Owner Dependency Index
How hard does the business lean on you?
Fifteen statements, five dimensions, three minutes. The load map draws itself as you answer — thick red spokes are where your week is going. Every Keelworth engagement starts with this exact audit, done properly across a month.
Delegation
Decisions under an agreed threshold are made without me and I hear about them later, if at all.
Each of my senior people owns an outcome, not just a list of tasks.
When I am away for a week, nothing waits for my return except signatures.
Systems
Our most important processes are written down well enough for a competent new hire to follow.
Quality does not drop when a specific person is on holiday.
We fix recurring problems by changing the process, not by reminding people harder.
Cash & numbers
I see cash, debtors and pipeline on one page at least weekly.
Prices are reviewed against current costs at least twice a year.
VAT, payroll and tax dates are funded in advance, not scrambled for.
Pipeline
New enquiries arrive from channels that work whether or not I personally network.
Someone other than me can quote and close our typical job.
I know our enquiry-to-order conversion rate without looking it up.
Leadership rhythm
My leadership team meets weekly with a fixed agenda that starts and ends on time.
We run the business against no more than three priorities per quarter.
Problems usually reach me through the rhythm, not through my phone.
Your first moves
The index scores how independently the business runs: 0 means it is you; 100 means it runs without you. Nothing is stored or sent — this stays in your browser.
Reading your score
The four stages of owner-independence.
0–40 · Owner-carried. The business runs through you. Impressive, exhausting, and worth much less than it should be. The upside: from here, every structural change pays back fast.
41–60 · Leaning. Parts of the business stand on their own; the important parts still lean on you. Most owners we meet are here — usually convinced they are further along.
61–80 · Steadying. The keel is in. Rhythm, numbers and ownership exist; the work now is consistency under pressure, and growth that does not pull you back in.
81–100 · Self-steering. The business runs on rhythm rather than on you. Your job is direction, capital and the next horizon — or a very well-priced exit.
A note on honesty: owners consistently score themselves a stage higher than their team would score them. If you want the unvarnished version, we run the full index — including your leadership team’s answers — in the first month of every engagement. The gap between the two scores is usually the most useful number in the room.
Free discovery call
Scored lower than you hoped?
Good — that means there is structure to build, and structure is very buildable. Bring your score to a free discovery call and we will tell you honestly what we would do first.
No slides. No pressure. No cold calls afterwards.