Nothing broke while you were away. Everything waited.

The fortnight-away test is the most common measure of owner dependency in a small business, and it is calibrated to miss exactly what buyers, lenders and successors look for.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for Nothing broke while you were away. Everything waited.

The test is almost folkloric. The owner takes two weeks off, leaves the phone in a drawer, and comes back to find the business still standing. No crisis, no calls, no fires. The conclusion drawn is that the place runs without them. It usually doesn’t. Two weeks is roughly the length of time an organisation can hold its breath. Nothing broke because nothing was decided, and an absence of breakage is not the same as an absence of dependency. The useful measurement isn’t what failed while you were gone. It’s…

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