The moment you realise people are looking to you
Christmas has always been a time for reflection, but this year, the view from the head of the table looks different for me.
In the last two years, my wife Thelma and I have experienced a profound life shift.
We’ve moved from the stage of life where we were looking after our parents to one where we’re suddenly looking down at the next generation.
With the arrival of my two grandchildren — Eve, who is almost three, and Frankie, who is just five months old — the realisation has hit home…
Without quite noticing when it happened, I’ve become the patriarch.
There’s a particular pleasure in this role that I never experienced as a father — the ability to hand the grandchildren back.
When you are the parent, you are the entire world. You are the infrastructure. If you aren’t there to handle every feeding, every cry, and every milestone, the whole system stops.
But as a grandfather, I get to enjoy the very best parts. I can marvel at how Frankie’s personality is emerging and watch Eve navigate her world — and then step away.
I can dip in and out, offering support and perspective, knowing their world continues turning without my constant, hands-on intervention.
It recently struck me how similar this feels to my work life.
When I set up Insight Associates, everything depended on me. I was deeply hands-on because I had to be.
In recent years, we’ve recruited capable people and cemented our systems. As a result, I’ve been able to step back.
I still provide direction and intervene where needed, but the day-to-day no longer rests on my shoulders. In a very real sense, I’ve become the patriarch of the business too.
That’s exactly what we work towards for our clients.
For many business owners, their company is still in that “infant” stage. They may have people around them, but the business remains overly dependent on them.
They can’t really “hand it back” because there isn’t yet a complete, reliable structure to hand it to.
They remain stuck in the exhausting cycle of doing, rather than standing at the head of the business and guiding it
My goal is to help you reach that “Patriarch” stage — particularly when it comes to your finances.
To professionalise your finance function so thoroughly that you only need to be involved in the good bits: using your numbers to make better decisions and drive profitability.
You shouldn’t have to check whether invoices are paid or worry about an unexpected VAT bill. That should all be taken care of.
My aim is to give you a business that still looks up to you, but no longer depends on you for its every breath.
If your business still feels like a demanding newborn that won’t let you sleep, let’s make 2026 the year we build the infrastructure that allows you to finally let go — to move from being the person who does it all, to the person who sees it all.
If you’d like to explore what that could look like for you, let’s talk in the New Year.
In the meantime, as we head into the holidays, I hope you get the time and space to step away from the doing — and enjoy a little more of the being.
Wishing you and your family a peaceful, restful, and happy holiday season.
Warmly,
Garry
