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Get your business model wrong — and you're in serious trouble. Get it right, and things become way easier.
After working with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners, I've found that nearly everyone is making their business model too complex, terrible for cash flow, creating a job for themselves rather than a real business, and trying to combine multiple business models into one. In short: they're setting themselves up for failure right from the start.
My focus with this article — and what we do at 2X — is to help you get your business model dialed in so you have the best odds of accomplishing your goals: freedom, profit, impact, and growth. This is why it's the first step we take when working with any new client.
Strategy sits at the core of our 2X Formula, and your business model is a huge part of this. If there's ONE thing we can get right with a new client, it's making sure they create a simplified, focused, and very strategic business model.
Here's something that might surprise you: 100% of the 6 and 7-figure business owners we work with had an unoptimized business model. Every single one. Even though these were already successful businesses — every one needed a simpler, more focused, more strategic model. Today I want to show you how we help them do this.
So if you feel like you're doing everything right but you're not seeing the traction, growth, or numbers you planned for — and you're working harder and longer than ever — there's a very good chance it comes back to your business model. Here are the 8 steps to fix it.
If you prefer to watch, here's the accompanying training video that walks through the full framework:
When you're designing your strategy, you need to take cash flow into account. No exceptions — whether you run a 7-figure business or you're just starting out. It blows my mind how few entrepreneurs think about cash flow when creating their business model, and it's an issue we run into again and again when working with clients at 2X.
They come to us with a solid business, great at what they do — but they're stuck on the 6-figure hamster wheel because they don't have a hold on their cash flow. And this isn't just about how much money is in your account. What's more important is having more money coming in than going out — and that the money coming in arrives quickly, while the money going out leaves over time.
At 2X, the majority of our clients pay in full, upfront — while a good portion of our team gets paid later based on results. This means we always have healthy cash flow, which lets us reinvest into team and marketing, acquire more customers, who pay upfront again. It's a cycle designed intentionally from the start.
A great agency producing amazing results for clients — yet flat for years because they never had enough cash flow. They charged a small fee upfront, a third a few weeks in, and the rest at the end of the project — often two months later. They didn't get paid the majority of their fee until after doing all the work. Once we helped them fix this payment structure, they more than doubled their business practically overnight — while Cathrine went on maternity leave and the whole family took a vacation.
Fixing your cash flow model is almost always the first thing we do at 2X — and the results are often immediate. Getting paid upfront isn't just about having more money. It's about creating the fuel for everything that comes next: team, marketing, reinvestment, growth. Build this into your model from day one.
The biggest bottleneck in almost any business — without exception — is the CEO. Most businesses are built around the founder. They rely on them to generate ideas, drive scale and growth, and often to execute the actual work. In the beginning this is fine. But the most successful businesses create a model that does the opposite: uses the founder as leverage instead of as a bottleneck.
The entrepreneurs I know who are growing fastest have designed their business model to scale without them — not to rely on them to do everything. That means building the team and processes that allow you to work on the business, not in it.
A good way to gauge where you stand: ask yourself what would happen to your business if you disappeared for 30 days. For most people, just thinking about that creates anxiety. If your answer isn't that the business would survive and thrive without you — you do not yet have a business model designed for scalable growth.
I sat around a table with six other entrepreneurs. Five of us were at a similar level. When asked what was holding them back, both of the most successful men answered immediately: "Me. I'm the bottleneck." That hit differently than anything else said that night — and it changed how I built everything after it.
— Austin Netzley, Founder · 2X
The saying goes: "the person who chases two rabbits catches neither." The same applies in business. Yet it's astounding how many entrepreneurs describe their different offers and products — and all they're really saying is that they have three different audiences who each want three different solutions. This is a recipe for going nowhere fast.
It's easy to try to please everyone. But in the same way you can't catch two rabbits at once, you cannot truly impact more than one audience at any given time. Ask yourself: what would happen if you focused on one audience, knew them on a deep level, communicated specifically to them, and designed a solution that creates true transformation for exactly them? Your business would go through the roof. That's how powerful it is when you build your model around ONE audience.
Every time I've seen a business truly take off, it's been because the founder committed to one audience and stopped hedging. The fear of missing out on other markets is what keeps most entrepreneurs stuck. The ones who commit — even when it feels scary — are always the ones who grow faster and more profitably.
Once you know who your ONE audience is, the next step is to build ONE core offer for them. Simple as that. But most entrepreneurs struggle here because they worry about niching down and committing to the wrong audience or offer. You have to fight this resistance.
Your business model should be simple. Specific to one type of person. Solving their problem in a specific way. As soon as you offer more than one solution, you dilute your marketing and message — and you create a paradox of choice where your audience doesn't know what to choose, so they choose nothing.
At 2X, we have ONE core offer: the 2X Accelerator program. Same price for everyone. Same guarantees. This keeps things simple and lets us drive better results by optimizing and mastering one offer rather than spreading ourselves across many. We will do 7 figures in our first year with high profit margins — largely because of this laser focus.
Most entrepreneurs think "new" and "more" will save them. Usually it won't. Double down on one great offer and you'll be much better off.
Simplicity is a competitive advantage. When you have one offer, every dollar of marketing, every conversation, every piece of content drives toward the same outcome. Complexity is the enemy of scale. When in doubt — simplify. Your revenue, team, and clients will all thank you for it.
