Episode 24: Your Strength Becomes Your Bottleneck | Troy Schroeder

Troy Schroeder built Clutch from a couple of people to just shy of 60, doubling the business several times in nine years. He was also the firm's best salesperson. Which made him, in his words, the thing standing in the way.In this conversation, Troy sits down with Glen Dall and John Ninkovich to talk about the trap most growing-company CEOs fall into. The skills that get a company off the ground are the same ones that cap it later. The generalist who has to do everything early becomes the bottleneck who can't stop doing everything later.Troy is candid about carrying the entire revenue forecast on his own back until he couldn't, and what changed when he finally let his team in. He gets into why focus beats diversification, how "new business is everybody's business" actually works in practice, and why a great hire outperforms an average one by a factor most owners underestimate.If you run a company between $10M and $100M and you've ever felt like every decision is life or death, this one will land.In this episode:Why the best thing you had early becomes the worst thing as you scaleCarrying the revenue number alone, and what it costs you"New business is everybody's business," and the system behind itThe three paths to new revenue, ranked by what actually worksWhy focus and category expertise beat trying to serve everyoneProfit sharing and transparency without breaking the teamSeparating your identity from your business so the weight doesn't crush youConnect with Troy Schroeder:https://www.linkedin.com/in/troymschroederLISTEN AND SUBSCRIBENew here? Follow the show so the next conversation finds you.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BuyVhr8BcMKpzfodvzCwc?si=e0d5d03780d74147Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/escape-the-ceo-doom-loop/id1810542775ABOUT THE PODCASTEscape the CEO Doom Loop is honest conversation about what it takes to lead a growing company without losing your mind. Each episode, Glen and John sit down with CEOs, the advisors who work alongside them, and the authors who shaped how they think.The through-line is the Doom Loop. The cycle where capable CEOs carry too much, solve instead of lead, and feel responsible for everything while trusted with nothing. The show is for owners and presidents running companies between $10M and $100M who feel some of that and rarely say it out loud. No theory, no hype. Patterns you'll recognize, and the moves that break the loop.PODCAST HOSTSGlen Dall is the founder and CEO of Apex North Business Coaching. He works with growth-stage CEOs on the leadership and structure it takes to scale, using the Apex North Star Way, powered by Metronomics.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glendallJohn Ninkovich is a principal at John Ninkovich Coaching, based in Detroit, and has spent his career leading and advising growing companies.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-ninkovich-398640THE CEO PLAYBOOKThe show grew out of a research project. Glen and John interviewed 72 CEOs to understand why capable leaders get stuck as their companies grow. What they found became The CEO Playbook, a short read on the fears and patterns that stall growth, and what to do about them.If anything in this episode hit home, the Playbook is your next step. Message us!Send us Fan Mail