hormozi-scale

Hormozi Scale — Skill v1.0

"The bottleneck is always one thing. Find it. Remove it. Find the next one." "You are not the business. You are the constraint." "More. Then Better. Then New. In that order."

This skill operationalizes the complete ACQ scaling framework into 4 executable workflows. Works downstream of hormozi-leads (needs lead flow first) and alongside hormozi-money (unit economics drive scale decisions).

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Workflow Selection

Intent	Workflow
"Scale my business" / "What do I fix first?"	→ Workflow 1: Scale Readiness Audit
"What's holding me back?" / "I'm stuck at $X"	→ Workflow 2: Bottleneck Elimination System
"Who do I hire next?" / "Should I delegate this?"	→ Workflow 3: Hiring Blueprint
"Build an SOP" / "Automate this process"	→ Workflow 4: Systems & Automation Builder

For full scaling strategy: chain 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 (audit first, remove bottleneck, hire for it, then systemize it).

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Workflow 1: Scale Readiness Audit {#wf1}

Source: ACQ Scaling Framework

The Scale Sequence (must follow in order)

PHASE 1 → More:    Volume is the constraint. Do more of what works.
PHASE 2 → Better:  Quality-volume is the constraint. Improve the thing that works.
PHASE 3 → New:     You've maxed the channel/offer. Add a new one.

Critical rule: Never move to "Better" while volume is still the constraint. Never move to "New" while quality is still the constraint. Most businesses add new channels when they should be doubling down on what's working.

Phase Determination Scorecard

Answer each question Yes/No:

Phase 1 Check (Are you doing MORE than what's working?)

• Are you executing the primary lead channel at full capacity?
• Have you hit ≥ 10 paying warm customers?
• Is your weekly lead volume predictable and consistent?
• Is the team working the same winning process every week?

If any are NO → you are in Phase 1. Do more.

Phase 2 Check (Is volume solved — now improve quality?)

• Lead volume is consistent and meeting targets
• Closing rate is below 30% on qualified calls
• Customer result / delivery quality has variance
• LTV:CAC ratio is below 3:1

If any are YES → you are in Phase 2. Make it better.

Phase 3 Check (Is MORE + BETTER maximized — now go NEW?)

• Volume at capacity (you can't do more without hiring/systemizing)
• Quality optimized (close rate ≥ 30%, delivery consistent, LTV:CAC ≥ 3:1)
• TAM starting to feel constrained in current niche
• Cash/team runway to support a new channel or offer without killing the core

If all YES → Phase 3. Start new.

LTV:CAC Pre-Requisite Check

Before scaling any paid acquisition, verify unit economics:

LTV:CAC = (Average Revenue Per Customer × Gross Margin × Avg. # of Purchases)
          ÷ (Total Sales + Marketing Cost ÷ # New Customers Acquired)

Ratio	Interpretation	Action
< 1:1	Losing money per customer	Fix offer, pricing, or retention immediately
1:1 – 2:1	Breaking even	Not safe to scale; improve before spending more
3:1	Minimum viable for paid scale	Green light to activate paid ads
5:1+	Healthy growth engine	Aggressive scale authorized
10:1+	Exceptional — usually means underpriced	Consider raising prices

Output: Scale Audit Report

SCALE AUDIT REPORT
============================
BUSINESS CONTEXT: [revenue + team size + primary offer + primary channel]

PHASE DIAGNOSIS:
  Current Phase:    [1: More / 2: Better / 3: New]
  Evidence:         [3 specific observations]
  Primary Action:   [single most leveraged move]

LTV:CAC CHECK:
  Current LTV:      $[X]
  Current CAC:      $[X]
  Ratio:            [X]:1
  Status:           [GATE MET / NOT MET for paid scale]

TOP 3 BOTTLENECKS:
  1. [Bottleneck] → Impact → Fix
  2. [Bottleneck] → Impact → Fix
  3. [Bottleneck] → Impact → Fix

30-DAY ACTION PLAN:
  Week 1: [specific action]
  Week 2: [specific action]
  Week 3: [specific action]
  Week 4: [specific action]
============================

Deep dive: references/scale-sequence.md and references/ltv-cac-models.md

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Workflow 2: Bottleneck Elimination System {#wf2}

Source: ACQ Constraint Theory Framework (inspired by Goldratt's Theory of Constraints)

The Rule of the Single Constraint

"There is always exactly one bottleneck. Solving two at once means you're optimizing the wrong one."

The bottleneck is always in one of 5 locations:

1. LEADS          — not enough people entering the funnel
2. CONVERSION     — leads are coming in but not buying
3. FULFILLMENT    — delivery is the rate limiter on capacity
4. CASH           — cash flow limits how fast you can scale
5. FOUNDER        — you are personally the single point of failure

Bottleneck Diagnostic

Step 1 — Locate the constraint:

Symptom	Likely Bottleneck
Not enough leads	Leads
Leads coming in, low close rate	Conversion
Leads closing, but capacity is full	Fulfillment
Revenue growing, but cash tight	Cash (see hormozi-money)
Team waiting on you for decisions	Founder

Step 2 — Quantify the bottleneck:

• How many units/hours/people/dollars is it currently processing?
• What is the theoretical maximum?
• What is the gap?

