The bus question that saved John’s business
- Harry T. Jones
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
4 Signs You Need a Breakthrough Group (Not Just a Mentor)
What happens to your business if you get hit by a bus tomorrow?
When someone asked John this question, he had no answer.
Twenty years building his business. Zero succession plan.
At 58, John was the classic founder-who-couldn’t-let-go. He’d created an abundance of followers, not enough leaders.
He had advisors. A board. Mentors galore.
Still stuck.
Then John joined our breakthrough group. Everything shifted.
Why Your Mentor Isn’t Enough
Mentors are flashlights in the dark. Helpful? Yes. Sufficient? Not always.
A mentor illuminates the path. A breakthrough group builds the road.
Mentor = GPS (Shows where to go) Breakthrough Group = Construction Crew(Builds the bridge to get there)
John didn’t need directions. He needed a crew.
The Question That Changed Everything
“What if you get hit by a bus tomorrow?”
That question forced John to stop playing founder and start thinking legacy.
Within months he:
Named his “bus plan” (short-term successor)
Created CEO-in-training role
Brought his son into the business
Mapped 10-year transition plan
Not bad for a guy who was floundering.
The Secret: Collective Intelligence
In breakthrough groups, great minds don’t just discuss ideas—they pressure-test them and hold you accountable.
It’s having 5-8 battle-tested entrepreneurs who’ve been where you’re going.
Magic happens when the RIGHT questions meet the RIGHT timing with the RIGHT people.
4 Warning Signs You Need More
Over the next four weeks we will examine these telltale signs that you need a Breakthrough group:
Groundhog Day Syndrome: You’re solving the same problems on repeat.
The Lonely Peak Syndrome: You’ve climbed so high, there’s nobody left at your altitude to challenge your thinking.
The 5-Year Plan That Takes 15 years Syndrome: You want to compress decades into months. (Spoiler: That requires different fuel.)
Echo Chamber Syndrome: Surrounded by people who nod but never challenge.Sound familiar?
Your Move
John spent 20 years building a business that needed him for everything.
In months with a breakthrough group, he built a business that could thrive without him.
Are you wandering with a flashlight, or ready to build the road?
Hit reply. Tell me which warning sign resonates most.
Your business shouldn’t need you to survive. It should need you to thrive.
There’s a difference.
Harry T. Jones
P.S. Next week: Why solving the same problems repeatedly isn’t a you-problem—it’s a who-problem.
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