Navigating the Path from Practice to Enterprise with a BOS
Time, communication, direction, focus, alignment, structure, control, accountability, consistency. These are common barriers I see when looking at firms that struggle to break through the glass ceiling from practice to enterprise, each shaped by the viewpoints of different individuals within the firm. Trying to address all of them at once can feel overwhelming when you are starting from scratch on how to move forward.
Enter the power of the Business Operating System (BOS). Essentially, your BOS is a framework of tools, rules, and habits that standardize how you strategically operate your firm with your team. When done right, everyone knows where you are going, who does what, how to do it, and when it needs to be done—driving meaningful progress and execution at its finest.
You can create your own BOS if you choose, or you can say, “Let’s not reinvent the wheel,” and opt for a tried-and-true solution like the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). You can always look to customize to fit your firm’s needs overtime. While other systems exist, EOS has become the most well-known because, frankly, it works. I have used it in my past life and with current clients, so let me explain how it can help your firm break through on its scaling journey.
A Guidebook Through the EOS Lens
As many of you may know, EOS was formalized by Geno Wickman about 20 years ago after he turned around his family’s debt-ridden business. He wanted to help small and medium-sized business owners build a system to simplify operations and execute effectively. He has written several books on the subject, including Traction and Rocket Fuel, which I highly recommend reading, whether or not you decide to implement EOS in your firm.
Here is Wickman’s exact quote on why he formalized EOS:
“I realized that most entrepreneurs were making it harder than it needed to be. They were bogged down in complexity. EOS was my way of boiling it down to the essentials—six key components—so they could simplify, focus, and actually enjoy the ride.”
Those six components include the following:
- Vision – It is your north star, defining where you want to be one day and who you want to be (your core values), along with how you plan to get there.
- People – It is about ensuring you have the right people in the right seats and, just as importantly, that they share common values.
- Data – It is your scoreboard: the numbers and objective metrics that keep you on track.
- Issues – It is the problems and challenges, big or small, that must be addressed to keep you moving forward.
- Process – It is the way your team works together within a framework that allows you to improve the business every day.
- Traction – It is how you get things done and execute. It brings together the other five components, fueled by the intangibles like the grit and determination of your team to achieve more.
When you get these pieces right, you have a framework that leads you exactly where you want to go. The real magic comes from consistently applying all six components.
The Power of EOS in Driving RIA Scalability
Every firm reaches a point in its early growth journey when hard work, long hours, and maybe a little charisma are no longer sufficient to move higher. The business becomes more complex, with more tasks to do and more people involved. You need a way to communicate both formally and informally about how everything works within the firm. Initially, everything might live in your team’s heads, and that works when you are small. But as you grow, these “good problems” emerge if you do not proactively build the business rather than relying on the reactive approach many start out with.
Ultimately, you need to develop a distinct “firm-name” way of operating, which can function like a unique communication language for your team. This is challenging in an industry that revolves around human capital, where people really are the business. We cannot simply program machines to do the work—at least not yet. A more structured approach that instills clarity, accountability, and process consistency becomes the baseline for building as you move higher. Even if you establish strong communication lines, human factors like emotions and varied thinking styles can disrupt what once worked.
This is where the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) comes in. While it is not a golden goose, it provides a simple structure of tools, processes, and communication lines that help you begin your scaling journey. In my view, true scaling starts when you add specialists to your advisor ranks or platform team, which may initially feel like a hit to profits but ultimately enables greater growth. Of course, scaling can be uncomfortable. Your revenue may climb while your profits do not keep pace. In my opinion, this often defines the difference between firms that make it to $1 billion AUM and those that remain around $250–$500 million. I have referred to this in a previous article as the “Valley of Doom.”
At the end of the day, it is a mindset shift: embracing what is best for the business in the long term and facing any short-term pain that comes with reaching genuine scale.
Breaking Through Common RIA Obstacles to Scale with EOS
Let’s break down five of the most common obstacles I see RIAs face when moving from the $250 million AUM range (practice mindset) to $1 billion+ (enterprise mindset) and how the EOS framework helps tackle them with a structured, head-on approach.
1.) Leadership Skills Begin to Come Into Focus
In the early days, a small, tight-knit team runs on the founder’s intuition and close oversight. But as the firm grows, more people and moving parts push leadership into the spotlight—owners can’t be everywhere at once. At this stage, the need for delegation increases significantly, but effective delegation is only possible with strong communication. And right now, that responsibility falls primarily on the owner-advisors. Leadership is communication. Without it, decision-making slows, direction becomes inconsistent, and owners find themselves stretched thin, caught between running the business and trying to scale it.
