As a business owner, your end goal should be developing a company that's self-sustaining and can thrive, even grow, without you involved in daily operations. But far too many entrepreneurs remain unhealthily tethered to the businesses they founded because they've failed to put the right people and processes in place.

Start by being brutally honest about which roles and responsibilities in your company MUST be able to be fully handed off to others for true independence. This could include operations leadership, sales, finance, marketing, and other core functions. Where do you currently lack the team depth to walk away from those roles?

Next, decide whether you'll hire or develop that missing talent. Promote and train existing employees who demonstrate potential. Hire interim leaders who can transfer knowledge over time. Or acquire outside specialists permanently. Just be willing to pay top dollar for people who actually have the capability to run your core revenue engines autonomously.

In addition, invest in documented processes and centralized systems so the underlying operations don't crumble when you step back. You'll need robust knowledge bases, SOP libraries, project management conventions, and more that empower your team to self-serve on most issues.