Founder Bottleneck Index

How much of your company still runs through you?

12 questions. 2 minutes. A 0 to 100 score across decisions, knowledge, delivery, data, sales and systems, your bottleneck tier, and the first 90-day move to fix it. Built for founders of companies with a team and real revenue.

What this measures: A founder bottleneck is the point where growth is capped by one person's capacity because decisions, knowledge, client relationships or data only flow through them. The Index scores that dependency so you can see which dimension to fix first instead of guessing.
ALMOST DONE

Where should we send your full breakdown?

Optional. You will see your score either way. The email gets you the dimension-by-dimension breakdown and the first 90-day move for your tier.

0/100
Your first 90-day move

Want the full 90-day roadmap for your systems?

Start with a complimentary Tech Discovery Call. In 20 to 30 minutes we look at how your company runs today and decide together whether a Systems Blueprint Session, which maps out your 90-day systems roadmap, is the logical next step. You keep the architecture either way.

Schedule Your Complimentary Tech Discovery Call →
How the Fractional Chief AI Operations Officer engagement works

Retake the Index

How the Founder Bottleneck Index is scored

Twelve questions, two per dimension. Each answer scores 0, 4 or 8 points of founder dependency, for a maximum of 96, normalized to 100. The six dimensions are the places a founder-led company most often stalls between $5M and $50M in revenue:

  1. Decisions: how many day-to-day calls wait for you.
  2. Knowledge: how much of how the company works lives only in your head.
  3. Delivery: whether clients get the same experience when you are not on the job.
  4. Data: whether your leadership team can see the numbers without asking you or building a spreadsheet.
  5. Sales: whether revenue closes without you in the room.
  6. Systems: whether your tools talk to each other or you are the integration.
ScoreTierWhat it usually meansFirst move
0 to 34Operator-LightThe company largely runs without you. Growth is limited by strategy and capital, not by you.Protect it: continuity, documentation, and AI leverage on what already works.
35 to 64Partial BottleneckYou are the system in two or three areas. Those areas cap growth and burn your week.Fix the highest-scoring dimension first, usually data or delivery.
65 to 100Founder Is the SystemThe company cannot run a normal week without you. Most common at $5M to $20M.An operations dashboard and one automated core process in 90 days, then the next.

Questions founders ask

What is a founder bottleneck?+
A founder bottleneck is the point where a company's growth is limited by the founder's personal capacity because decisions, knowledge, client relationships or data only flow through them. The company has a team but still runs on one person's memory and availability.
What score is a problem?+
Under 35 means the company largely runs without you. 35 to 64 means you are the system in at least two areas. 65 and above means the company cannot operate a normal week without you, which is the most common profile at five to twenty million in revenue.
Do I have to give my email?+
No. You see your score without it. The email is optional and only used to send your breakdown and the first 90-day move for your tier.
What happens after the score?+
You get your tier, a breakdown by dimension and one recommended first move. If you want a 90-day roadmap, the next step is a complimentary Tech Discovery Call, where we decide together whether a Systems Blueprint Session is the logical next step.

Related: The Founder Bottleneck: When You Are the System · For EOS companies · For advisory firms · Full AI Systems Audit