How EOS Helps: EOS establishes the structure needed to turn communication from a reactive, ad-hoc process into a consistent and intentional system. By creating clear accountability and regular communication rhythms, it prevents misalignment as owners step back from day-to-day oversight. Instead of decisions getting bottlenecked at the top, leadership responsibilities are distributed, allowing the team to function more independently while staying aligned on the firm’s direction. As a result, owners can focus on high-level strategy without the constant pull into operational details.
2.) The Firm Is Dependent on the Owners
Founders often wear many hats, balancing client service, sales, strategy, and more. While that works at a smaller scale, it becomes unsustainable as AUM and headcount grow. Delegation is critical at this stage, yet many advisor-owners struggle to let go of control, whether it is executing tasks themselves or directing every small detail. No RIA can truly become an enterprise if this mindset shift does not occur. Over-reliance on a handful of individuals for client relationships and decision-making creates operational risk and limits scalability.
How EOS Helps: EOS provides a structured framework to ensure everyone is aligned on key decisions and the direction of the firm, making delegation more effective and less daunting. It establishes clarity around responsibilities so that owners can confidently hand off tasks, knowing their team understands the objectives and has the autonomy to make the necessary micro-decisions along the way. Giving up control is never easy, but with EOS, trust is built into the process, allowing leadership to step back from the day-to-day while ensuring execution remains strong and aligned with the firm’s goals.
3.) Very Little Is Formally Documented
When an RIA is small, processes often live in the founders’ or team members’ heads, and tasks get done based on habit rather than structure. This reactive approach works in the early stages, but at a certain point, the firm must shift to a proactive mindset, actively refining and improving how things get done. As the saying goes, what gets tracked gets measured. Without documentation, inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities for improvement become harder to spot. Beyond just ensuring smoother onboarding and reducing errors, formalizing processes forces firms to pinpoint areas for optimization and identify where they can improve daily.
How EOS Helps: EOS provides a framework for documenting and refining core procedures, turning informal habits into repeatable, scalable systems. By establishing clear expectations and measurable benchmarks, firms gain consistency while also uncovering opportunities for growth. This disciplined approach ties directly into tracking key performance indicators, helping leadership assess what is working, where adjustments are needed, and how to build a firm that operates efficiently at every level.
4.) Time Is Constrained For Leaders & Team Alike
Owners and top leaders quickly find themselves stretched thin as they juggle family obligations, big-picture strategy, and daily tasks. Delegation becomes crucial in this phase, especially for advisor-owners who can no longer manage everything themselves. Yet even when they are willing to hand off responsibilities, the entire team still needs a clear sense of direction. Simply telling people to “go fix everything” will not magically produce results. By narrowing the scope to a handful of priorities at a time, you ensure that each project is handled more thoroughly, rather than spreading effort across too many goals. With greater clarity around what truly matters, the team gains confidence that they are working on the right tasks, allowing leadership to remain strategic rather than buried in day-to-day details.
How EOS Helps: EOS introduces a regular rhythm of planning and communication that guides everyone to focus on the most critical objectives at any given time. Instead of juggling endless to-dos, teams work from a short list of clearly defined goals aligned with the firm’s bigger vision. This structure prevents overwhelm, reduces busywork, and ensures that all levels of the organization are in sync. Over time, this disciplined approach to prioritizing and delegating tasks leads to better results, a less frantic work environment, and the freedom for leaders to concentrate on high-level decisions that drive the business forward.
5.) Firms Struggle to Invest Back in the Business
It is tempting to keep distributions high or stick to familiar routines rather than invest profits in technology, talent, or other growth initiatives. Owners often question the payoff of spending money on new staff or expanded infrastructure, worrying that these costs might be unnecessary. For instance, hiring someone to manage your technology stack might seem premature if you are not sure there is enough work to justify a full-time role. However, once you zoom out and consider where you want the firm to be in three years, it becomes clear how pivotal this person can be. Having a clear view of future objectives also helps owners see such costs as catalysts for long-term success rather than optional extras that only drain cash flow.
How EOS Helps: EOS lays out a tangible long-term roadmap, highlighting the milestones and resources needed to reach your goals. When you see how each hire or infrastructure upgrade fits into the bigger picture, it is easier to justify those investments and trust that they are critical steps in your firm’s evolution. Instead of feeling like you are wasting money on “nice-to-haves,” you gain the confidence that every dollar reinvested serves a strategic purpose. With EOS guiding consistent progress tracking, reinvesting becomes an intentional, priority-driven decision that reinforces the foundation for sustainable, scalable growth.
