Apply Alex Hormozi's scaling framework to grow a business past its current ceiling. Trigger when the user asks about: scaling a business, removing bottlenecks, hiring the right people, building systems, automation, SOPs, delegation, operations, revenue growth, LTV:CAC analysis, unit economics, when to hire, what to systemize, business audits, growth plateaus, or "I'm the bottleneck in my business". Also trigger on: "we're stuck at $X/month", "I don't know what to fix first", "should I hire or automate", "how do I get out of the day-to-day", "scale without burning out", "what's limiting my growth".
"The bottleneck is always one thing. Find it. Remove it. Find the next one." "You are not the business. You are the constraint." "More. Then Better. Then New. In that order."
This skill operationalizes the complete ACQ scaling framework into 4 executable workflows. Works downstream of hormozi-leads (needs lead flow first) and alongside hormozi-money (unit economics drive scale decisions).
| Intent | Workflow |
|---|---|
| "Scale my business" / "What do I fix first?" | → Workflow 1: Scale Readiness Audit |
| "What's holding me back?" / "I'm stuck at $X" | → Workflow 2: Bottleneck Elimination System |
| "Who do I hire next?" / "Should I delegate this?" | → Workflow 3: Hiring Blueprint |
| "Build an SOP" / "Automate this process" | → Workflow 4: Systems & Automation Builder |
For full scaling strategy: chain 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 (audit first, remove bottleneck, hire for it, then systemize it).
Source: ACQ Scaling Framework
PHASE 1 → More: Volume is the constraint. Do more of what works.
PHASE 2 → Better: Quality-volume is the constraint. Improve the thing that works.
PHASE 3 → New: You've maxed the channel/offer. Add a new one.
Critical rule: Never move to "Better" while volume is still the constraint. Never move to "New" while quality is still the constraint. Most businesses add new channels when they should be doubling down on what's working.
Answer each question Yes/No:
Phase 1 Check (Are you doing MORE than what's working?)
If any are NO → you are in Phase 1. Do more.
Phase 2 Check (Is volume solved — now improve quality?)
If any are YES → you are in Phase 2. Make it better.
Phase 3 Check (Is MORE + BETTER maximized — now go NEW?)
If all YES → Phase 3. Start new.
Before scaling any paid acquisition, verify unit economics:
LTV:CAC = (Average Revenue Per Customer × Gross Margin × Avg. # of Purchases)
÷ (Total Sales + Marketing Cost ÷ # New Customers Acquired)
| Ratio | Interpretation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| < 1:1 | Losing money per customer | Fix offer, pricing, or retention immediately |
| 1:1 – 2:1 | Breaking even | Not safe to scale; improve before spending more |
| 3:1 | Minimum viable for paid scale | Green light to activate paid ads |
| 5:1+ | Healthy growth engine | Aggressive scale authorized |
| 10:1+ | Exceptional — usually means underpriced | Consider raising prices |
SCALE AUDIT REPORT
============================
BUSINESS CONTEXT: [revenue + team size + primary offer + primary channel]
PHASE DIAGNOSIS:
Current Phase: [1: More / 2: Better / 3: New]
Evidence: [3 specific observations]
Primary Action: [single most leveraged move]
LTV:CAC CHECK:
Current LTV: $[X]
Current CAC: $[X]
Ratio: [X]:1
Status: [GATE MET / NOT MET for paid scale]
TOP 3 BOTTLENECKS:
1. [Bottleneck] → Impact → Fix
2. [Bottleneck] → Impact → Fix
3. [Bottleneck] → Impact → Fix
30-DAY ACTION PLAN:
Week 1: [specific action]
Week 2: [specific action]
Week 3: [specific action]
Week 4: [specific action]
============================
Deep dive: references/scale-sequence.md and references/ltv-cac-models.md
Source: ACQ Constraint Theory Framework (inspired by Goldratt's Theory of Constraints)
"There is always exactly one bottleneck. Solving two at once means you're optimizing the wrong one."
