A founder said:
“I know I need to step back… but when I do nothing gets done”
And that was probably true.
For years, the business grew because of the founder’s speed, standards, judgement and sheer capacity to get things done.
Deep down they knew they ‘should’ start stepping back. But letting go of control felt way too risky, so they stayed involved in the day to day operations of the business.
The reason why is that Founders build a successful business by doing exactly the opposite of what they now need to do.
- They’ve worked harder than the majority
- They’ve spotted more opportunities
- They’ve taken more risks
- They’ve grafted
- They’ve taken responsibility
- They’ve cared more.
- Thought more.
- Done more.
Their almost-obsessive relationship with work was what built the business in the first place, it’s what made them exceptional and it’s how they accelerated growth to this point.
This is exactly why it’s so difficult to accept that your greatest strength, is now becoming your biggest risk and the thing preventing further growth.
I’ve seen this pattern hundreds of times.
The founder who built a successful £500,000 business tries to use exactly the same behaviours to run a £3 million business. They stay close to every decision, solve every difficult problem, know every client, protect standards and remain involved in almost everything.
For a while, it works brilliantly and the business grows, often fast, but so does the complexity and pressure.
The business has simply outgrown the version of leadership that created its early success. The founder is still operating like the business needs their constant input. Therefore the team is still behaving as if the founder always the final answer.
Not only does that affect commercial growth, but it can also make the Founder feel like the business is strangling them from the inside out.
That is not scalability.
When your business has become too dependent on your capability, the question becomes:
Q: What strength are you still overusing because it once made you successful?