I recall the first time I attended a social event and someone asked me what I did for a living. With my chest puffed out, shoulders back, and chin up, I said, “I owned a landscaping company.” The pride I felt being an OWNER…..
This went on for a few years as we grew until the day I had our CPA complete a valuation. The day before I got the report, I thought I was starting to build an empire. The day after receiving the report, my company wasn’t worth the screen door on a submarine.
Oh, how was I wrong! 🤣🤣
That winter, I reviewed everything we were doing and made some difficult decisions, which resulted in our achieving an industry-leading 15% profit until I sold the company.
One of my biggest changes came in the form of my mindset about what I was building. The allure of being an “Owner” had to be replaced with “Asset Builder.” The idea of creating something to write off taxes was replaced with the desire to build more wealth and freedom.
What does this look like?
If you choose to be an asset builder, the road may be long, so I've crafted an equation to track your progress.
Asset Value = Profit × Transferability × Independence
Profit alone isn’t enough. Transferability (systems) and independence (leadership) determine real value. The value is determined by what someone else will pay for it, and not what you feel it is worth.
A real asset produces income and can be transferred without you. Until your company can run 80% of the time without you, it’s not an asset. It’s a dependency.
Being an owner isn’t about status. It’s about stewardship.
It’s about understanding that every dollar, hire, and hour you invest
isn’t about the comfort of today. It’s about increasing the asset value tomorrow.
If you started treating your company like your retirement portfolio,
you’d see decisions differently:
Would you still buy that $80K truck if it meant $200K less at exit?
Would you still keep everything in your head if it cut your valuation by 30%?
Would you still say “I’ll just do it myself,” knowing it costs you freedom and future cash?
Every owner has two choices:
Feed your ego today (look successful, stay in control).
Fund your future tomorrow (build systems, build leaders, build equity).
True ownership starts when you stop working for your business and start letting your business work for you.
Because your company is a living asset.
And the more you treat it that way, the more freedom it gives back, now and in the future.
I’m currently building an asset tracker, so you can give yourself a quick valuation whenever you’d like. Send me an email, and I’ll add you to the waitlist. [email protected]
Stay awesome, stay confident, and keep soaring higher!
— Cheering you on, Nick
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