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Do You Have A Job Or A Business?

Name: Do You Have A Job Or A Business?
Uploaded: 2025-11-22T21:45:00+00:00
Duration: 21 s
Channel: Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP
Description: In this brief monologue, Shanli Liu argues that many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe they own a scalable business when, in fact, they run an expensive…

22 Nov 2025 · 0 min

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0:21

In this brief monologue, Shanli Liu argues that many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe they own a scalable business when, in fact, they run an expensive, high‑paying job that is entirely dependent on the founder. She explains that investors avoid businesses that cannot operate without the founder because the reliance creates "human risk"—the risk that all decisions, client relationships, and problem‑solving are tied to a single individual. Consequently, regardless of revenue, such founder‑dependent enterprises have little intrinsic value and are considered liabilities rather than assets until the founder‑risk is mitigated.

So most business owners think that they own a business when in reality they own a very expensive, high-paying job. Investors don't buy businesses that can't survive without the founder. So it doesn't matter how much revenue you do, if every decision, you know, comes from you, every client and every fire comes back to you, the value of the business is close to zero. And it's something that we call human risk. And so until you solve it, you don't have an asset, you actually have a liability.