Are You Stuck Working "IN" Your Business?
Free Up Time & Scale Faster →It's a tale that's familiar to most entrepreneurs.
You grind your fingers to the bone and work long, unsustainable hours in the pursuit of success. But you can't burn the candle at both ends without it catching up with you — so burnout becomes a matter of when, not if.
In that respect, Matt McKinney was living a pretty typical entrepreneurial life. He started his winery, McKinney Family Vineyards, as a passion project in 2010 and bootstrapped its growth. This "in the trenches" approach meant 65-hour weeks and virtually no days off.
Matt bootstrapped his winery from scratch in 2010, living off $25k–$30k a year for seven years and reinvesting every dollar back into the business. After hitting the wall and discovering 2X, he 3.6X'd his revenue, hit 7 figures, and finally started living the life he'd always envisioned.
Every dollar that I made was getting reinvested back into this business for the first seven years. I was living off of $25,000–$30,000 a year — not living an amazing lifestyle by any means. It was grind time, and it was time to make something really happen in my life.
— Matt McKinney, Founder · McKinney Family Vineyards
Eventually Matt hit a wall. He knew things had to change — or risk more than just the future of his business. So he went searching for answers, discovered 2X, and the rest is history.
I finally had the hard awakening that I needed from a very bad experience to say that my life's out of balance and I need help. And that was when I had searched online and found out about 2X — and it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.
— Matt McKinney
Matt has been an incredible client to work with. He had a great business and did amazingly to reach the multi-6-figure stage on his own. It just needed some adjustments to get to the next level — and it has been incredible to see his transformation.
Since working with 2X:
- Matt is living the dream he envisioned when he started his business
- He now takes one or two days off per week
- He 3.6X'd his business and joined the 7-figure club
- And he has a foundation for continued growth — without the constant hustle and grind
Into 7 Figures
Per Week
Per Week Now
So what's the secret? How did Matt break free from the weeds and start living his dream? Here are his three biggest lessons from working with 2X.
The growth of Matt's business wouldn't have been possible without building a team to help get him free. He's now operating as the true CEO his business needs — with a team of 5 supporting him. And this is an essential part of growth if you want to scale and remove yourself as the bottleneck.
These days I wake up and think to myself, "Who is going to do what?" — to pull me out of the weeds and give me the scope of the bigger decisions for the business. It feels pretty damn good to be able to wake up and do the things that I want to do, which is more the farming aspect of the business and not so much the sales.
— Matt McKinney
But growing a team comes with its challenges. You need a way to evaluate performance and give people clarity on exactly what they need to deliver.
Having a scorecard to evaluate your employees is hugely important — because that removes all emotion from the management position. It's clearly the numbers, and there's nothing to argue or get emotional about.
— Matt McKinney
You don't need a massive team to make a massive impact. Matt hired five essential roles that became ROI-positive quickly. The key was getting the right people into the right seats — and then giving them scorecards so performance was objective, not emotional. This is how we help 2X clients step into the CEO role they were always meant to play.
We break down the full team-building framework in From 6 to 7 Figures — get your copy free.
You can't actualize your dream without a solid infrastructure behind it. If you want repeatability, consistency, and efficiency, you need systems. They give everyone clarity on how things work — and make every function of your business easier to perform.
I think that's one of the most important things I've learned through 2X — systems, and how important it is to have the right technology to make your life easier. When I first started working with 2X, I was still punching in all my wine club members' credit card numbers and charging them one at a time.
The learning curve for a new software system is going to be hard, and so you fight it. But you're just not going to grow without it. So to actually push me to pay more money for systems and operations that could make my life easier was the biggest difference maker ever.
— Matt McKinney
Systems are our superpower at 2X — and they can be yours too. The resistance is real; every entrepreneur feels it. The learning curve feels expensive and painful. But the cost of NOT systemizing is far higher — in time, money, and your sanity. Systems are the key to repeatability, effective delegation, and a business that doesn't grind to a halt when you step away.
As a business owner, you can either figure things out yourself through costly trial and error — or you can get someone who has achieved success to show you the fast path. Matt, who comes from a professional sports background, made a compelling case for why having a coach is non-negotiable.
I've been an athlete my whole life and I've always had coaches. It's so funny how we get in the business world and we act like we can do it on our own — like somehow this ego thing comes into play. "I'm an adult, I can handle it."
And it's just dumb, in all honesty. Do you really want to learn through your own mistakes? Or do you want to hear someone talk about their mistakes so that you don't have to make them?
When I look back on that initial $10,000 investment, I thought it was such a big deal at the time. And now I'm like — it's nothing. That was one of the most important investments I ever made. Not many people are willing to invest in themselves. But it's critically important if you want to live the life of your dreams.
— Matt McKinney
When I asked Matt what advice he'd give to an entrepreneur still stuck in the day-to-day grind, he doubled down:
First and foremost, you have to get a coach. You can take the long route if you want — or you can take the shorter route to actually get to where you want to be and truly live your dream.
So many entrepreneurs end up becoming a slave to their own business because they aren't able to delegate, hire, and create the systems necessary to free themselves. Or some people do it — but maybe it takes 20 years versus working with a business coach and doing it in three to four years.
— Matt McKinney
Matt said it better than I ever could. The best athletes in the world don't try to coach themselves — so why do we expect entrepreneurs to? A great coach compresses years of hard lessons into months. They see your blind spots, hold you accountable, and show you the path that's already been proven to work.
If you'd like to take Matt's advice and hire a coach to show you the fast path, apply to the 2X Accelerator here.
Matt's story isn't unique — it's a pattern we see over and over. Talented, passionate entrepreneurs who built something real, but found themselves trapped inside it.
The good news? The way out is a methodology, not magic. Build the team. Install the systems. Get a coach who's done it before. And the business you always imagined — the one that funds your life instead of consuming it — becomes real.
That's what we help you do at 2X. And with $255M+ in documented client results, there isn't a problem our team of world-class coaches can't help you solve — with personal one-on-one guidance and our proven growth methodology.
Ready to take the fast path? Apply to the 2X Accelerator here.
Reach Your Dream With The
2X Machine Methodology
We've coached 100s of business owners just like you — with $255M+ in client results. There isn't a problem our world-class coaches can't help you overcome with personal one-on-one guidance and our proven growth methodology.
Apply To The 2X Accelerator