Joe Lorenz · Biz Coach Joe

Is Your Business
Running You?

Most family business owners have built something that only works when they show up. That dependency has a price — in valuation, in freedom, and in what you'll walk away with. It's called the Owner Dependency Tax. And it's 100% refundable.

The Owner Optional series is the complete field guide to diagnosing and eliminating your Owner Dependency Tax — so your business can run, grow, and sell without you at the center of every decision.
20–40%
Typical valuation discount from owner dependency
$0
Cost to calculate your exact ODT Bill today
90
Days to begin reducing your tax meaningfully
The Owner Dependency Tax™ Series — Owner Optional, Owner Optional Field Guide, and Seen From Every Seat
Sept 8
2026

Your business is paying a hidden tax right now. The average family business owner loses $800K–$2M in exit value from dependency alone.

The Five Dependency Areas

Where Owner Dependency Hides

The ODT shows up across five distinct areas. Your total bill is the sum of what's costing you across all five — in decisions, relationships, operations, sales, and know-how.

01
Decision-Making
Who makes the calls when you're not there — and how often do they still call you anyway?
02
Client Relationships
Do key clients expect you personally, or can your team carry the relationship fully?
03
Operations
Are your processes documented and running — or do they depend on you watching?
04
Sales
Can your pipeline grow and close without you in every major conversation?
05
Knowledge
Is the critical know-how of your business in your head, or in systems your team can use?
Free ODT Assessment

Calculate Your Owner Dependency Tax

Tell us where to send your results and we'll take you straight into your personalized Owner Dependency Tax assessment.

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Want to Go Deeper?

The Owner Optional Series

Three books. One framework. A complete system — from the foundational roadmap to the 90-day field guide to the advisor playbook. Launching September 8, 2026.

Book One
Owner Optional
Design a business that thrives without you. The foundational framework for reducing your Owner Dependency Tax across all five areas. The roadmap every family business owner needs before they can think about an exit.
Field Guide
Owner Optional Field Guide
The 90-day companion workbook. Templates, the Decision Authority Matrix, Playbook starters, and structured tools to execute your reduction sprint. Built to sit alongside the book and put the framework into practice.
Book Two
Seen From Every Seat
Advisors. Partners. Perspectives. One Goal: Your Client's Freedom. The advisor's playbook for helping family business owners diagnose and reduce their ODT — built for coaches, planners, and exit advisors.