What if you didn't have to sell your business to step away from it? In this episode, Mike talks with The Real Jason Duncan, founder of The Exiter Club, about building companies that run without their owners. They dive into what it really takes to scale, create systems, and gain back time, without burning out.

In this episode, we chat about…

• From Ministry to Millions: Jason Duncan shares how losing his teaching job led to building a multimillion-dollar business and a new definition of success.

• The Cost of Having No Exit Strategy: Most entrepreneurs unknowingly build businesses that can't run without them. Jason explains how this oversight almost cost him everything.

• Exit Without Selling: Learn what it means to step back from your business while keeping ownership, profit, and control thanks to his "Exit Without Exiting" approach.

• The Exiter Operating System (XOS™Method): A breakdown of the proprietary system Jason uses to help business owners transition from operator to investor and increase company value by 30%.

• Too Many Businesses, Too Fast: After exiting operations, Jason launched five new ventures in one year, a decision that nearly burned him out. Here's what he learned about timing and focus.

• The Power of Masterminds and Community: Real stories from The Exiter Club show how group strategy and peer insight helped members scale, hire smarter, and buy back their time.

Key Takeaways:

1. Your Business Shouldn't Be a Prison If you build a business without an exit plan, you might trap yourself in a job you own. Freedom requires intentional systems and structures.

2. Exit ≠ Sell An "exit" doesn't always mean selling. Jason's "Exit Without Exiting" method shows how to stay an owner while freeing your time.

3. Most Entrepreneurs Never Reach Tier 3 The vast majority stay in the Owner-Operator or Owner-Manager stage. To truly scale and step back, you must aim for the Owner-Investor role.

4. Focus First, Diversify Later Don't chase multiple streams of income too early. Nail one, automate it, and then scale into others.

5. Time is the Ultimate Currency Money is renewable, time isn't. Don't be afraid to invest money to buy back your time.

6. Coaching and Masterminds Fast-Track Growth Jason's clients have seen massive growth, smarter hiring, and higher company valuations just by applying proven systems and surrounding themselves with the right people.

Resources from Jason

LinkedIn | Website | Get Your FREE Copy of Exit Without Exiting

Resources from Mike and Nichole

Gateway Private Equity Group | Nic's guide