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"This book changed my life."
You Built a Business. It Built You a Job.
There are two kinds of six-figure business owners: the ones whose phone rings the second they step away, and the ones who built something that runs fine without them. The only question is: which side are you on?
The Million-Dollar Hurdle shows you exactly what to fix first, and in what order, so you clear it.
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Fear question: Would your business seize up if you stopped holding it together?
The select few and the truth: A select few have always known this truth: you can't outwork a broken system.
Their freedom: The owners who got free stepped off the treadmill, and the business grew without them.
Without X: Without the longer hours everyone reaches for first.
And without Y: And without chasing growth that only exposes what's broken.
All because: All because it isn't about effort. It's about structure.
Reveal constant: Now, for the first time, I'm pulling back the curtain.
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Fair warning before you start
Fair warning: I'm tough on you here. I've watched talented owners trip over the same invisible shoelaces for twenty years, and I'm tired of pretending it's complicated. Not to be cruel. I used to be one of you.
I started out caddying for quarters
My first business lesson came at age eleven, caddying on Boston's public courses. Four hours hauling clubs for whatever loose change the golfer felt like paying. One time I got a handshake and a "nice hustle, kid." Couldn't even buy a Snickers with that.
I grew up in a Boston housing project where the highest aspiration was a steady job at the post office. Owning a business was never a consideration. Until one day, it was.
I went on to found four companies across a thirty-five-year career. One of them, Taradel, grew from a one-man operation into a platform serving over twenty-five thousand customers. By the time I sold it, we were bringing in thirty million in revenue.
Then I spent years in a CEO roundtable with founders running multimillion-dollar companies. I figured I'd be the dumbest guy in the room.
Turns out we were all the dumbest guy in the room, just about different things. Broken lead forms. Bad hires. No systems. No idea what to fix first.
That was the moment it clicked. The problems keeping good businesses stuck are basic, and they're the same everywhere. What owners are missing is the order to fix them in.
I didn't write this book to show off what I know. I wrote it because twenty years of watching smart, hard-working owners stay stuck got hard to take, and nobody was handing them the fix.
Welcome to the Six-Figure Treadmill
You walk in and a crew's a man short. The big estimate's still on the truck seat, because nobody else does it right. Other people set your agenda for you. Why did you want to own the place? Oh, right. Freedom. How's that working out?
The numbers back it up: 91 percent of US small businesses have annual revenues under $1 million. Millions of talented owners, all stuck on the same machine.
The numbers back it up: 91 percent of US small businesses have annual revenues under $1 million. Millions of talented owners, all stuck on the same machine.
You've been working hard on the wrong thing in the wrong order, because nobody ever handed you the right one. Once you see that, getting off the treadmill stops being a mystery.
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Why none of it stuck
I'd bet you've already tried. There are business books piling up on the nightstand and podcast advice you never had time to run. You spent marketing dollars that went nowhere and hired someone who lasted four months. And still the same number at the end of the year.
So the excuses start to sound reasonable. "I can't find anyone who cares as much as I do." "I can't afford good marketing." I said those exact things myself. None of it stuck because the fixes came in random order, aimed at the wrong thing first. The problem was always you. So is the fix.
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Your business has one weakest link
Every business has one section quietly choking the rest. Pour more effort into the strong parts and nothing moves. Find the weak one. Fix it first.
The primary outcome - A business that finally clears the million-dollar hurdle, and keeps climbing past it.
The secondary benefit - A Tuesday spent quoting the big job you actually want, not driving across town because a crew showed up without plans.
The deeper motivation - And a company that works without you. An asset you could someday sell, instead of a job you can never quit.
It starts with a score. About 10 to 15 minutes of honest answers showing exactly where your business is weakest and which fix comes first. Most owners guess wrong about their own constraint. This doesn't.
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Find your training assignment
Most owners think the million is an effort problem: more hours, one genius marketing move, push harder.
The Million-Dollar Scorecard is a diagnosis: it names the one thing to fix, so the effort you're already spending finally moves the number.
Proof about the method
Your four training phases
Makes the intangible tangible. A named, structured system feels reliable and repeatable in a way that advice never does. The reader stops seeing a book and starts seeing a tool.
Phase 1: Diagnose
Take the Million-Dollar Scorecard and find your primary constraint: the one weak section holding everything else back. No more guessing at what's wrong.
Phase 2: Stabilize
Fix the fundamentals: how your business looks, who you hire, your culture, your pipeline. The One Simple Rule: no working on scale while instability exists.
