PREPARING FOR GROWTH From Doer to Leader
I n the early days of your business, you wore every hat available. You built the product, closed the first deals, wrote invoices, answered support tickets, and maybe even assembled furniture in the office. That scrappy, hands-on style is part of what makes startups succeed in the beginning. But as the business grows, the founder’s role must evolve. If you keep doing everything, you’ll eventually become the biggest blocker to the very growth you’re chasing. The shift from doer to leader is one of the hardest transitions for founders. It feels unnatural to step back from tasks you know you can do well, and to hand them off to others who might do them differently— or even not as well, at least at first. Yet this transition is critical if you want a business that scales beyond your personal capacity. Why the Transition Matters Founders who don’t adapt risk burning out. Growth adds complexity: more customers, more staff, more moving parts. The same energy and hustle that once kept the lights on can now become chaos. Your team needs clarity, not just effort. They need a leader who sets direction and trusts them to execute. Equally important, your investors, customers, and employees will start to look at the company as bigger than just
by Darryll Gillard
38 SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 25 ISSUE 5
BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE 39
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