueprint establishes your North Star, financial line of sight, and decision framework so everything that follows actually compounds.
10. What kind of owners get the best results from iBD?
Owners who are curious, coachable, and willing to take responsibility for the tradeoffs they’re making. The ones who get the most value aren’t looking for answers — they’re looking for clarity. Once that’s in place, the work becomes meaningful instead of exhausting.