Taken together, these five challenges often hinder an RIA’s progression from practice to enterprise, but a structured framework like EOS can help mitigate each one. By instilling proactive planning, accountability, clarity, and consistent procedures, the entire organization becomes better prepared to manage growth with confidence and cohesion.
Cultivating the EOS Mindset Across Your Entire Firm
In any organization, mindset often distinguishes mediocre outcomes from long term success. To fully harness a framework like EOS, each role—from the visionary at the highest level to individual contributors—needs a clear grasp of what they do and why it matters. In EOS terms, the “Visionary” shapes the big picture direction and fuels innovation, while the “Integrator” makes sure day to day operations align with that broader vision and bridges the gap between ideas and execution.
Owners and Visionaries – Your entrepreneurial drive propels growth, but it needs structure to truly flourish. Without discipline around your creativity, you risk scattering your team’s efforts in too many directions. Trust the processes and people you have invested in, allowing them to take on responsibilities while you focus on defining the firm’s long term trajectory. This balance keeps you from getting pulled into everyday tasks and frees you to guide the organization’s future effectively.
Leaders and Integrators – If you occupy a leadership seat, especially in the Integrator role, your goal is to keep operations aligned with the overarching vision. That calls for consistency, transparency, and a willingness to confront challenges head on. Clear communication and proactive follow up prevent small issues from becoming major hurdles. By modeling accountability and ensuring everyone stays focused on shared objectives, you foster a reliable environment where decisions are implemented smoothly.
Teammates and Individual Contributors – EOS is not about top down authority but a culture of shared ownership. Every team member is expected to be accountable for their work and speak up about potential problems or opportunities. If a process needs fixing, bring it forward. Proactive contributions are valued, creating a more resilient and adaptable firm. By offering ideas and solutions, you not only help drive the organization’s goals but also advance your own professional development.
Bumper Lanes for Success: Practical Steps to Implement EOS
Now that we have examined the mindsets essential for EOS success, the next step is moving from principles to day-to-day execution. This is where a thoughtful approach to implementing EOS and leveraging the right software solutions can make all the difference in your RIA.
By now, you probably have a decent sense of whether EOS is right for your firm and whether you are ready to invest the necessary time, capital, and change management. Once you decide to move forward, it is wise to begin by sharing EOS concepts with your leadership team to establish a shared understanding of its purpose and goals. Identify your core challenges, agree on what success looks like, and be prepared to question longstanding habits. With this alignment in place, you will have a more solid foundation for next steps, including the careful mapping of responsibilities and establishing a consistent meeting cadence.
Think of adopting EOS like rolling a bowling ball down the lane: it is easy to veer off track without some kind of support. Once you have done the preparation work with your leadership team, you can install two “bumper lanes” to keep your EOS journey on course and help ensure a successful outcome.
Bumper Lane 1: Hiring a Certified EOS Implementer or Designating an Internal Champion
EOS requires more than enthusiasm. An outside implementer can uncover blind spots or “elephants in the room” that an internal team might otherwise tiptoe around. If you prefer to manage it in-house, designate someone who deeply understands the system, though outside expertise often encourages more candid conversations. In either scenario, a dedicated guide helps you implement EOS rigorously and holds everyone accountable.
Bumper Lane 2: Adopting a Software Tool for Daily Execution
While the first bumper lane shapes your direction, the second guarantees consistent follow-through. Tools like Ninety or EOS One centralize tasks, documents, and accountability measures. I fully embrace Ninety, having used it during my own employment and now with both clients and prospects. It was a longtime preferred partner of EOS and remains popular among RIAs, while EOS One is the official platform introduced more recently. By providing a single source of truth, these tools transform EOS from an abstract idea into a functional, everyday operating system.
Remember, EOS is more than a collection of tactics. It represents a shift toward discipline, clarity, and team-based problem-solving. The groundwork you lay with leadership, combined with these two bumper lanes, will ensure your firm stays focused and confident on the path to enduring growth.
Time to Break Through That Glass Ceiling
At the end of the day, turning an RIA from a practice into a thriving enterprise requires more than good intentions or small tweaks. A framework like EOS brings clarity, accountability, and direction to every layer of your firm, fueling consistent execution and sustainable growth. By embracing these principles, committing to long-term investment, and using the right tools to keep everyone on track, you put your business in a position to smash through those glass ceilings. The result is stronger team alignment, higher productivity, and a future defined by measurable, enduring success.