I’ve worked with dozens of remote businesses, and the same three mistakes show up every time. They stall revenue, slow execution, and keep founders stuck in the weeds.
The good news? These mistakes are completely fixable. Once you address them, everything changes.
Avoiding these mistakes helped my clients:
- Increase retention by 50%
- Launch new revenue streams in just 3 months
- Bring in millions of dollars in additional revenue
Here’s exactly what the mistakes are and how to fix them so your business can scale without depending on you for everything.
Mistake #1: Recreating the wheel
A founder I worked with had built a 7-figure business, but growth had stalled. They couldn’t break past a revenue ceiling, and they were constantly stressed about money because the profit wasn’t there.
During one of their team meetings, I asked to see the notes.
“We don’t have any,” they said. “If people want notes, they take their own.”
That right there is a silent killer of growth.
Meetings without shared notes, especially around decisions and action items, lead to confusion, dropped balls, and endless backtracking. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
Here are other signs you’re constantly reinventing the wheel:
- No clear next step on sales calls
- No process to turn networking into leads
- No hiring workflow
- No templated onboarding
- No system for making or documenting decisions
Without standard operating procedures (SOPs), templates, or repeatable systems, you waste time and energy just figuring out what to do. Every single time.
Instead, make the decision once. Document it. Then move on.
Mistake #2: Relying on the wrong tools
Another founder had a team of freelancers creating weekly content that directly drove revenue. They had stepped back from day-to-day operations, but the handoff was breaking down. Tasks were missed. Key information was lost. The founder had to keep stepping in to make sure things didn’t fall apart.
Here’s the system I built to fix it:
- Start with a form. The researcher began the process by submitting a structured form. It forced consistent inputs. No missing information. No skipped steps.
- Automate task creation. The form triggered task creation in Asana with pre-filled details, due dates, and owners. No copy-pasting. No guesswork.
- Use smart templates. Every task followed the same format and lived in the same place. The team didn’t waste energy looking for information or wondering what was missing.
The result? The team doubled, then tripled their output, and revenue followed. Projects didn’t stall just because someone was out. The founder stayed focused on growth instead of getting dragged back into operations.
Most founders try to duct-tape tools together for things they weren’t built to do. That might work in the early days, but as you scale, it creates friction and chaos.
If you want your business to run without constant micromanagement, you need tools that can grow with you.
Here’s the minimum tool stack I recommend:
- Asana (project management): Keeps tasks organized, visible, and delivered on time. All communication lives in the task thread.
- Notion (documentation and content hub): Centralizes standard operating procedures (SOPs), notes, and drafts so your team isn’t constantly pinging you for information.
- HubSpot (CRM): Tracks leads, clients, and deals. No more lost follow-ups or buried contacts.
- Slack (communication): Keeps team communication centralized and searchable. No more scattered texts or disjointed email chains.
And if you’re still using Apple Notes or sticky notes to run your business, that’s your first red flag. These tools weren’t built for collaboration, visibility, or scale, and they will hold you back.
Mistake #3: No cadences
Cadences are structured, recurring rhythms that help your business run predictably. Think weekly 1:1s, team syncs, retrospectives, and quarterly check-ins. These are not fluff. They are how you build alignment, uncover issues early, and grow your team intentionally.
I worked with a founder who had delayed launching a course for two years. When I asked who on the team could help, they didn’t know. They hadn’t held 1:1s in six months, and some team members had never had one.
So I stepped in. I met with every team member individually. In the process, I found a highly capable but underutilized team member. With some coaching, they became the project lead. We launched a $5,000-per-seat program in just three months.
Cadences reveal strengths, prevent bottlenecks, and make execution smoother. I often hear, “I can’t believe how much I learned from the 1:1s this week.”
Here’s what a solid cadence looks like:
Core meetings (real-time)
- 1:1s: Weekly or biweekly. These aren’t just status updates. They are coaching sessions, trust builders, and early warning systems.
- Team meetings: Use these to align on weekly goals, monthly priorities, or key project milestones. Help the team see the big picture and reduce unnecessary back-and-forth.
- Retrospectives: After every launch, project, or event, reflect. What worked? What didn’t? What needs to change next time?
- Quarterly momentum check-ins: These are forward-focused conversations on growth and performance. They are not formal reviews. They help you course-correct early and identify potential.
Asynchronous check-ins
- Weekly reporting: Short, structured end-of-week updates. Wins, blockers, progress, and what’s next. Keeps you informed without micromanaging.
- Onboarding check-ins: Help new team members ramp up with async nudges and support during their first 30 to 60 days.
These rhythms help you lead proactively instead of reactively. And they make it easier to delegate with confidence.
The result: growth, clarity, and mental space
When you skip systems, rhythms, and proper tools, your business gets stuck. Revenue flatlines. You get buried in decisions. Your team never reaches full capacity.
But when you build the right foundation, everything shifts.
Revenue grows. Execution improves. You free up the mental space to lead with clarity. Your team becomes more confident, more accountable, and more effective. And instead of holding everything together yourself, you start building something that can grow and scale without depending on you for every detail.
