Identity Shifts

It is lonely at the top and your team will never fully understand your vision. The goal is for them to follow you and not be you. The more you try and make them the more you will struggle because you don’t need a bunch of yous. You need a team that trusts the vision and does their job.  Not saying don’t try and make sure they understand the why. It’s important to explain the impact of your decisions to push retail make changes in technology, but at the end of the day you know what’s best for your company and their role is to trust it. Look out for signs they trust you more than if they understand. 

You are a Problem Solver

You will meet many different people who are business owners. You are a business owner yourself but not everyone is an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs solve problems. You will be the one solving your own problems. The quicker you see this and solve problems in your business and see that as a part of the work, the quicker you will make money and relive stress. Not every peer is an entrepreneur. Some are business owners but they haven’t stepped into the identity of being a business owner an want problems to get solved for them. You’ve heard the adage “you are the 5 people who you hang around the most”. Don’t hang around people who can’t solve problems or you might think that’s normal. ## You have to become a Leader An LLC does not make you a CEO of a company. An LLC makes you a business owner. To become a leader, you have to have a compelling vision for people to follow and you need to continue to share that vision with your team. When starting you think about being the CEO, but when you are starting you are also the Chief Procurement Officer. A procurement leader makes decisions noo the sourcing activities of the company. Where are you going to buy your raw materials from for your baked goods? Where are you going to find your contractors from It will be hard until you accept the role of Procurement Leader and the other unnamed roles within your business. The overwhelming decision making is a result of rejecting those roles typically.

Hiring Your first hires.

Your hires need to bring capacity into the business. You will relieve more stress on yourself to by bringing in people. You want to do research on the titles you are hiring for. I love this approach to hiring that Andrew Wilikinson lays out in [this podcast ](https://www.mfmpod.com/a-masterclass-on-hiring-a-ceo-to-run-your-company-ft-andrew-wilkinson/). He breaks down the process into actionable nuggets that will make you confident on your next hire.

Chief of Staff I wouldn't always start with Chief of Staff, but is a more natural role than COO for companies with less than 50 people. Job Description: https://www.indeed.com/hire/job-description/chief-of-staff ## Executive Assistant Executive assistants are more common at corporations, but they have a place in growing small to medium size businesses. Reference: https://www.indeed.com/hire/job-description/executive-assistant

How do you know when you are ready to partner?

Enthusiasm There needs to be a mutual excitement to work together. You need to be excited to work with them just as much as they are excited to work with you. It is already hard to work with people so having to put in effort to make things work.

Prioritize your Values

I value integrity and communication, but yours values could be different. There isn't a "right" amount of values. You will know what is important to you as you continue to work with people so it is important you continue to self reflect.

You Can Make Money Together This probably feels painfully obvious, but most of the reason you should be considering partnership is to grow your revenue potential to partner with someone who has a skillset or capacity that you do not have. Assess if the revenue potential is actually there

Glossary

Business - is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). Note: Business is a verb.

Change management - Change management is an enabling framework for managing the people side of change.

Consulting - providing professional or expert advice. Note: to avoid this becoming transactional, the service provider should have competencies in coaching.

Decisions - the process of choosing a course of action from available options by evaluating information, risks, and potential outcomes. Strong decision-making is a critical skill for entrepreneurs navigating daily operations and long-term strategy.

Expert - having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience

Partnership - a relationship resembling a legal partnership and usually involving close cooperation between parties having specified and joint rights and responsibilities Innovation - the introduction of new ideas, products, processes, or methods that create value. For entrepreneurs, innovation is the engine of growth — finding better solutions to existing problems or creating entirely new markets and opportunities.

Executive Coaching - a professional development partnership in which a trained coach works one-on-one with a senior leader or entrepreneur to enhance their performance, clarity, and effectiveness. It focuses on unlocking potential, improving decision-making, and achieving personal and organizational goals.

Leadership  - the ability to inspire, influence, and guide individuals or teams toward a shared vision or goal. Effective leadership for entrepreneurs means setting direction, building culture, empowering others, and making tough decisions with confidence and integrity.

Consciousness - You have knowledge integrated so deeply into your being 

Mentor - an experienced and trusted advisor who shares knowledge, wisdom, and guidance to help someone less experienced grow personally and professionally. A mentor provides perspective, accountability, and support based on their own journey. A goal-oriented partnership in which a coach asks powerful questions to help a client discover their own answers, develop new skills, and take action. Unlike consulting, coaching draws out the client's inner wisdom rather than providing solutions.