The bottleneck is always in one of 5 locations:
1. LEADS — not enough people entering the funnel
2. CONVERSION — leads are coming in but not buying
3. FULFILLMENT — delivery is the rate limiter on capacity
4. CASH — cash flow limits how fast you can scale
5. FOUNDER — you are personally the single point of failure
Step 1 — Locate the constraint:
| Symptom | Likely Bottleneck |
|---|---|
| Not enough leads | Leads |
| Leads coming in, low close rate | Conversion |
| Leads closing, but capacity is full | Fulfillment |
| Revenue growing, but cash tight | Cash (see hormozi-money) |
| Team waiting on you for decisions | Founder |
Step 2 — Quantify the bottleneck:
Step 3 — Exploit before you elevate:
The founder is the constraint when:
Elimination path:
1. Document everything you do → SOP it (Workflow 4)
2. Identify which task has the lowest $/hour value → delegate first
3. Hire to replace yourself in one function per 90 days
4. Build decision frameworks so team decides without you
BOTTLENECK ELIMINATION PLAN
============================
IDENTIFIED CONSTRAINT: [which of the 5 areas]
EVIDENCE: [3 specific data points or observations]
CURRENT THROUGHPUT: [what it's processing now]
THEORETICAL MAX: [what it could process]
GAP: [the delta]
EXPLOIT ACTIONS (do these first — no new resources):
1. [specific action]
2. [specific action]
ELEVATION ACTIONS (add resources):
1. [hire / tool / system]
2. [hire / tool / system]
EXPECTED RESULT: [what unlocks when this constraint is removed]
NEXT CONSTRAINT: [what becomes the bottleneck after this one is fixed]
============================
Deep dive: references/scale-sequence.md
Source: ACQ Hiring Framework
"Hire to replace yourself in the thing that generates the least revenue per hour of your time."
Step 1 — List every task you do in a week Step 2 — Assign a $/hour value to each:
| Your Task | Your Hourly Rate | Task Market Rate | Leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEO strategy | $1,000/hr | $1,000/hr (irreplaceable) | — |
| Sales calls | $500/hr | $150/hr (closers) | 3.3x |
| Fulfillment | $200/hr | $50/hr (specialist) | 4x |
| Admin / ops | $300/hr | $20/hr (VA) | 15x |
| Content editing | $300/hr | $30/hr (editor) | 10x |
Hire in order of highest leverage (market rate vs. your rate).
For most service businesses in the $100k–$1M/month range:
Hire 1 → VA / Operations (removes admin, scheduling, low-leverage tasks)
Hire 2 → Fulfillment specialist (removes you from delivery)
Hire 3 → Setter / SDR (removes you from lead qualification)
Hire 4 → Closer (removes you from sales calls)
After these 4: hire a COO/Integrator (removes you from management).
For each hire, define:
HIRE PROFILE
========================
Role name: [specific title]
Replacing you in: [specific tasks / hours/week freed]
Lever ratio: [your $/hr ÷ hire market rate]
Outcome owned: [one measurable metric this person owns]
Hiring criteria: [3 must-haves — not nice-to-haves]
Compensation: [base + variable structure]
Onboarding: [first 30 days — what does winning look like?]
Success at 90 days: [specific, measurable outcome]
========================
HIRING ACTION PLAN
============================
CURRENT BOTTLENECK ROLE: [role to hire first]
LEVER RATIO: [X]x
TASKS FREED: [list]
HOURS FREED/WEEK: [number]
REVENUE VALUE OF TIME: $[X]/week unlocked
HIRE PROFILE: [full profile above]
SOURCING STRATEGY: [where to find them — community / referral / platform]
============================
Deep dive: references/hiring-blueprint.md
Source: ACQ Systems Framework
"If you do it twice, document it. If you document it, delegate it. If you delegate it, automate it."
Before building any system, classify the task:
| Tier | Type | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | High-judgment, high-value | Keep with founder — do NOT systemize |
| Tier 2 | Repeatable with clear rules | Systemize → SOP → Delegate |
| Tier 3 | Fully rule-based, no judgment | Systemize → Automate → Remove from team |
Every SOP must include:
SOP TEMPLATE
========================
Process name: [what this does]
Trigger: [what starts this process]
Owner: [who is responsible]
Frequency: [how often / under what conditions]
Inputs: [what they need to start]
Steps:
1. [Action] → [Tool/Platform] → [Expected output]
2. ...
N. [Last step: quality check or delivery]
Output: [what gets produced]
Success criteria: [how you know it was done right]
Escalation: [what to do if something goes wrong]
========================
| Tool Type | Best For | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| CRM + pipeline | Lead tracking, follow-up | HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Salesforce |
| Scheduling | Call booking, reminders | Calendly, Acuity |
| Email sequences | Nurture, onboarding, follow-up | ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit |
| Workflow automation | Cross-app triggers | Zapier, Make (Integromat) |
| AI agents | Content, research, support | Claude, GPT-4o, n8n |
| Payments + contracts | Revenue collection | Stripe, PandaDoc |
Score each process 1–5 on:
Highest-scoring processes = automate first.
SYSTEMS BUILD PLAN
============================
PROCESS: [name]
TIER: [1 / 2 / 3]
PRIORITY SCORE: [X]/20
CURRENT STATE: [how it's done now]
TARGET STATE: [how it runs after systemization]
SOP: [link or embedded SOP]
AUTOMATION: [tool + trigger + action]
OWNER AFTER BUILD: [who runs this going forward]
BUILD TIME: [estimated hours]
ROI: [hours/week saved × weeks/year × hourly rate]
============================
Deep dive: references/automation-playbook.md