A Glasgow-born business growth strategist with more than three decades of advisory experience has published a new book aimed at helping SME owners break free from the trap of building a business that consumes them instead of liberating them.
The book is entitled, ‘Work Smart. Work Less. Make More‘ and it draws on Craig Alexander Rattray’s 30-plus years of business experience advising ambitious and expanding SMEs. That experience distills into ten chapters which cover topics such as ‘thinking like a strategist rather than a struggler’, ‘creating a better work-life balance’, and ‘how an owner can replace themselves in the day-to-day running of a business’.
It’s the latest in a series from the businessman and author — all built around the theme of helping create successful entrepreneurs — and the first since he relocated from Scotland to the island of Crete in spring 2025.
The freedom trap
Rattray’s central argument is that the crisis facing many owner-operators is not a failure of effort but a failure of design. “This isn’t a book about working harder, it’s about something most business owners don’t talk about – the moment the business that they built for freedom starts taking it away.” He adds, “Most business owners don’t have a work ethic problem, they have a business that depends too heavily on them. And over time that becomes exhausting. Longer hours, more pressure – and they realise this isn’t what they set out to build.”
Speaking to High Growth Scotland, Rattray warned that there are warning signs to look out for, and that these can arrive faster than one might expect: “It’s when the business becomes 24/7 physically and mentally, and there is no off switch.” He notes that this can happen very quickly and many don’t see it coming.
What it takes to succeed
On the essential characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, Rattray is clear. “In my experience most successful entrepreneurs have a strong work ethic, determination and resilience, alongside passion in what they are doing.” But, he cautions that too many get ‘beaten-up’ in the process by failing to build a team, not having the right financial information, or failing to look after their health.
It’s a pattern he has lived personally. “I have sat with hundreds of business owners over 30 years who were quietly falling apart inside a business that looked healthy on paper. I’ve seen this pattern across multiple businesses. And I’ve lived it myself! That’s where this book comes from. Not theory but experience.”
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Freedom in practice
Rattray, who created the Know Your Numbers® training programme and The Freedom Circle, now runs his business from Crete. “I used to work more hours on a Saturday than I do in most entire weeks now,” he said. “That’s not luck. That’s not laziness. That’s 30 years of learning how to build businesses that run without me, and finally putting all of it into practice. I’m involved in multiple businesses and my own one runs largely without me, day to day. I live in Crete and can honestly say I have genuine freedom. I want to help others get there, too.”
Work Smart. Work Less. Make More. is available on Amazon.
