The Business Game
The Business Game
The Business Game is not another highlight reel of overnight success. It is a structured, honest breakdown of what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain a business at every level.
We built The Business Game around a simple truth: business changes as revenue changes. The problems at $500K are not the problems at $5M. The mindset at $5M is not the mindset at $50M. That is why every conversation is grounded in our 10-Level framework, from Level 1 Startup and Survival through to Level 10 Legacy and Exit.
If you are:
• Trying to get your first consistent revenue
• Building your first real team
• Breaking through the messy middle
• Scaling toward eight or nine figures
• Or preparing for exit
There is an episode that meets you where you are.
Hosted by Steve Plummer and Kalena Stano, who speak to founders operating at every stage of the game. No gatekeeping. No hype. No recycled advice. Just real numbers, real mistakes, real strategy, and real decisions that moved the needle.
Each week, we publish two episodes every Monday and Thursday at 6pm AEST, featuring global founders, operators, and investors who break down what actually works at their level and what does not.
The Business Game exists to give you clarity. To help you identify your current level. To show you the moves required to reach the next one.
Because scaling is not random. It is a game. And every level has different rules.
Find your level. Play it properly. Then level up.
Watch video episodes on YouTube and explore more at thebusinessgamegroup.com
The Business Game
The Systems Playbook: How Owner-Operators Stop Being the Bottleneck
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Most business owners start their company for freedom — but end up building something that only works if they are there holding it together.
In this episode of The Business Game, Wayne Hutchison breaks down why so many owner-operators become trapped inside their own business and what it actually takes to build systems that remove the founder as the bottleneck.
Wayne has spent more than 20 years helping founders shift from working insane hours to building businesses that generate profit without problems — where systems, leverage, and better decision-making replace hustle and burnout.
This conversation explores the real mechanics of scaling a business beyond the founder.
In this episode you’ll learn:
• Why the “hero owner” mindset traps founders in their own business
• The difference between working harder vs building leverage
• What “profits without problems” actually means in practice
• The simple experiment Wayne used to expose the real bottlenecks in his business
• Why systems — not motivation — create sustainable growth
• The biggest myth around work-life balance for entrepreneurs
• Why many founders unknowingly recreate the same job they tried to escape
• How AI is becoming a new form of leverage for business owners
• Why most business advice pushes founders into burnout instead of scale
If you’re an owner-operator trying to move from doing everything yourself to building a business that runs, this episode is packed with practical insights on systems, leverage, and sustainable growth.
Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.
Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.
For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com
It's time to Level Up!
We’ll see you at the next level.