Phase 3: Scale
With stable footing, pour on fuel: branding that sticks its neck out, marketing that repeats, outside help, and a clear picture of who you're selling to.
Phase 4: Leap Higher
Learn to see around corners, use your data, find your niche, and make yourself replaceable, so the business grows past seven figures without you carrying it.
What's waiting inside the book
Part 1, Diagnosis: the Scorecard finds your weakest section.
Part 2, Stabilizing: hiring, culture, and pipeline, fixed.
Part 3, Scaling: marketing and branding that pay you back.
Part 4, Leap Higher: a business that runs without you.
What another year really costs
Let me be the cold rain on your parade. Another year of this looks like eighteen holes with the phone at your ear, technically on the course, spiritually in a conference room, your golf partners knowing more about your Q3 than your spouse does. Then the part nobody says out loud. If you do everything, you are the business. Nobody buys a business that can't run without you. You're locked in for life.
Here's the other half. You already cleared the hardest hurdle there is: you got people to pay you. That's not easy. So well done you. What's left is basic, fixable, and sitting in a short stack of chapters with your name on the cover. A few evenings of reading. That's the whole ask.
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Proof about internal belief
Take 30 days to decide
Take the Scorecard. Read your chapters. If you don't believe this will get you over the hurdle faster, email us within 30 days for a full refund. No hoops, no hard feelings.
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FAQs
How quickly will I receive the book?
Digital copies arrive in your inbox instantly. Physical books ship within 3 to 7 business days, and every physical order includes the digital edition, so you can start reading tonight.
Is this worth the price?
At $21, one recovered hour pays for it. Plenty of owners swear they're broke walking back to a brand-new Land Rover. Sir, your watch costs more than my first car. The real cost is another year at the same number, and you already know what that feels like.
Can I get a refund if I change my mind?
Yes. You're covered for 30 days. Take the Scorecard, read your chapters, and if the book doesn't deliver, email us for a full refund. No hoops.
What formats does the book come in?
Digital, audiobook, and physical editions. Get the digital alone, add the audiobook, or grab the full bundle with the physical book at checkout.
Can I try the Scorecard before I buy?
Yes. The Million-Dollar Scorecard is free online at milliondollarhurdle.com/scorecard. Score yourself in about 10 to 15 minutes and find your weakest section. The book is what shows you how to fix it, in the right order.
I'm already overwhelmed. Where do I find the time?
You're overwhelmed because your days are full of the wrong work. The book shows you the 20 percent of changes that drive 80 percent of your results, so you do less and get more.
Is my payment information secure?
Yes. Every order runs through a secure, encrypted checkout handled by a trusted payment processor. Your card details are never stored.
Can I speak to someone about my order?
Sure. Email [email protected] and a real person will get back to you within one business day.
Jim Fitzgerald
Who's telling you all this
I'm Jim Fitzgerald. I've been obsessed with business since I spent a summer caddying for loose change at age eleven. Since then I've founded four companies across a thirty-five-year career.
One of them, Taradel, cleared the million-dollar hurdle on its way to 25,000 customers and $30 million in annual revenue, making Inc.'s 5,000 fastest-growing list twelve straight years.
I'm no guru. I made every mistake in this book, fixed them, and wrote down what worked. I live in Richmond with my wife, Sandy, and play a lot of golf.
One decision left to make
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You've read this far for a reason. You already know which part of your business you'd score lowest. This book hands you the fix for exactly that, in order, starting this week. A few evenings of reading against another year at the same number: that's the real trade on the table.
So take the leap or don't; either way, you've already done the hard part by building something real. But if you're ready to stop caddying for quarters, your copy is one click away.
$67 $21 EARLY BIRD
Jim Fitzgerald helps hands-on, self-made business owners clear the million-dollar hurdle. The Million-Dollar Hurdle pinpoints what's keeping your business under seven figures and fixes it in the right order, so you end up with a company that makes you money and lets you close the laptop on vacation, instead of a job that owns you.
The testimonials and sales figures presented here are exceptional results of our existing clients and are not indicative of typical experiences. Fitzgerald Growth Partners LLC provides no guarantees of financial outcomes; your results may vary significantly. Your earnings depend on various personal factors and there is an inherent risk of loss of capital. Past performance is not a predictor of future results. We are not liable for your financial decisions or actions, and our products or services should be used with due diligence and understanding of your individual circumstances. By using our services, you acknowledge and agree to the potential for varying financial outcomes and assume responsibility for all associated risks.
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