nobody above you to blame, nobody above you to blame you on.
means a business structure where one person or a small private group holds full control and equity, with no parent company, franchisor, or outside board calling the shots.
from the phrase gained modern currency in retail and media as a counterpoint to the 20th century wave of chains and conglomerates — the corner bookstore versus the mall chain, the local paper versus the media group, drawing a line between businesses that answer to a boardroom and ones that answer to a person.
powell's books — portland megastore, family owned since 1971, resisted chain buyouts
in-n-out burger — privately held since 1948, refuses franchising entirely
grateful dead touring — self managed empire outside major label control for decades