Every real estate appraiser applies four tests to every parcel of land before determining its value.
These tests reveal whether a property is being used to its full potential, or whether it's being wasted.
The same four tests apply to you as a CEO. This audit will walk you through each one, help you diagnose
where you're falling short, and give you one clear action to start fixing it.
01Legally Permissible
02Physically Possible
03Financially Feasible
04Maximally Productive
How to Use This Worksheet
Work through each of the four tests on the following pages.
Answer the diagnostic questions honestly — no one is grading you.
Circle PASS or FAIL for each test at the bottom of that page.
"You don't hire to grow your business, you hire to buy back your time… Don't buy back your time to do nothing.
Buy it back to fill your life with things that bring you joy." — Dan Martell
Your Turn — Test #1 | HBU Business Audit
01
Legally Permissible
Key Question: If you disappeared for 3 weeks, would your clients still be fully protected,
legally, ethically, and by your industry's standard?
Diagnostic Questions — Answer Honestly Below
1
Is your work product credible if YOU didn't personally touch every step of the process?
2
Could a client or regulator challenge you because a non-licensed / generally skilled person handled part of the work?
3
Does your quality standard depend on your physical presence, or on a documented system you built?
Rate yourself on this test:
(select one)
Your Move If You're Failing This Test:
Document your quality standard. Write the system that produces the outcome, not the one that depends on you doing it.
Start by recording yourself doing one task, then turn it into a checklist.
Your Turn — Test #2 | HBU Business Audit
02
Physically Possible
Key Question: Can one human body — yours — sustainably do everything your business
currently requires at your current volume?
Diagnostic Questions — Answer Honestly Below
1
How many steps in your core process require YOUR specific license, signature, or judgment, and how many could a well-trained team member handle?
2
If you got sick for 30 days, which parts of the business would stop, and which would run fine without you?
3
Are you in the right seat on your own bus, or are you driving, navigating, AND selling tickets?
Rate yourself on this test:
(select one)
Your Move If You're Failing This Test:
List every task you did this week. Circle the ones only you can do. Every other task is a delegation or hire
waiting to happen. Commit to removing one task from your plate within 30 days.
Your Turn — Test #3 | HBU Business Audit
03
Financially Feasible
Key Question: If you hired yourself at your true market rate as a CEO, could your business
actually afford you?
Diagnostic Questions — Answer Honestly Below
1
Are you pricing your work based on the industry average, or based on the value only YOU deliver at your speed and quality level?
2
What are you trading away (time, health, freedom, relationships) that isn't showing up anywhere on your P&L?
3
If your fee doubled tomorrow, which clients would leave, and would that actually be a problem?
Rate yourself on this test:
(select one)
Your Move If You're Failing This Test:
Raise your price by 20% on the next 5 new clients. See who objects. Price anchors to fear, not value —
the market will tell you where you actually stand.
Your Turn — Test #4 | HBU Business Audit
04
Maximally Productive
Key Question: What are the 2–3 things in your business that ONLY YOU can do?
Everything else is the ransom.
Diagnostic Questions — Answer Honestly Below
1
Look at your calendar from last week. What percentage of your time was spent on work only you can do, vs. work anyone could do with training?
2
If you wrote down every task you did in the last 5 days, how many could a well-trained team member handle with a good process?
3
What is the $10,000/hour version of your work, and how many hours of it did you actually do last week?
Rate yourself on this test:
(select one)
Your Move If You're Failing This Test:
Block 3 hours tomorrow for CEO-only work. Treat it like a board meeting — nothing cancels it.
Do this every week until protecting that time is non-negotiable.
Your HBU Scorecard — Tally Your Results
Which Tests Are You Failing?
01 Legally Permissible
Could your business run without you for 3 weeks with zero client risk? Where are the potential liabilities?
02 Physically Possible
Have you separated what requires YOU from what a well-trained team member can do?
03 Financially Feasible
Are you charging for CEO-level value, not just industry-average labor?
04 Maximally Productive
Does your calendar reflect your highest-value work more than 60% of the time?
My HBU Score
/ 4
What Your Score Means:
4 / 4 PASSING
You've bought your life back. Protect it, scale intentionally.
3 / 4 PASSING
One leak in the system. Find it, fix it. You're close.
2 / 4 PASSING
You're working hard in the wrong seats. Prioritize the two failing tests now.
0–1 / 4 HALT
Your business doesn't have a growth problem — it has a structure problem. Before adding more clients,
marketing, or revenue, the foundation needs attention. Start with Test 1. Without a documented system,
you can't safely hand anything off — which means Tests 2, 3, and 4 stay broken too. Pick one task you
do every week and write down every step. That's your starting point.
When you're done, save a copy of your completed audit for your records.