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Most businesses don’t break because they lack vision.
They break because they have no operating model.
They grow fast, then fall apart faster—pulled down by unclear roles, patchwork systems, and chaotic decision-making. Sound familiar?
I call this scaling with chaos, and it’s the slowest form of self-sabotage a founder can commit.
The fix? A tight, lean, Target Operating Model (TOM)—the structure that holds everything together as you grow.
🎯 Why Chaos Creeps In:
Here’s how it usually happens:
• You start with a great idea.
• The business grows, the team expands, revenue comes in.
• You keep reacting—more hires, more tools, more meetings.
• At some point, you become the bottleneck. The business is running you.
That’s when chaos starts winning. And the worst part? You don’t realise it until it’s costing you serious time, energy, and money.
🧱 What Is an Operating Model?
Think of your TOM as the engine room of your business. It’s not a vision statement. It’s not strategy. It’s the infrastructure that turns your strategy into execution.
A proper TOM answers:
• Who does what?
• How do we communicate?
• What are the tools, cadences, and decisions that drive performance?
• How do we stay aligned without relying on you?
It’s clarity over charisma. Structure over story.
This is where businesses start to breathe again.
🧠 How I Build Operating Models That Scale
Every business I advise or build (Ethical Bedding, Moongreens, Origins) starts with the same 4-layer structure:
1. Vision > Strategy > Execution > Governance
This is the North Star flow:
• Why do we exist?
• What’s the plan?
• How will we deliver it?
• How do we make decisions and stay accountable?
2. People & Roles
Define ownership. Avoid duplication. Make it crystal clear who owns what.
3. Systems & Tools
Strip away tool fatigue. Keep the stack lean and integrated.
4. Processes & Rituals
SOPs, cadences, and review rhythms that keep things flowing.
Bonus Layer: Values that are actually lived—not just written on a slide deck.
🔥 The Result: Calm, Profitable, Predictable Growth
When your operating model works:
• You remove yourself as the bottleneck
• The team moves faster, with less confusion
• You make fewer decisions—but better ones
• Your margins improve
• You finally have space to think
Most importantly, you regain your freedom—without sacrificing scale.
👇 Want This In Your Business?
This is the work I do through In Bed With James.
If you’re scaling from £5M to £50M and want to remove the chaos,
→ [Book a Fit Call] and let’s rebuild your engine room.
