The founders who get to the next level are not the smartest in the room, they are the most connected. Working harder will not get you there, being in the right room will. The quality of your relationships determines where your business goes next.
You can see exactly where you want to go. So why are you still watching others get there? The TEDx talk, the book, the bigger stage has been on the list for a while. What's actually in the way is rarely what you assume it is.
You built a business. Somewhere along the way it built a cage around you. Almost everything comes back to you, and you haven't switched off in years. The Founder's Trap isn't permanent - but getting out requires more than better systems.
The room is the problem. The standard of the room becomes your standard without you noticing. The question isn't whether you're in rooms - it's whether you're in the right ones, built for where you're going rather than where you've been.