267. How to build a business bigger than you, with Dustin Hillis

2026-01-15

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Most founders pride themselves on being “high-capacity”. The person who can sell, operate, strategise, and firefight all at once. But there’s a point where that strength quietly becomes the problem. In this episode, Al and Leanne are joined by Dustin Hillis, a serial entrepreneur and executive coach who has led businesses from early-stage chaos through to $100m-plus scale, and is now building again at a much bigger level. Dustin’s core message is simple, but uncomfortable:what gets you to your first milestone will not get you to the next one. Unless leaders change how they work, think, ...

Most founders pride themselves on being “high-capacity”.
The person who can sell, operate, strategise, and firefight all at once.

But there’s a point where that strength quietly becomes the problem.

In this episode, Al and Leanne are joined by Dustin Hillis, a serial entrepreneur and executive coach who has led businesses from early-stage chaos through to $100m-plus scale, and is now building again at a much bigger level.

Dustin’s core message is simple, but uncomfortable:
what gets you to your first milestone will not get you to the next one.

Unless leaders change how they work, think, and let go, they become the bottleneck that holds everything back.

This is a long-form, honest conversation about growth, power, systems, and the emotional reality of leadership that rarely gets talked about.

🔍 What you’ll learn in this episode

Why working harder eventually stops working, and what replaces it
How leaders unintentionally burn out their best people by turning them into “catch-alls”
Why systems don’t kill creativity, but reduce fear and create capacity
What actually changes at £1m, £10m, £100m and beyond
The power dynamics that quietly derail teams as money and authority increase
Why “pruning” underperformance is painful but essential for healthy cultures
How to stop being the centre of everything without losing control

Dustin acts as a guide through the messy middle of growth, grounded in lived experience rather than theory.

📘 About the book

Dustin is the author of Capacity: Building Your Business Bigger Than You, a practical exploration of how leaders build organisations that no longer depend on them to function.

🔗 Connect with Dustin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhillis/
Website: https://dustinhillis.com

💬 Connect with the hosts

Al Elliott
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

Leanne Elliott
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🎧 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Have a workplace dilemma or question? Get in touch — it may feature in a future episode.

🧠 Mental health support

If this episode brings up difficult feelings, support is available:

UK: Samaritans — call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline — call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com