I just took my first 2-week vacation in nearly a decade.

And what happened while I was gone surprised me more than anything I could have expected.

I started AdOutreach almost 10 years ago in July 2016 – & in that entire time, I had never taken more than 9 days off at once (a week vacation with an extra weekend on each side).

Even that took me years to work up to.

For most of my journey as an Entrepreneur, I never fully disconnected from the business. I was always “on” – checking Slack, jumping on calls, putting out fires.

It took me a long time to realize that taking a full week off & truly disconnecting actually allowed me to come back sharper, more refreshed & with a clearer perspective.

So this year, I decided to push it further – 2 full weeks away.

To be honest, I was nervous at first.

2 weeks felt like a long time to step away from a business I had spent nearly a decade building.

But I've worked hard to build an amazing Dream Team at AdOutreach who I knew could run things while I was away – & I trusted them to do exactly that.

So this week, I want to share what happened, what I learned & the 3 Key Principles I'm taking away as a Founder & CEO that I think will help YOU in your business too.

As a Reminder, Our Goal with this Newsletter is to Give You the Highest Level of Value Possible. That's my Promise to you & I intend to Over-Deliver!

Here's a Sneak Peek at What's Inside This Email:

• I'll share the Unexpected Thing That Happened when I gave my team 2 weeks of full autonomy (instead of 1)

• I'll give you my 3 Key Principles for building a team that doesn't just maintain – they OPTIMIZE

• You'll learn the Mindset Shift every Entrepreneur needs to make to scale past being the bottleneck in their own business

• & I'll share a bit about our incredible 2-week journey across Japan 🗾

Alright, let's Dive In…

The 2-Week Japan Adventure 🗾

So my brother, a couple of friends & I set off on an epic 2-week trip across Japan.

Tokyo, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe & Hakone.

Myself along with my Brother & a couple of Friends in Japan

We immersed ourselves in the sightseeing, soaked up the incredible Japanese culture & of course ate WAY too much delicious food along the way!

Hands down one of the best trips I've ever taken.

There's something about being on the other side of the world, fully unplugged, that gives you a perspective you simply can't get sitting at your desk.

You start to see your business not from inside the trenches – but from 30,000 feet above.

& that's when the real insights start to hit.

But here's the crazy part…

Something Unexpected Happened With 2 Weeks Instead of 1 🚀

When I'd take 1 week off in the past – my team would “maintain”

They'd hold things steady, handle the day to day & wait for me to get back before making any bigger decisions.

But this time was different.

I gave my team the autonomy to make changes while I was gone – decisions that didn't need to be run by me.

& they did.

They didn't just maintain – they actually used that time to OPTIMIZE the business while I was away.

Campaigns got tightened up. Processes got improved. Team members stepped up into bigger roles & owned outcomes I would have normally weighed in on.

I came back to a business that was running better than when I left.

That hit me hard as a Founder & CEO.

Because as Entrepreneurs, we often get stuck in this cycle where we believe we need to be the one driving every decision.

We tell ourselves things will fall apart if we step away for “too long”

But what if the opposite is actually true?

What if stepping away LONGER is what unlocks the next level of trust, autonomy & growth in your team?

That's exactly what I experienced.

The 3 Key Principles for Building a Team That Optimizes (Not Just Maintains)

I spent a lot of time reflecting on this on the flight home, & I distilled it down to 3 Key Principles that I think apply to ANY business owner reading this.

Whether you have a team of 2 or 200, these principles are universal.

Principle #1: There's a Massive Difference Between Delegation & Empowerment

For YEARS I thought I was delegating effectively.

I'd hand off tasks. Assign projects. Set deadlines.

But here's what I missed – delegation is about handing off tasks. Empowerment is about handing off DECISIONS.

When I'd take a week off, I was delegating the work. But every meaningful decision still funneled back to me.

This time, I empowered my team to make the calls. & here's the thing about empowerment…

When you give people the authority to make decisions, they take ownership of the outcomes.

They stop asking “What do you want me to do?” & start asking “What's the best move for the business?”

That's a GAME-CHANGING shift.

Quick exercise: Look at your business right now & ask yourself – what decisions does my team currently bring to me that they actually have the context & capability to make themselves? Start handing those decisions over. You'll be amazed at how quickly they rise to the occasion.