Step 3 — Exploit before you elevate:

• Exploit: maximize what you have before adding resources
• Subordinate: make everything else serve the constraint
• Elevate: add resources only after exploitation is maxed

Founder Bottleneck (Most Common at $100k–$1M/month)

The founder is the constraint when:

• They are in the critical path of sales, delivery, or ops
• Decisions require their personal approval
• Team cannot execute without their input
• Revenue growth requires their personal time to grow

Elimination path:

1. Document everything you do → SOP it (Workflow 4)
2. Identify which task has the lowest $/hour value → delegate first
3. Hire to replace yourself in one function per 90 days
4. Build decision frameworks so team decides without you

Output: Bottleneck Elimination Plan

BOTTLENECK ELIMINATION PLAN
============================
IDENTIFIED CONSTRAINT:  [which of the 5 areas]
EVIDENCE:               [3 specific data points or observations]
CURRENT THROUGHPUT:     [what it's processing now]
THEORETICAL MAX:        [what it could process]
GAP:                    [the delta]

EXPLOIT ACTIONS (do these first — no new resources):
  1. [specific action]
  2. [specific action]

ELEVATION ACTIONS (add resources):
  1. [hire / tool / system]
  2. [hire / tool / system]

EXPECTED RESULT: [what unlocks when this constraint is removed]
NEXT CONSTRAINT: [what becomes the bottleneck after this one is fixed]
============================

Deep dive: references/scale-sequence.md

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Workflow 3: Hiring Blueprint {#wf3}

Source: ACQ Hiring Framework

The Hiring Priority Rule

"Hire to replace yourself in the thing that generates the least revenue per hour of your time."

Value-Per-Hour Delegation Matrix

Step 1 — List every task you do in a week Step 2 — Assign a $/hour value to each:

Your Task	Your Hourly Rate	Task Market Rate	Leverage
CEO strategy	$1,000/hr	$1,000/hr (irreplaceable)	—
Sales calls	$500/hr	$150/hr (closers)	3.3x
Fulfillment	$200/hr	$50/hr (specialist)	4x
Admin / ops	$300/hr	$20/hr (VA)	15x
Content editing	$300/hr	$30/hr (editor)	10x

Hire in order of highest leverage (market rate vs. your rate).

The First 4 Hires (ACQ Sequence)

For most service businesses in the $100k–$1M/month range:

Hire 1 → VA / Operations (removes admin, scheduling, low-leverage tasks)
Hire 2 → Fulfillment specialist (removes you from delivery)
Hire 3 → Setter / SDR (removes you from lead qualification)
Hire 4 → Closer (removes you from sales calls)

After these 4: hire a COO/Integrator (removes you from management).

Hire Profile Framework

For each hire, define:

HIRE PROFILE
========================
Role name:          [specific title]
Replacing you in:   [specific tasks / hours/week freed]
Lever ratio:        [your $/hr ÷ hire market rate]
Outcome owned:      [one measurable metric this person owns]
Hiring criteria:    [3 must-haves — not nice-to-haves]
Compensation:       [base + variable structure]
Onboarding:         [first 30 days — what does winning look like?]
Success at 90 days: [specific, measurable outcome]
========================

Output: Hiring Action Plan

HIRING ACTION PLAN
============================
CURRENT BOTTLENECK ROLE:  [role to hire first]
LEVER RATIO:              [X]x
TASKS FREED:              [list]
HOURS FREED/WEEK:         [number]
REVENUE VALUE OF TIME:    $[X]/week unlocked
HIRE PROFILE:             [full profile above]
SOURCING STRATEGY:        [where to find them — community / referral / platform]
============================

Deep dive: references/hiring-blueprint.md

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Workflow 4: Systems & Automation Builder {#wf4}

Source: ACQ Systems Framework

The Systemization Rule

"If you do it twice, document it. If you document it, delegate it. If you delegate it, automate it."

3-Tier Decision Framework

Before building any system, classify the task:

Tier	Type	Action
Tier 1	High-judgment, high-value	Keep with founder — do NOT systemize
Tier 2	Repeatable with clear rules	Systemize → SOP → Delegate
Tier 3	Fully rule-based, no judgment	Systemize → Automate → Remove from team

SOP Construction Formula

Every SOP must include:

SOP TEMPLATE
========================
Process name:       [what this does]
Trigger:            [what starts this process]
Owner:              [who is responsible]
Frequency:          [how often / under what conditions]
Inputs:             [what they need to start]
Steps:
  1. [Action] → [Tool/Platform] → [Expected output]
  2. ...
  N. [Last step: quality check or delivery]
Output:             [what gets produced]
Success criteria:   [how you know it was done right]
Escalation:         [what to do if something goes wrong]
========================

Automation Tier List

Tool Type	Best For	Examples
CRM + pipeline	Lead tracking, follow-up	HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Salesforce
Scheduling	Call booking, reminders	Calendly, Acuity
Email sequences	Nurture, onboarding, follow-up	ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit
Workflow automation	Cross-app triggers	Zapier, Make (Integromat)
AI agents	Content, research, support	Claude, GPT-4o, n8n
Payments + contracts	Revenue collection	Stripe, PandaDoc

Automation Priority Scoring

Score each process 1–5 on:

• Frequency (how often does it happen?)
• Time cost (how long does it take each time?)
• Error rate (how often do humans get it wrong?)
• Human judgment required (low = good automation candidate)

Highest-scoring processes = automate first.

Output: Systems Build Plan

SYSTEMS BUILD PLAN
============================
PROCESS:            [name]
TIER:               [1 / 2 / 3]
PRIORITY SCORE:     [X]/20
CURRENT STATE:      [how it's done now]
TARGET STATE:       [how it runs after systemization]
SOP:                [link or embedded SOP]
AUTOMATION:         [tool + trigger + action]
OWNER AFTER BUILD:  [who runs this going forward]
BUILD TIME:         [estimated hours]
ROI:                [hours/week saved × weeks/year × hourly rate]
============================

Deep dive: references/automation-playbook.md