That might sound scary, as many of us start a business to get away from the constraints that the ‘corporate’ world put on us. I was one of those people as well, but as my business grew, I found that the right amount of structure at the right time actually helped me, not hindered me. There was “freedom in the framework”. It also helped define what role I played, and what role I expected others to play. That was liberating not inhibiting.
Now this site is focussed on tools that are about helping the founder transition towards becoming a business owner.
So what is the difference between a founder and an owner?
A founder starts a business. They do whatever it takes. They do whatever role is required, often taking on things that they have never done before to help the business succeed.
And here’s the problem, many founders never stop doing that. They stay inside their businesses doing whatever is required, for whomever needs something or needs them. Ultimately, unless they are incredibly special, a high proportion of founders end up feeling trapped by their business. They want the business to grow and succeed but are so used to being the glue that holds everything together they can’t see a way to continue growing the business without being a key part.
To become a business owner is to recognise that you can’t do everything yourself (unless you are super hero). I was interviewed and the video excerpt below gives a flavour:
You can check out the entire interview if you like as well here. It will give you a flavour of my journey and the learnings I went through along the way. I’ll warn you, it does go for a while but it also gives you a pretty good taste of what I want do deliver to you from Business Balance Sheet.
