What Breaks First

Check what gives way if more customers arrive.

Spreadsheet
6 pages
About 30 to 45 minutes to fill in
Google Sheets · Excel · PDF

Making this yourself would take about 9 hours: working out the steps, writing the examples and setting it up in Google, Microsoft and PDF. It's done for you.

This document

What Breaks First, all three formats

Early Operations pack

This one plus 3 more Early Operations documents

$20

The voice in this video is George's, made with AI.

What it's for

The business is getting busier, and you want to know your real limit before more customers arrive. It shows which of your limits runs out first.

What you'll need: About 30 to 45 minutes and your calendar from the last four weeks. Google Sheets (free) or Microsoft Excel, or paper and a calculator. Nothing to buy.

Pairs well with

Run the Business Without Chaos (know how much you can take on each week)
Do You Need Help Yet? (if your hours are what breaks first)

What you'll leave with

Your real weekly hours for jobs, after the work that isn't jobs.
Your main job types, the hours each takes, and how many you do now.
How many jobs a week each limit allows: your hours, equipment, supply money, message time or a helper's hours.
Which limit breaks first, what happens if customers grow, and your plan to fix it.

Look inside

Sample page from What Breaks First. Page 3: The Example tab, filled in by Nadia. — Page 3: The Example tab, filled in by Nadia.

Sample page from What Breaks First. Page 5: The Your Turn tab, ready for your own numbers. — Page 5: The Your Turn tab, ready for your own numbers.

How to use it

Work through the steps in order. Each one has a worked example and space to write your own answer.

Open the Start Here tabRead the steps, the color key and the free tools.
Look at the Example tabSee Nadia's mobile dog grooming business.
Your Turn, section 1Type the hours you can work each week and the hours spent on things that aren't jobs.
Your Turn, section 2List your main job types, the hours each takes (including travel) and how many you do now.
Your Turn, section 3Your hours fill in the first row. Add anything else that could run out, how much you have each week, and how much one job uses.
Your Turn, section 4, and read the resultsSee which limit breaks first and what happens if more customers arrive.
Write your planSay what you'll do before that limit breaks.

Tips

Use real hours from your calendar, not a guess.
Before you buy equipment or software, check that it fixes the limit that breaks first.
The AI prompts on the Start Here tab include a kind message for saying "I'm full" with a waitlist.

Three formats, one purchase

Google SheetsMake a copy in your Google Drive and type straight into it.
Microsoft ExcelDownload and fill it in on your computer.
PDFPrint it and fill it in with a pen.

Early Operations pack

Also in the Early Operations pack

4 documents in all

Workbook10 pages
Run the Business Without Chaos
Find where the business leaks and plug it with a short weekly routine.
About 10 hours to make yourself
$7See what's inside
Workbook11 pages
Your Customer Flow
Map every step from first message to paid and closed.
About 11 hours to make yourself
$7See what's inside
Spreadsheet6 pages
Numbers That Matter
A one-page weekly scorecard for your business.
About 9 hours to make yourself
$7See what's inside

Ready to start?

Pay once, keep it, and download it as often as you like.