05/28/25 - Wakie Wakie 4:44

Welcome to Your 444 Newsletter!

Where freedom, ownership, and elevation collide.

Today’s topic?
How to stop building a business that owns you.

You can make $30K a month.
You can make $3M a month.
But if you can’t step away for a day without everything falling apart…

You’re not free.

That hit me last week while floating on the water with a few buddies.
My company crossed $3.2M for the month while I was spending the day with people I care about — not stuck behind a laptop.

This isn’t about flexing. It’s about what’s possible when you build the business right.

So the question is:

Are you grinding for the number?
Or are you building a life?

4 Thoughts to Reflect On

1. Revenue is not the goal. Freedom is.
   If the money shows up but you can’t — you’re building it wrong.

2. Your business should fund your life.
   Not steal it.

3. Most owners are just overpaid employees.
   They traded a boss for a bigger cage.

4. A business that runs without you is built.
   Everything else is just bought yourself a job.

4 Lessons I’ve Learned

1. Profit without systems is pressure.
   You’ll be constantly chasing your own tail.

2. Scale only works if you can step back.
   Otherwise you’re just scaling stress.

3. You don’t need to be everywhere.
   You need to be where it matters — and trust your team to handle the rest.

4. If it depends on you, it’s not sustainable.
   And if it’s not sustainable, it’s going to break.

4 Challenges for You This Week

1. Audit your calendar.
   Where are you being the bottleneck?

2. Ask your team what would fall apart if you disappeared for 3 days.
   Then fix those gaps.

3. Write down what you’d do with 10 extra hours this week.
   That’s the real goal. Build toward it.

4. Reply “I’M READY”
   If you're serious about building something that works without you, let’s talk. I’ll help you take a real look at what’s holding you back.

You can make money, or you can build freedom.
Done right, you can have both.

But you’ve got to stop lying to yourself about what’s really holding you back.

Email me back with “I’M READY” and I’ll take it from there.

To building without the burnout,
Mark Evans DM