Principle #2: Your Absence is a Stress Test (Use It Strategically)

Most Entrepreneurs see vacation as something they “deserve” or “need” – a reward for hard work.

But here's a reframe that changed everything for me…

Your time away is the single best stress test you can run on your business.

When you're there every day, you're propping things up. You're filling cracks. You're being the safety net.

But when you step away – the cracks become visible. The weak processes break. The team members who CAN'T step up become obvious. & the ones who CAN – well, they shine.

I came back from Japan with a crystal clear picture of:

• Which processes were actually solid (& which only worked because I was in them)

• Which team members were ready for more responsibility

• Which systems needed to be documented better

• & where the next big opportunities for the business were

You can't get that clarity sitting in the trenches.

You have to step OUT of them to see them clearly.

Principle #3: Trust Compounds (But It Has to Start Somewhere)

Here's the thing about trust – it's not something you “decide” to give your team.

It's something you BUILD with them over time, one decision at a time.

When I first started AdOutreach, I made every call myself. As we grew, I started handing off small decisions. Then bigger ones. Then bigger ones still.

Each time my team made a great call without me – that compounded the trust in our relationship.

This Japan trip was the latest “deposit” in that compounding trust account.

& the dividend was massive – 2 weeks of business OPTIMIZATION while I was halfway around the world.

But here's the key… I couldn't have done this trip 5 years ago. The trust wasn't built yet. The team wasn't ready. & honestly, I wasn't ready to let go.

So if you're reading this & thinking “There's no way I could take 2 weeks off right now” – that's OK.

But start the compounding NOW.

Hand off ONE decision this week. Then another the next week. Then another.

In 6 months, 12 months, 24 months – you'll have built a team that can run your business better than you can alone.

The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

When you give your team the time & space to truly lead – they rise to the occasion.

& that's powerful to realize as a business owner.

My aspiration going forward is to continue building a team that can not only run things while I'm here – but optimize, innovate & push the business forward whether I'm in the office or halfway across the world 🌎

That's the real mark of a great company.

It's not how much revenue you do.

It's not how big your team is.

It's whether your business can THRIVE without you being the bottleneck.

AdOutreach Turns 10 Years Old This July 🎉

This July, AdOutreach turns 10 Years Old.

It's a massive milestone & I feel incredibly grateful that I got to step away, recharge & come back with fresh perspective heading into our next decade.

10 Years. 3,000+ Clients. $300M+ in Client Results. Inc. 5000 #60 with 652% growth.

But honestly?

The accomplishment I'm most proud of right now isn't any of those numbers.

It's the team I've built that can run this company without me checking Slack every 10 minutes.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is to leave it for a couple of weeks 😉

Your Challenge This Week

If you're an Entrepreneur or business owner reading this – I want to challenge you with one question:

When was the last time you took a real, fully disconnected vacation?

& if you haven't yet – what's holding you back?

More importantly – what's ONE decision you're currently making for your team this week that you could empower THEM to make instead?

Hit reply & let me know – I'd love to hear how you balance time off with growing your business. Honestly, some of my favorite emails I get are from readers sharing their own journey on this.

P.S. The hardest part of stepping away isn't trusting your team – it's trusting yourself enough to let go. Once I made that shift, everything changed.

P.P.S. If part of what's keeping you stuck in the day-to-day is that you're still the one driving every client acquisition decision – that's a huge area we help our AdOutreach clients with. We help business owners build YouTube Ad systems that bring in clients on autopilot, so you can step out of the weeds & focus on what only YOU can do. If you want to explore what that could look like for your business, you can book a call with our team here.

More Value Coming Your Way

I've got some incredible content lined up for you over the next few weeks, including:

• A behind-the-scenes look at our AdOutreach 10-Year Retrospective – the biggest lessons from a decade of scaling

• The latest AI Marketing Strategies we're testing internally (some of these are wild)

• A NEW Case Study showing how one of our clients scaled from 6 to 7 figures in under 12 months

• & a LOT more…

I'm serious when I say I want this to be the Most Valuable Newsletter You're Subscribed to – look out for us in your inbox every Friday!

I'll see you in the next one!

To Your Success,

– Aleric Heck | Founder & CEO of AdOutreach