Cesar Quintero has seen the turn from passion project to full-scale business a hundred times. An immigrant founder who became an EOS® Implementer, he calls the shift what it feels like: from jazz band to marching band.
In jazz, everyone riffs. If a note is off, it’s still jazz.
In a marching band, one step out of line is obvious.
Scaling demands lanes with clear owners and a shared cadence.
“Purpose fuels your energy; systems compound your results.”
Cesar Quintero
Most entrepreneurs resist this. They believe that doing it all will keep working. Sometimes it does, briefly. And then it quits. Usually at $1–10 million in revenue. Sometimes earlier. Sometimes with a thud.
The first move isn’t a tool. It’s a mindset: you are not the hero of the company; you build the heroes. That means delegating responsibilities, not tasks. Hiring leaders who own outcomes, not checklists. Letting them make calls you might have made differently—and learning from the misses without pulling back control.
Purpose helps. When you understand why you’re in this business, you stop micromanaging and start empowering. Energy flows to the right problems and results in an efficient team.
Then the framework. Cesar’s an implementer of EOS®, a simple operating system for running the business. The components are plain:
Vision. Where we’re going and how we’ll behave.
People. Right people, right seats, one owner per seat.
Data. A weekly scorecard that tells the truth.
Process. The few core processes, documented and followed.
Issues. A place to surface, discuss, and solve what’s in the way.
Traction. A steady cadence of planning and execution.
This is where small teams stumble. Not for lack of talent. For lack of constraint. Everything feels important but it isn’t. Focus is paramount.
Founders often bristle at business coaching until they try it. A good coach doesn’t hand you answers. They ask better questions, bring a proven rhythm, and hold the room accountable.
If you’re stuck, try this today:
- Write your one-year Accountability Chart.
- One owner per seat. No shared accountability.
- List three company-level rocks for the next quarter. Only three.
- Schedule a weekly 90-minute meeting. Guard it. Start on time, end on time.
Build a simple scorecard with five to ten numbers that predict success. Review it weekly.
Do Start/Stop with your leadership team. Pick one stop that creates real space.
Expect discomfort. That’s the sign you’re moving from jazz band to marching band.
The founder story is about you.
The scaling story is about everyone else.
Purpose supplies the why.
Systems supply the how.
People deliver the results.
Listen to Cesar on the show here or wherever you stream podcasts!