Escape the Treadmill: How to Build a Self-Running, Profitable Business with Less Stress

The Hidden Entrepreneur Show with Josh Cary

What if the key to growing your business wasn’t pushing harder, but pulling back? In this eye-opening episode, Josh Cary sits down with Sadek El-Assaad, business transformation expert and author of Higher Profit, Lower Stress. After burning out in his own company, Sadek made a radical shift... he removed himself from the day-to-day entirely and empowered his team to take the lead. The result? Explosive growth with less stress.

This is not just a conversation. It’s a permission slip to rethink everything you’ve been told about scaling. If you’ve ever felt like the bottleneck in your business, this episode will give you the tools, mindset, and inspiration to change that. Whether you're on the brink of burnout or simply ready to work smarter, this is the playbook you've been waiting for.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

How to Step Back Without Losing Control – Discover Sadek’s proven method for building a team that can grow the business without you at the center of everything.

The 3 Pillars of a “Fitness Business” – Learn the essential components every founder must master: leadership, operating costs, and client growth.

Why Legacy Thinking Is Killing Your Growth – Understand the invisible systems and habits that keep most businesses stuck, and how to break free.

The Mindset Shift Every Leader Must Make – Learn why technical excellence doesn’t translate to leadership and how to coach your team into true command.

From Burnout to Breakthrough – How Sadek went from 12-hour days to a business that thrives without his constant involvement.

Why You Can’t “Try Harder” Out of a Plateau – Why self-awareness and strategy, not hustle, are your true growth levers.

The Hidden Gift of Frustration – How to use emotional lows as fuel for reinvention and clarity.

Memorable Quotes

“I realized I was the bottleneck. Other people build billion-dollar companies without running themselves into the ground.”

“A great soldier doesn’t always make a great commander. Leadership is its own skill.”

“Most businesses don’t need more effort. They need to change their angle of approach.”

“If your business has plateaued, it’s not the market, it’s your internal system that needs to adapt.”

“3.0 is when what you thought mattered… no longer does. It’s a whole new lens.”

Ready to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Own Business?

If you’re tired of being the only thing keeping your company running, this episode will show you a new path forward. Tune in now and start shifting from operator to true owner.