Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom.
I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27.
But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway.
After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us.
That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell.
This show is the one I wish I had.
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Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom.
I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27.
But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway.
After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us.
That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell.
This show is the one I wish I had.
#464: Cyndi Gave | How to Build a Leadership Team That Thinks Like Owners
Independence by Design™
1 hour 42 minutes 53 seconds
2 weeks ago
#464: Cyndi Gave | How to Build a Leadership Team That Thinks Like Owners
Every owner wants a leadership team that can run the company without them. Few actually build one that can. Watch on YouTube In this episode, I sat down with Cyndi Gave to talk about what it really takes to develop a team that thinks, decides, and acts like owners. We break down the tension every entrepreneur feels: how to let go without losing control, how to build trust without blind faith, and how to design leadership that frees you — not traps you. Cyndi shares her own experiences leading through growth, building accountability structures, and navigating the emotional side of leadership development. We connect those lessons directly to enterprise value, owner freedom, and what it really means to move from operator to owner. This isn’t about org charts or titles. It’s about building a system of leadership that makes the company—and the owner—more free.
What We Covered
Why most owners stay trapped in operations (and how to escape the bottleneck)
How to build a leadership team that owns outcomes, not just tasks
The difference between management and leadership — and why it matters
How to let go without losing control
The connection between trust, accountability, and enterprise value
Why leadership development is the bridge between operating and owning
Cyndi Gave is an executive leader and organizational strategist who helps businesses build the systems, teams, and leadership culture required for sustainable growth. With deep experience guiding owners through transitions of scale, Cyndi specializes in aligning people, processes, and accountability so leadership teams can perform independently — freeing owners to focus on vision, strategy, and enterprise value creation.
Chapters:
(00:00) Cyndi's background as recovering HR person and evolution into behavioral expert
(15:05) Challenges of traditional recruiting and the adversarial hiring relationship dynamic
(32:58) Building the leadership team and defining job scorecards with stakeholder input
(46:13) Process for screening candidates using multiple assessment sciences and behavioral interviews
(1:04:12) Internal versus external candidates and succession planning without replacement mindset
(1:19:19) Coaching and development strategies for hard skills versus soft skills gaps
(1:27:54) Critical thinking assessment and AI's impact on strategic thinking abilities
(1:38:42) Understanding chaos creators and the importance of structured systems for creativity
Rate, comment, and share with the owner/operators you know!
Resources: https://www.themetissgroup.com/
https://www.themetissgroup.com/leadership-academy/hire-employees-service
Ryan Tansom Website
Independence by Design™
Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom.
I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27.
But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway.
After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us.
That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell.
This show is the one I wish I had.
