How Stepping Away Saved My Business – and My Marriage

This is a message I received this past Friday.

Hi George,

Keep up the posts about successfully exiting. Here’s my story…

A few years ago, I stepped away from my business for two weeks to salvage my marriage of 15 years. No calls. No emails. No check-ins. Just me and my family.

Here’s what I learned:

1)        My wife made me a better person, and I had been treating her and my family as less important than my business.

2)        My business was good at making money, but it wasn’t good at running without me—which, given point 1 above, was a disaster.

The cracks appeared immediately:

• Deadlines were missed.
• Clients called me directly, bypassing my team.
• No one made decisions because no one wanted to “get it wrong.”

In just 14 days, I realized I didn’t own a business—I owned a job disguised as a business.

That realization hit me like a ton of bricks. But it also motivated me to change everything.

I focused on systems, empowering my team, and building a business that could run without me. The result?

• Profits went up because decisions weren’t bottlenecked by me.
• Clients were happier because my team felt empowered.
• And most importantly, I got my time back—to think strategically, enjoy life, and save my marriage.

Let people know: If they’ve never stepped away from their business for an extended period, they need to try it. The lessons they’ll learn about their business—and themselves—are invaluable.

Warm regards,

Ben W.

P.S I partner with successful business owners who use my Socratic Success System to step up from the grind, scale faster, boost profits, and build a highly valuable company that thrives without them. This system delivers results now—giving you the freedom to live the life you want today while positioning you for a life-changing exit, on your terms, when you’re ready.

👉 Find out more about the Socratic Success System 👉 Learn more about me here