taking the lead right away
Chicago Entrepreneurs seldom consider themselves traditional leaders; they perceive themselves as the creative power behind their brands. But if they don’t take ownership of their leadership positions right away, it can lead to structural problems down the road. Customers of today associate companies, whether they are new or well-established, with the founders and the ideals they represent. Entrepreneurs should deliberately take the lead from the start, serving as the public face of their companies. Startups may position themselves for success at every level of development by doing this.
Startups have limited time during the hectic launch phase to establish a well-organized foundation. Founders are frequently in charge of every aspect of the business, including sales, marketing, production, and research & development. Because of their unstructured growth, they become multi-talented yet may never become experts in any one area of their company. Founders may also start to doubt their abilities and preferences as a result of being stretched so thin in the beginning. At a crucial point in their development, their brands run the risk of being eclipsed by outside forces due to this lack of confidence.
Managing partner Laura Sanchez-Greenberg of Verde Associates, a growth consulting firm, focuses on working with entrepreneurs and other business executives, including startup founders. She clarified that taking control of their brand is essential and that having faith in oneself and one’s abilities is the first step in leading the brand. According to Ms. Sanchez-Greenberg, founders frequently place an excessive amount of value on the opinions of others and exaggerate their own knowledge.
She continued, “They fail to set guardrails for development and struggle to ask questions early on.”Even with a one-person operation, the founder should take the effort to clearly define their role and the main goals of the business.
Founders should focus on their why – their genesis narrative and beliefs — and how they want the brand to represent these roots going forward, rather than being afraid to get too personal. Honesty is valued by conscientious customers, who also anticipate brands to have a clear ethical code and objectives. In fact, in today’s cutthroat market, a brand’s core distinction may come from the founders’ ideals alone. Startups may locate their target markets and prevent others from defining their business and culture by making these core beliefs clear. This will also pave the way for selecting a staff that is culturally compatible with the brand.
The shift from managing a brand to managing a staff presents the next hurdle for founders. The cooperative early stage of the business does not develop into distinct responsibilities andobligations by themselves. Although team members are encouraged to be creative through horizontal interactions, having everyone participate in every activity can lead to uncertainty over roles, specializations, and decision-making authority. Before adding anybody else to their team, founders should define their own responsibilities and job description to prevent becoming bogged down by a lack of limits. A predicted team member’s job should be established well before headshots and creative names are given.
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Startup executives alternate between the roles of chief executive officer, entrepreneur, and founder as their company grows. Despite the fact that these phrases are frequently used synonymously, they are not the same. Instead, they cause a crisis of excessive labels, ambiguous identities, and inadequate structure. It is unrealistic to expect founders in the high-pressure startup sector to foresee every detail of their brand’s trajectory right away. However, they will lay the foundation for quicker growth and long-term success if they embrace their leadership roles and see their brands as authentic representations of who they are.