Independence by Design™ #433: Designing Your Future Org Chart: How to Build a Scalable, Owner-Independent Business with Mike Frommelt and Rick Rittmaster
Scaling a business isn’t just about increasing revenue—it’s about building the right leadership team to support that growth. Too often, business owners get stuck because their team isn’t structured for the future, leaving them to fill the gaps instead of leading strategically.
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In this episode, I sit down with Rick Rittmaster and Mike Frommelt to break down how to design a future org chart that aligns with your company’s growth trajectory. We dive into how to assess your current leadership team, identify capability gaps, and decide when to develop talent versus hiring externally.
If you’ve ever wondered how to objectively evaluate your leadership team and build a roadmap for the future, this conversation will give you a practical framework to ensure your business can scale without depending on you.
Rick Rittmaster & Mike Frommelt are experts in leadership team assessment, executive search, and organizational development. With decades of experience helping business owners build future-proof companies, they specialize in identifying the right leadership team structure, assessing talent, and creating roadmaps for scaling. Their expertise helps owners build businesses that don’t rely on them—whether they plan to step back, sell, or scale to new heights.
Chapters:
- (00:00) Introduction to Mike Frommelt and Rick Rittmaster from Strategic Talent Partners
- (02:29) Rick shares his background in talent management and HR
- (06:07) Mike explains the evolution of Strategic Talent Partners beyond recruiting
- (09:11) Ryan presents the Independence by Design owners framework
- (20:16) Developing a process to assess leadership teams and organizational needs, the challenge of hiring for future growth vs current needs
- (25:29) Creating the organizational chart of the future based on goals
- (37:42) Tools for scoping the future organizational structure and functions
- (43:06) The critical hire or development decision for leadership gaps
- (52:45) Developing concrete plans for leadership growth and capabilities
- (01:01:09) The assessment and development process with Strategic Talent Partners
- (01:31:12) Creating options for owner independence and maximizing business value
- Rate, comment and share with the owner/operators you know!
Ryan Tansom is a seasoned entrepreneur, speaker, and the founder of Independence by Design™, a transformative ownership framework for growth-oriented business owners. After turning around and selling his family business in an eight-figure exit, Ryan spent over a decade dissecting the lessons learned from his journey. His mission is to help other business owners avoid the pitfalls he encountered by providing them with the tools and knowledge to align their business operations with their personal and financial goals.
With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by owner-operators, Ryan developed Independence by Design™ to empower owner-operators to create sustainable cash flow, grow their company’s equity value, and achieve true independence. He has shared his insights on hundreds of stages, including Vistage, EO, and industry associations, and has reached over 500,000 listeners through his podcast.
Ryan is passionate about helping business owners get unstuck from the day-to-day grind and design a business that serves their life, not the other way around.
Resources:
Mike Frommelt LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefrommelt/
Rick Rittmaster LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardrittmaster/
Strategic Talent Partners https://strategictalentpartners.com/
Previous Episode 405 Mike Frommelt https://independence-by-design.castos.com/episodes/405-breaking-founder-dependency-how-to-assess-recruit-and-integrate-the-right-ceo-with-mike-frommelt
Independence by Design™ Workshop: https://ryantansom.com/independence-by-design-workshop
Independence by Design™ Ownership Coaching: Ryan Tansom’s Ownership Accelerator programs and coaching https://ryantansom.com/coaching
Ryan Tansom Website https://ryantansom.com/
Ryan Tansom LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryantansom/
Ryan Tansom Twitter https://twitter.com/RyanTansom
Ryan Tansom YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ryantansom
Ryan Tansom 30-Minute Ownership Strategy Call https://calendar.app.google/tsKk7z6ohugDchWq8
Sound Bites
"Most businesses make the mistake of looking at people first. You have to start with the structure you need to hit your growth goals." – Mike Frommelt
"A future org chart isn’t just a list of job titles—it’s a roadmap to a company that can grow without breaking." – Rick Rittmaster
"You’re either developing your leadership team or hiring externally—there’s no third option." – Ryan Tansom
"Building the right leadership team is the difference between owning a valuable business and just running a high-paying job." – Ryan Tansom