Succession planning works when two things are true
This piece was originally shared on LinkedIn in response to recurring conversations with founders and leadership teams around this topic.
I’m publishing it here as part of an ongoing body of thinking around restaurant strategy, market entry, and operational decision-making.
You step back without quality dropping, and you do it without still being heavily involved.
For this to work, someone else needs to be doing it all before you do.
A few stages help get you there:
First, get clear on exactly what you do and what needs replacing. If you're a founder, much of this likely lives in your head, and that's a problem.
Then, build structure around it. Delegated authority, clear checkpoints, and stronger processes. This lets you monitor the transition and begin phasing responsibilities to the right people.
From there, you're spotting the gaps. Gaps in the structure, or in people's ability to deliver without you.
Plan for 18 months minimum. This allows time to refine systems, develop your people and bring in new hires. You might need to rethink your organisational structure entirely.
It's gradual. You invest time in the structure, they start doing it, then you move from executive involvement to governance and review.
The test is simple: if you disappeared for a month, would anyone notice in the numbers?
Since first sharing this, I’ve seen the same issue surface repeatedly — particularly with businesses entering new markets or scaling too quickly. The underlying challenge is rarely strategy itself, but how early decisions constrain execution later.