You started this business to be the strategist, the visionary, the innovator. Lately, though, you feel more like the chief administrator, the customer service rep, and the accounting department. All while the real work—the work that fuels growth and fulfills your ambition—sits on the back burner. This isn’t a simple case of being busy. This is a specific, grinding frustration that hits at the most vulnerable times. If you’ve ever had one of these five thoughts, it’s not a sign that you’re failing. It’s a silent alarm telling you that your business’s operating system is broken. And it’s costing you more than you know. 1. The 9:17 PM Realization: “I’m just trading time for money, again.” The Scene: It’s late. The house is quiet. You’re hunched over the kitchen table, a cold dinner plate pushed to the side to make room for your laptop. You just emailed the seventh revision of a project you finished days ago for a client who nickel-and-dimes every invoice. As...