Ryan Deiss on Building a Business That Doesn’t Need You

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Jun 25, 2025

Ryan Deiss, entrepreneur and founder of DigitalMarketer, shares invaluable insights from his experiences launching over 17 companies. He discusses the critical difference between growth and scale, revealing how founders can escape the traps of their own businesses. Learn about the 'sticky note' method for delegating effectively, the importance of hiring great people without relying solely on them, and how to harness AI to boost team performance. Deiss emphasizes that true business freedom comes from implementing smart systems and clear roles.

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INSIGHT

Freedom Means Exiting Roles

Being required to show up daily means you have a job, not a business.
True freedom in business comes from exiting roles, not just growth.

INSIGHT

Growth Versus Scale

Growth is about increasing a metric, like revenue or leads.
Scale is increasing business capacity to handle growth sustainably.

ADVICE

Exit Functions To Become CEO

Exit functional roles to move toward true CEO duties.
CEOs should have no core business function responsibilities like sales or fulfillment.

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This might be the best business interview I’ve done all year. It’s one every business owner should hear.

In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Deiss—entrepreneur, investor, and founder of DigitalMarketer—who’s launched, scaled, and sold 17+ companies.

He’s not speaking from theory. He’s speaking from experience—and sometimes, scar tissue.

This isn’t just another systems conversation. It’s a full-on playbook for building a business that works without you. For founders who feel trapped in their own company… this one hits hard.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

Why growth can trap you—and how scale sets you free
The “sticky note” method to exit roles without burning the business down
How founders become bottlenecks—and why doing less is a leadership skill
The scorecard and constraint system Ryan uses to spot bottlenecks before they break your team
Why hiring great people won’t fix broken systems—and what to do instead
How to integrate AI to elevate your team’s performance (without replacing them)
Why the role you’re in now may not be the role your business actually needs
The question every founder should ask before they scale—or sell: What’s my next job?

Freedom doesn’t come from more hustle. It comes from better systems, clearer roles, and honest leadership.

🎧 Listen to Part 2 with Ryan Deiss now »

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