Once you have your ONE audience and ONE offer, you want to remove all competition and become the only solution they think about. The best way to do this is to own a phrase.
Your ONE audience needs to see you as the only solution to their problem — and the best way to accomplish that is to own a relevant phrase that keeps you top of mind constantly. I saw how powerful this is firsthand when building my previous business, Epic Launch. We intentionally built our model around becoming the go-to solution for self-published, non-fiction business authors launching their books. So we began to own the phrase "Book Launch" — in our marketing, the t-shirts we wore, sales copy, program names, talks, events, and internal communications. Everything revolved around those two words.
Before long, anyone whose friend mentioned a book launch — and they were self-published, non-fiction, business authors — would immediately say: "you need to speak to Austin at Epic Launch." We owned that phrase, and it created consistently qualified warm leads every single week. One audience + one offer + one phrase = results and a business model that works.
Think about what phrase you can own right now. What phrase will attract the right people? What phrase is both memorable and relevant? What phrase creates a positive association between your core audience and core offer? Figure that out — and dominate your niche.
Owning a phrase is about getting inside your ideal client's head — and staying there. At 2X, we own "6 to 7 figures." When any entrepreneur in our audience thinks about breaking through that barrier, they think of us. It takes time to build, but it starts with intentionality. Pick your phrase and work it into everything — consistently and relentlessly.
This is one of the biggest mistakes we see entrepreneurs make in their business model — they go all in on one single platform. I love focus and you should absolutely dial in one core lead source at a time. But putting all your faith in and relying solely on ONE marketing channel is a disaster waiting to happen.
A close friend experienced this firsthand: his ecommerce business was growing fast month over month — until his Facebook advertising costs doubled due to changes outside his control. Lower conversions and higher competition forced major emergency investments in other marketing channels. All of it stemmed from over-reliance on a single source.
What happens if an advertising platform changes its algorithm overnight? What happens if a company disappears altogether? You'll wish you had multiple lead sources — just as multiple income streams are fundamental to personal wealth. A successful business model does not rely on a single platform, partner, or client. Invest in 2–3 marketing channels that drive consistent leads, and for each one you need:
- A great strategy — so you get the best results for the least effort
- A system and process — so you can repeat and scale consistently
- An owner — someone on your team who takes charge of that channel
- KPIs and tracking — so you know the numbers and can hold your team accountable
You can only make this happen when you're working on the business — not stuck inside it. That's why everything we do at 2X focuses on removing you as the bottleneck first, so you have the clarity and headspace to build and oversee multiple channels strategically instead of just executing in one out of survival.
As CEO, your decision-making determines everything. But you can only make the right decisions if you understand and own your numbers. And here's the honest truth: the first time you really dig into them, it may sting. Most entrepreneurs don't truly understand their numbers, and in the beginning when you're hustling and grinding, you can get away with it. But as you evolve from entrepreneur to CEO, you need to know your numbers cold.
You need your financials, your core KPIs, your key data points, and the 80/20 breakdown of every income stream. You need to know what is and isn't working — and make decisions based on that reality, not on assumptions or gut feel.
When we work with a new client, we start with their vision and goals — then immediately dive into their numbers to determine whether what they're doing will actually get them there. Most of the time, the numbers don't add up. This affects cash, marketing spend, team investment, fulfillment — absolutely everything. Do the math: does your current model add up to your goals? If not, your strategy and business model need to change.
Numbers are the language of your business. They don't lie, and they don't have feelings. Once you start making decisions from your numbers instead of your emotions and assumptions, you'll be amazed how quickly the right moves become obvious. This is one of the most important shifts any entrepreneur can make as they step into the CEO role.
Building the perfect business model means nothing unless it aligns with your vision. This is why the very first thing we do with a new client at 2X is dive into what they truly want. Want a million dollars? Great. Want more time with your family? Fine. Want to travel the world and work from a laptop? Sure. Whatever your vision is — build the business model that will actually make it happen.
Use all seven steps above — but none of it matters unless you have a specific, meaningful vision that gives you purpose, and unless your business model is aligned with that vision. This is why vision is central to our entire 2X Formula.
When vision and model are aligned, everything locks into place. And this isn't just theory — we've seen it work with dozens of talented clients at 2X.
Vision is the reason you make every hard decision, push through every obstacle, and still show up when it's difficult. Without it, all the right tactics still feel hollow. But when your model is perfectly aligned with what you actually want your life to look like — building a 7-figure business starts to feel less like a grind and more like momentum. That's the goal.
When our clients align their business model with their vision and work through these 8 steps, here's what actually happens:
Went from $6.5 million before joining 2X to more than $35 million while in the 2X program — by getting their numbers dialed in, removing bottlenecks, and optimizing their model for scale.
Learned how to leverage his time and team properly while working with us, and tripled his business in just 42 days — by removing himself as the key bottleneck and redesigning his model around leverage.
Scaled their business while Cathrine was on maternity leave — achieving the work-life balance they'd always wanted by building a model that no longer required them both to be present for every decision.
We help talented entrepreneurs each day who have great businesses but are burning out trying to hustle and grind their way to the next level. Within 90 days, we guide them through the 2X Formula — and they double their business while working smarter, not harder.
If you want to see the entire 2X Formula in action and how we'd apply it specifically to your business, schedule a free strategy call with us. We'll dive into your current model, identify exactly what's holding you back, and show you the fastest path to your next level. Apply now to get started.
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